Lieberman Could Vote "Yes" on Health Care Bill

Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman says he is moving in the direction of voting "yes" for the Senate's version for the health care bill, as long as the public option and Medicare buy-in are left out. The independent Senator's vote is important because his is one of the last of the 60 votes needed to pass the bill in the Senate, as no Republicans are voting for it. Lieberman says that he has wanted health care reform all along, but that he isn't willing to risk a government takeover of the system and raising taxes by voting in favor of a public option. Read more at http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/12/15/lieberman-moving-towards-a-yes-vote/ All this comes on the same day that President Obama claimed that the Senate was "on the precipice" of passing the health care reform bill. It's hard to believe that this bill is actually close to being passed. It sure would be a tragedy if at the last minute something stopped it from going through. Lieberman has that kind of power, and his vote is enormously important. No pressure Joe.

Pelosi Willing to Consider Health Care Bill Without Public Option

After Senate Democrats reached a tentative agreement earlier this week to drop the public option from the Health Care Bill (see my Tuesday post), Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said today that she would be willing to support a bill without the public option as long as that's what the consensus was. After the House passed its version of the Health Care Bill last month (that includes the public option), the bill has stalled in the Senate, where it's unlikely to get enough votes to pass if the public option is included. This is a result of the opposition of Republicans and moderate Democrats, who fear a government take-over of the health care system. Pelosi said that at the moment, the Senate and House bills are 75 percent compatible. Read more at http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/10/health.care/index.html. This development doesn't surprise me, as American politics is set up so that moderation reigns supreme. Whenever the two parties disagree on something, they are forced to move to the middle if anything is to get passed, which is exactly what the Democrats and Republicans are doing now. Hooray for compromise!

Obama to Accept Nobel Prize Tomorrow

President Obama will spend 26 hours in Norway tomorrow and Friday to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. He plans to meet and have dinner with Norway's royal family before heading off to the award ceremony to receive his medal and the 1.4 million dollar check that goes with it. Some see his selection for this prestigious award as controversial, as nominations ended only 12 days after Obama took office last February, but there's no doubt that he has captured the world's attention, broke one of the last barriers for African Americans, and been an inspiration to many throughout the world. Some experts say that his recognition will give him more clout and increase his influence in the health care debate. I can see this happening, as such a prestigious recognition has to count for something. I'm glad his visit will be short though, as he has important business to attend to back home with the health care debate and the war in Afghanistan.

Harry Reid: Senate Democrats Reach Agreement on Public Option

Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) said today that liberal and moderate Senate Democrats have reached a "broad agreement" in terms of the health care bill's controversial public option. Sources say that the agreement contains proposals to replace the public option with a nonprofit "private option." Liberal Democrats such as Wisconsin's Russ Feingold dispute Reid's statement, and claim to be unwilling to compromise on the public option. But replacing the public option with a private option could potentially sway the votes of two Senators, Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who are against the public option but are willing to compromise. All this public vs. private option doesn't make sense to me, maybe because I don't know that much about insurance. But I have to doubt that the Senate has actually reached a consensus, seeing how most everything these days is gridlocked. Maybe Reid is just saying these things to boost the morale of the American people. Find more information at http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/08/health.care/index.html.

Unregistered Couple Recieve Entry Into White House State Dinner

Last week at President Obama's first state dinner, and couple whose names were not on the guest list were allowed into the exclusive event. Virginians Tareq and Michaele Salahi were told they could attend the dinner and were let in by White House security guards even though they were not on the guest list. The Secret Service announced in a House committee that the admittance was a mistake and that "appropriate procedures were not followed." Mark Sullivan testified at a Homeland Security Committee hearing for the investigation into the mistake and said that "established procedures and protocols were not followed" and that the breech in security was "unacceptable and indefensible." Read more at http://www.cnn.com/2009/12/03/secret-service-headsays-agency-erred-when-couple-attended-white-house-dinner/. This seems like an inexcusable mistake, but luckily the couple had good intentions, as they wanted to honor India's prime minister. I'm sure the White House security staff won't make the same mistake again.

Officeholders From Both Parties Question Obama's Afghanistan Strategy

Lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum were questioning Obama's plan with regard to the conflict in Afghanistan a day after his speech, although for different reasons. Republicans are concerned that President Obama set an arbitrary deadline for initial withdrawal of U.S. troops (July, 2011) and that this date should depend more on the conditions in Afghanistan than on what the president says now. Additionally, some Republican legislators, such as Florida's Connie Mack, claim that announcing the U.S.'s planned withdrawal strategy only strengthens the Al Qaeda and Taliban extremist groups' resolve. Democrats on the other hand are concerned that the war may not be winnable and are against sending more troops to Afghanistan. If you are information-hungry, eat up at http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/02/obama.afghanistan/index.html. From all this opposition, it's clear Obama faces a rocky road ahead of him with regard to his foreign policy. But remember kids, don't criticize our president too much, he is a human being and he has feelings just like all of us.

