Tag Archives: public option

After Only Six Days, Olbermann Kisses and Makes Up with Daily Kos Blog

Keith Olbermann just couldn’t stay mad at the radical leftists at the Daily Kos. Six days after walking away in a huff, the MSNBC host returned to his spot on the blog on Tuesday morning, with the headline “So, uh, this looks like a nice site.” He began: “OK, I’m back.” I’ve always liked to invent backstories behind cliches and one of my oldest ones is the idea that the first guy who said “You can’t see the forest for the trees” was actually running through a forest when he ran head first into a tree and didn’t enjoy the experience. You do tend to swear at the trees, and, if you hit your head hard enough, you might even swear off that particular forest for awhile. Olbermann claimed to be delighted that responses to his “I’m out of here” blog entry brought a wide spectrum of opinion, and that perhaps he had a new thought buried beneath his self-admitted daily pomposity:  It occurs to me, in the full flower of the pomposity that always strikes me at midday, that this might be somewhat metaphorical for progressives and other centrists, particularly relative to criticism of the Administration. I was reminded of this last night when somebody asked me why I wasn’t pounding the President more on Afghanistan, and I linked him the Comment I did last year saying Obama should declare victory and go home. “Sure,” the guy replied, “you’ve been critical of that, once, but you seem to go lightly on them.” And I said, you’re right…other than this stuff about the BP disaster, and the Public Option, and the political strategy on Health Care Reform, and Afghanistan, and not prosecuting torture, and the Kagan nomination, and maybe six dozen complaints about process or tone. I mention this because the last diary was misinterpreted by 99% of the old media and 99.5% of the new media. I didn’t ‘quit Daily Kos because I got criticized for criticizing POTUS.’ I wrote what I wrote because there was a body of us here which assumed any criticism of this administration had to originate in a nefarious and wholly nugatory plan to destroy it. There certainly are such nefarious and wholly nugatory plans, active, this very minute: The most prominent is called the Republican Party (GOBP). Meanwhile, one group of progressives/liberals/Democrats has assumed no such conspiracy theory, demanded no purity test, and taken no instant and farfetched umbrage. These are the individuals known as the Obama Administration. I haven’t been in contact with anybody there since my comments on the President’s speech, but I sure as hell was in contact with them after every single one of the criticisms I mentioned above. Nobody ever called me up to complain. Nobody ever called me up to dissuade. Nobody schmoozed me, and nobody threatened me. They seem to assume it comes with the job. And they correctly assume that if I’m critical of them, they’re entitled to be critical of my criticism. This differs from the previous occupants of the White House in more ways than this site has members and lurkers and trolls combined. You will recall that every criticism of Bush was a plot to destroy America. Criticism of Obama is…democracy. That’s funny. Keith usually suggests criticism of Obama is….racist. Olbermann apologized for his wounded ago, even as he’s accustomed to dishing it out at least as viciously as he takes it:  The show I do and the positions I take are under assault, every day, from every possible direction, and I’m not complaining about it: I can afford the suit of armor. I just get pissed off now and again when I’m busy dodging bazookas and somebody bounces a nine-volt battery off my shiny metal ass claiming I’m actually an agent trying to make dough the easy way. I should have laughed at the ludicrousness of the idea. I didn’t. Sometimes it gets sweaty inside the armor. I’m not given to rash decisions (and when I say “I’m not,” of course I mean, “I am.”)

