- Despite concessions from the White House, Senate Republicans only want to start over on healthcare reform. Oh, sorry, I meant financial regulatory reform. Same bullshit message, different day. (TPM)
- Israel has banned US iPads from entering the country, citing shoddy American WiFi standards. Who will be the first to blame this on our president’s Muslim-ness? (ComputerWorld)
- Britain and Germany are thinking about also suing Goldman Sachs for the whole destroying the global economy and general terribleness thing.
- Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is amused that after eight years of insane spending and tax cuts, Republicans and their teabagging friends have suddenly discovered the deficit. (Politico)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703594404575192243667756692.html
4/18/10 5:35 pm | | Permalink | Tags: bipartisanship, deficit, financial regulatory reform, Goldman Sachs, iPad, Israel, teabaggers, Timothy Geithner
Wanker of the Day
John McCain
3/22/10 5:25 pm | | Permalink | Tags: bipartisanship, John McCain, WOTD
Manage the Message
If the White House would just stop talking about bipartisanship then Democrats wouldn’t have to keep watering down bills to get “support” from Republicans who aren’t going to vote for the bill anyway.
2/11/10 1:38 pm | | Permalink | Tags: bipartisanship, jobs bill, White House
Deep Thought
So now that healthcare reform is officially bipartisan, can we all stop groveling at the feet of Olympia Snowe?
11/8/09 1:48 pm | | Permalink | Tags: bipartisanship, healthcare, Joseph Cao, Olympia Snowe
We Must Have Bipartisanship!
How horrible would it be if the Democratic majority passed healthcare reform with only Democratic votes when Republicans are so open to compromise:
“Be assured not one Republican will vote for this bill,” [Rep. Eric] Cantor said, to big cheers and shouts of “Kill the bill.”
But we must have bipartisanship because, um, Olympia Snowe? Or maybe it’s because David Brooks will be sad? Ugh. If the Democrats have learned anything from Tuesday night (and I wouldn’t be surprised if they haven’t) it’s that Democrats don’t show up to vote for candidates who insist on running far to the right.
11/5/09 1:39 pm | | Permalink | Tags: bipartisanship, Eric Cantor, healthcare, teabaggers
The Bipartisan Myth
The New York Times tells us what most of us already know: there will never be a bipartisan compromise on healthcare reform with today’s GOP.
Most Republicans have been deeply unhappy with the Democratic health care proposals so far, and Republicans on the Finance Committee were said to be bracing for two possibilities: a partisan proposal that they were going to oppose, or a bipartisan proposal that they were going to oppose.
(via)
9/17/09 10:56 am | | Permalink | Tags: bipartisanship, healthcare, Max Baucus, Senate Finance Committee
I’ll Have Some of What Max Baucus Is Smoking
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), on his totally awesome bipartisan compromise healthcare bill:
The critical question is: Do we get bipartisan support sometime before we vote on the bill? And me guess is that we will,” he said. “It could be as late as voting on the bill, I just don’t know when. But I do think a decent number of Republicans will support it.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), on that same bill:
I don’t think that’s a package that very many Republicans will support
I wonder what Baucus thinks he knows about the GOP caucus that McConnell doesn’t, especially now that Baucus has produced a bill that even Democrats on his committee can’t support because it makes so many concessions to Republicans that it no longer contains the reform that Democrats want.
Meanwhile, you have Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the chief Republican negotiator of the “bipartisan” bill (and he’s hardly been gung-ho about compromise) saying that he won’t support any bill unless Democrats cede complete control and veto power over healthcare reform legislation to the GOP. And Grassley is supposed to be the most bipartisan Republican!
Someone needs to wake Max Baucus up from his bipartisan fantasy land and write a bill that provides real healthcare reform, and if Republicans don’t want to play ball (and they don’t), then so be it.
9/16/09 11:15 am | | Permalink | Tags: bipartisanship, Chuck Grassley, healthcare, Max Baucus, Mitch McConnell, Senate Finance Committee
Quote of the Day
As one top Democrat told me, the fundamental problem is that Democrats “are being asked to support a bipartisan bill that doesn’t have bipartisan support.” The compromise without the cover.
– ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, on the “compromise” healthcare reform bill released today by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT).
9/16/09 10:53 am | | Permalink | Tags: bipartisanship, George Stephanopulos, healthcare, Max Baucus, QOTD, Senate Finance Committee
Democrats Finally Figuring It Out?
Looks like Democrats may be finally figuring out that Republicans never intended to compromise on healthcare reform, they only wanted to kill it:
Given hardening Republican opposition to Congressional health care proposals, Democrats now say they see little chance of the minority’s cooperation in approving any overhaul, and are increasingly focused on drawing support for a final plan from within their own ranks.
Top Democrats said Tuesday that their go-it-alone view was being shaped by what they saw as Republicans’ purposely strident tone against health care legislation during this month’s Congressional recess, as well as remarks by leading Republicans that current proposals were flawed beyond repair.
Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, said the heated opposition was evidence that Republicans had made a political calculation to draw a line against any health care changes, the latest in a string of major administration proposals that Republicans have opposed.
“The Republican leadership,” Mr. Emanuel said, “has made a strategic decision that defeating President Obama’s health care proposal is more important for their political goals than solving the health insurance problems that Americans face every day.”
Not mentioned in this article, though, are Harry Reid and Max Baucus. They’re the ones who really need to put recognize that they can’t negotiate with Chuck Grassley because Grassley doesn’t want to negotiate.
8/19/09 11:51 am | | Permalink | Tags: bipartisanship, Chuck Grassley, Harry Reid, healthcare, Max Baucus, Rahm Emanuel
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