July 2, 2009
Can Cap-and-Trade Pass the Senate? (A.B. Stoddard)
Much has been said about the ability of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to pass the cap-and-trade bill she had staked her reputation on. It was quite a feat indeed, as our terrific reporting team described in The Hill, following the vote.
Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) was pulled out of rehab; Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) dragged himself in following back surgery. Even better was the contribution of now-former Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.). Tauscher had not only already been confirmed for a new job at the State Department and was supposed to have already resigned her House seat, but was getting married the following day. She stayed not only to vote yes on the bill but also to preside over the controversial debate in the Speaker's chair. > Read More
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What's This July 1, 2009
Tom Daschle, Bellwether (A.B. Stoddard)
To take stock of the true trajectory of support for a public option within the Democratic forces behind healthcare reform, one should look no further than Tom Daschle.
The former senator from South Dakota — who was supposed to become President Obama's secretary of Health and Human Services but who withdrew from contention when his unpaid taxes threatened to derail his nomination — was pushing a public option for healthcare as recently as May 18, 2009, when he argued in a Newsweek column for a public plan. > Read More
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What's This June 29, 2009
SCOTUS Ruling Fuels GOP Fire (A.B. Stoddard)
A.B. Stoddard spoke with Chris Kofinis & John Feehery about how the Supreme Court reversal on Ricci v. DeStefano will effect the outcome of Judge Sotomayor's confirmation hearings.
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What's This June 25, 2009
The Future of the Republican Party, According to Mike Huckabee (A.B. Stoddard)
So it turns out that South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) was more than quirky. Not much more to say about the guy.
Which returns us to the subject of who benefits in 2012 from Sanford's taking a hike. Anyone notice how overboard Mike Huckabee is going these days? Watch this guy closely — he is pretty set on mowing down anyone in his path on the Road to Des Moines.
> Read More
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What's This June 23, 2009
Sanford's Sense-Deprivation Vacation (A.B. Stoddard)
It has been a good week for Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty and any of the other 2012 GOP hopefuls — what with the Sen. John Ensign (Nev.) affair story (involving not only betrayal but campaign cash!) and now South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford taking a hike from his senses.
Did Sanford's wife tell him to take that hike? Notice that her response to inquiries about her husband going missing on Father's Day weekend was that he needed to go somewhere to write and "wanted some space to get away from the kids." Nice. > Read More
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What's This June 22, 2009
Dems Could Lose Healthcare Debate (A.B. Stoddard)
The Hill's A.B. Stoddard delves into some of the latest Sarah Palin news, and offers commentary on how Congress is handling the healthcare debate and the political climate in Iran.
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What's This June 19, 2009
Coburn Less Charmed by Stimulus Findings (A.B. Stoddard)
Remember when Sen. Tom Coburn admitted last month he just couldn't resist President Obama's smile? “He’s just got a great smile,” said Coburn, recalling his first interactions with Obama. “He charmed me."
Coburn has become one of the U.S. Congress's fiercest anti-pork crusaders. And apparently, while he visited the White House to chat up his old Senate buddy, Barack, Coburn's staff was hard at work on investigating the stimulus program we now know has not stopped unemployment from reaching 9.4 percent and has only dispatched 5 percent of its $787 billion in oh-so-necessary recovery and reinvestment funds. > Read More
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What's This June 16, 2009
Obama's Passivity on Iran and Healthcare (A.B. Stoddard)
The Hill’s A.B. Stoddard talks with John Feehery and Chris Kofinis about the Obama administration’s role in the healthcare debate now and how the president has reacted to the Iranian elections.
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What's This June 12, 2009
Obama's Dubious Handling, and Appraisal, of the Stimulus (A.B. Stoddard)
President Obama, as a candidate, presented a stark contrast to then-President Bush in the competence department. His campaign was considered by friend and foe to be unprecedented, as disciplined and effective as you can strive for at the national level. Which is why the fact that the administration couldn't manage to spend 95 percent of the stimulus money in four months since the bill passed the Congress is pretty stunning. > Read More
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What's This June 10, 2009
Scant Agreement on Healthcare (A.B. Stoddard)
Healthcare reform bills are going to start coming out from behind their respective curtains in the days and weeks to come, and the issue will consume the entire summer here in Washington. If two bills pass the House and Senate before Congress begins its August recess — which is currently the plan — we will be able to say we have witnessed a miracle.
How the Democrats plan to pull this off is beyond me and most other Congress-watchers who have witnessed the gridlock and legislative grinding halt that most major initiatives encounter in the marbled halls of the Capitol. President Obama's aggressive push for passing something this year is admirable and likely the only hope healthcare has of becoming a reality at all during his presidency, but what we're seeing nearly halfway through June isn't encouraging. > Read More
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