Go here to read the rest:
After Only Six Days, Olbermann Kisses and Makes Up with Daily Kos Blog

Grayson introduces Public Option Act – Medicare for anyone

Congressman Alan Grayson, (D-Orlando), today introduced a bill (H.R. 4789) which would give the option to buy into Medicare to every citizen of the United States. The “Public Option Act,” also known as the “Medicare You Can Buy Into Act,” would open up the Medicare network to anyone who can pay for it. Congressman Grayson said, “Obviously, America wants and needs more competition in health coverage, and a public option offers that. But it’s just as important that we offer people not just another choice, but another kind of choice. A lot of people don’t want to be at the mercy of greedy insurance companies that will make money by denying them the care that they need to stay healthy, or to stay alive. We deserve to have a real alternative.” The bill would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish enrollment periods, coverage guidelines, and premiums for the program. Because premiums would be equal to cost, the program would pay for itself. “The government spent billions of dollars creating a Medicare network of providers that is only open to one-eighth of the population. That’s like saying, ‘Only people 65 and over can use federal highways.’ It is a waste of a very valuable resource and it is not fair. This idea is simple, it makes sense, and it deserves an up-or-down vote,” Congressman Grayson said. In keeping with the “Grayson style,” the bill is clear and concise. It is only four pages. You can read the bill here. added by: WakeUpPeople

Reid open to public option reconciliation vote

WASHINGTON — As supporters of the public option mount a comeback, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) signaled his willingness to pass it through reconciliation Friday. “If a decision is made to use reconciliation to advance health care, Senator Reid will work with the White House, the House, and members of his caucus in an effort to craft a public option that can overcome procedural obstacles and secure enough votes,” Reid's spokesman Rodell Mollineau told The Plum Line's Greg Sargent. “Senator Reid has always and continues to support the public option as a way to drive down costs and create competition. That is why he included the measure in his original health care proposal.” During the week, more and more senators signed on to a letter authored by Sen. Michael Bennett (D-CO) calling for a vote on the public option through the budget reconciliation procedure, which would allow it to pass with a simple 51-vote majority. By Friday, 18 senators were on board. More… http://rawstory.com/2010/02/reid-public-option-white-house-hedges/ added by: SleepDirt

Indonesia sets record with 10,000 paper lanterns

More than 10,000 twinkling paper lanterns were released into the night sky from a beach in Indonesia, setting a world record, officials said on Monday. added by: poojam 3 comments

Follow this link:
Indonesia sets record with 10,000 paper lanterns

Public option likely to be removed from healthcare overhaul

Chances that a so-called “public option” — under which the government would set up competitors to private health insurers — appear to be dimming. With recent hard-edged comments by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who avers that he will vote to filibuster any bill that contains a public-run health insurer, moderates have been meeting to hammer out a deal

Go here to see the original:
Public option likely to be removed from healthcare overhaul

Schumer: Public Option Will Prevail in the Senate

As Senators Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Connecticut) made statements that they had deep reservations about the current health care reform bill, Charles Schumer (D-New York) boldly declared that “…at the end of the day the moderate, opt-out public option will prevail.” Mr. Schumer did admit that centrist Senators as well as progressive Senators would have to do some more give and take saying “We all know we're going to have to give a little; that's what happened in the vote Saturday night, that's what happened here.” Its important to note that Mr. Schumer is one of the most powerful Democratic Senators, he heads up the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which means he's the one who decides how to allocate funds come election time

View post:
Schumer: Public Option Will Prevail in the Senate

DNC Vs. RNC On Health Care

Subscribe to Joe.My.God.

Excerpt from:
DNC Vs. RNC On Health Care

Maggie Gallagher Speaks Her Mind

Tony-winning Avenue Q creator Jeff Whitty , FTW. Subscribe to Joe.My.God.

Read more:
Maggie Gallagher Speaks Her Mind

U.S. House Passes Health Care Reform, GOP Calls Bill "Dead On Arrival" In Senate

Late last night the U.S. House narrowly approved its version of the health care reform bill by a vote of 220-215. Only one Republican, first termer Rep

See the article here:
U.S. House Passes Health Care Reform, GOP Calls Bill "Dead On Arrival" In Senate

Carrie’s Mom Saw The Sex Tape

TMZ reports today that Miss Ladyfingers USA’s mother was in the room when pageant lawyers played her sex tape.

Visit link:
Carrie’s Mom Saw The Sex Tape