9/25: It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over
In a legislative fight as drawn out and complicated as the current debate over health care reform, it's not surprising that individual comments from lawmakers and WH officials can have a major impact on the mood of the grassroots. On Wednesday, liberal bloggers were feeling pessimistic about the prospects of passing a health care bill with a public option, thanks to comments from anonymous WH staff and OMB dir. Peter Orszag. Today, however, the netroots are feeling a bit more hopeful, thanks to comments from three Dem senators. First of all, NY Sen. Chuck Schumer and WV Sen. Nelson Rockefeller expressed confidence that the final health care bill will include a public option -- which surprised and cheered lefty bloggers. OH Sen. Sherrod Brown subsequently made a similar prediction, which also pleased the netroots. Although liberal bloggers doubt that the Finance Committee will include a public option in its bill, they're still hopeful that a public option will find its way into the health care bill that Pres. Obama ultimately signs.
What else is happening in the blogosphere?
- Liberal bloggers (Klein, Benen) are pleased that MA Gov. Deval Patrick (D) appointed Paul G. Kirk Jr. (D) to the late Edward Kennedy's (D) Senate seat. Now, lefty bloggers (Bowers, Sudbay) are waiting to see whether all 60 members of the Senate Dem caucus will vote for cloture on a health care bill.
- Conservative bloggers (Geraghty, Rubin, Ledeen) are criticizing Obama's foreign policy (again) following reports that Iran is building a secret nuclear plant. In contrast, Andrew Sullivan is very impressed by Obama's approach to Iran.
- Conservative bloggers (Lane, Reynolds, Goldberg) are pleased that NEA comm. dir. Yosi Sergant resigned after coming under fire from the right for encouraging artists to support Obama's agenda.
- Liberal bloggers (Lemos, TBogg) are criticizing CA GOV candidate Meg Whitman (R) for "regularly skipp[ing] elections in California and several other states where she lived and worked." Meanwhile, NRO's Larry Kudlow complains that Whitman is "vague on tax policy" and praises her GOP primary rival, Steve Poizner.
- According to (unscientific) polls on the conservative blogs Instapundit and Right Wing News, ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R) is far and away the righty blogosphere's top choice to become the '12 GOP WH nominee.
HEALTH CARE REFORM: Reasons For Optimism?
Lefty bloggers were surprised and pleased by Sens. Schumer and Rockfeller's prediction that the final health care bill will include a public option:
- Daily Kos' mcjoan: "That growing certitude in the Senate could be an outgrowth of the developments we've seen in the last few days in the House: the Progressive's continued strong stance on the public option, Speaker Pelosi's refusal of triggers, and the Blue Dogs' weakening opposition. Even Emanuel recognizes that the House will have a public option. Taken together, there is a reason for optimism."
- The Washington Monthly's Steve Benen: "That sounds pretty exciting, but if I were a betting man, I wouldn't put money on the public option getting out of the Finance Committee. Rockefeller said there's a 'good shot' that the panel will approve the measure. I'm not sure how -- Dems have a 13-10 margin on the committee, but at least two Dems (Conrad and [AR Sen. Blanche] Lincoln) oppose the provision, and even Chairman Max Baucus is likely to vote against it. Indeed, it's long been assumed that the public option has no shot in the committee, and would have to be considered later in the process. Nevertheless, spirited support for the measure is welcome, and if/when it falls short today, we can expect Schumer and Rockefeller to push even more aggressively if/when the bill progresses."
Meanwhile, the netroots are also feeling mildly encouraged by two recent developments in the House. First of all, liberal bloggers (Bowers, McCarter, Walker, Llorens) were pleased to learn that blocking a public option is reportedly "a relatively low priority for conservative Blue Dog Democrats." Second, liberal bloggers (Sudbay, Llorens) were pleased to see Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) make a strong statement against the "trigger" compromise favored by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME).
In other health care news, lefty bloggers (Drum, Walker, Dayen) are hammering Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) after he made some surprising statements about other countries' health care systems during an interview with The Washington Post's Ezra Klein.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Carpe Diem
"Andrew Gelman thinks the Democrats might lose the House in 2010. Other people try to debunk him. I try not to make predictions on these things 13 months before the next election, but here's a prediction I'm comfortable making: Sometime in the next two or three election cycles, Democrats will lose one or both chambers of Congress.
That's how it goes. The midterms are traditionally bad for the incumbent party. The second set of midterms -- so 2014, if Obama holds the White House -- are traditionally really bad for incumbent party. History's pretty clear on this stuff.
The point of having a majority in Congress is not to retain your majority in Congress. It's to do as much good stuff as you can before the structural dynamics of American politics -- or the idiocies and tactical errors of your colleagues -- put an end to your reign. [...I]f you're going to be some former chairman chafing in the minority in a few years, better to do so with the comforting knowledge that your many legislative achievements assured your place in the history books and bettered the lives of millions of Americans."
LEST WE FORGET: Spatial Skills Abandon Area Man During Search For Correct Tupperware Lid
From The Onion:
"WATERVILLE, ME -- The ability to judge different sizes and shapes was inexplicably lost on Waterville resident John Wyatt on Tuesday as he struggled to find the correct lid for a plastic container of chicken salad. According to witnesses, the seemingly rational man cycled through 17 separate lids in his desperate search to find a corresponding match, rotating each incorrect cover multiple times in hopes that it would somehow fit. 'Why won't this work?' asked Wyatt, who is reportedly an intelligent and astute individual most of the time. 'Just close already, goddammit.' At press time, Wyatt was attempting to secure a square lid onto a round container with several sheets of plastic wrap."