Obama's Afghanistan Strategy: More Troops Now, Withdraw in 2011

On Tuesday evening President Obama spoke at the United States Military Academy about his strategy for the conflict in Afghanistan. Among his major points were that he plans to deploy 30,000 additional troops starting in January and that he hopes the U.S. can start withdrawing troops by July, 2011. This depends, however, on the situation in Afghanistan at that time, as there will be no withdrawal if conditions have not improved from their present state. In his speech Obama also said that U.S. forces will be assisted by NATO troops and that he most of the U.S. troops can be withdrawn by the end of his first term (January, 2013). More information can be found at http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/01/obama.afghanistan/index/html. I doubt that we will be able to withdraw these troops as early as Obama suggests, as January 2010 to July 2011 doesn't seem like enough time for the Afghans to begin managing their own situation. I guess only time will tell.

Republican National Committee raises nearly $9 million

On Thursday the Republican National Committee reported that in October they raised $8.79 million, a new record for the party's monthly earnings. The grand old party now has $11.2 million in cash and has topped 1 million active donors as of November 11. Additionally, the party has registered a record 305,000 new contributors this year alone. Things are definitely looking up monetary-wise for the Republicans less than one year before the critical midterm congressional elections that could sway the majorities in both houses of congress. The Democratic Party has yet to release its earnings for October but did earn a little over $8 million in September. It's ridiculous how much money these parties receive for campaigning and helping their candidates get elected. Can anyone say campaign finance reform? If you're curious about this subject and don't trust my summarizing, go to http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/11/19/rnc-reports-9-million-cash-haul-last-month/.

Senate Committee Investigates Fort Hood Shooting

Today a special Senate investigation committee began looking into whether the Fort Hood, Texas shootings of November 5 could have been prevented if authorities had acted differently. According to a memo written two years ago by the supervisor of the shooter, Nidal Malik Hasan demonstrated poor judgement and a lack of professionalism in his employment at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The committee is attempting to determine whether federal authorities knew enough about Hasan's condition to do something that would have prevented the shootings. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), the Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman, is leading the investigation. It would sure be a shame if this tragedy could have been prevented after all. But for the families and friends of the victims, it is useless to investigate this issue now, as it has already occurred and it's not like investigating it more will make it less of a tragedy. More information on this topic can be found at http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/11/19/fort.hood.hearing/index.html.

Reid Unvails Specifics of Health Care Bill

Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) today released the specifics of the new health care bill that was passed by House of Representatives two weeks ago. The 2074 page bill guarantees coverage for 94 percent of Americans and will cost $849 billion. The bill's financing will rely on Medicare spending cuts, greater taxes for the upper class, and greater charges on patients undergoing elective plastic surgery. Reid says the measure will reduce deficits by $127 billion in ten years and $650 billion in twenty years. The implementation of the bill, however, depends on if it receives the 60 votes necessary in the Senate, a proposition that is still uncertain. Read more about this story at httP://news.yahoo.com/s.ap/us_health_care_overhall. I'm glad all this health care debate is finally getting somewhere. I suppose it's alright if we spend the $849 billion on the bill now as long as it saves the country money in the long run, as Reid claims. On to the Senate!

Obama Forging His Own Afghanistan Policy

After meeting with his national security team today, President Obama has decided not to accept any of the four options his own policy presented to him and instead create on sending troops to Afghanistan. This policy could alter the current plan on how many more troops we send to Afghanistan as well as the timeline for when U.S. troops will give the Afghan government control. The specifics of Obama's strategy are not yet known, but he plans to announce them after he returns from a visit to Asia on Nov. 19. This breaking news story can be found at http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iqyaFh_efr-brDq0rMLF1hkop0tgD9BTNRHO0. It seems pretty bold for Obama to go against his advisors. Only time will tell whether he made the right decision.

Penry Drops Out of CO Governor Race

Monday afternoon Josh Penry, a Republican from Grand Junction who currently serves as the Colorado State Senate Minority Leader, officially announced that he is dropping out of contention for the state governor election next summer. Penry's main justification for this move is that he wishes for the Republican Party in Colorado to be unified behind one strong candidate for the governor election. He believes that Scott McInnis, who is ahead in the polls and has more finances, is in a better position to get elected at this point, although Penry will not officially endorse McInnis or Dan Maes (the other Republican candidate). More information can be found at http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=126716&catid=339. This is an interesting move, as I would think competition between McInnis and Penry would make the Republican Party in Colorado stronger and thus better suited to take the office of governor. But then again, I don't care for Penry that much as I disagree with his "drill baby, drill" mentality.

House Passes Health Care Bill

The big news of the weekend was that the House of Representatives passed the health care bill by a vote of 220 to 215 late Saturday night. 39 Democrats voted against the bill and 1 Republican (from Louisiana) voted for it. The proposed bill will cover 96 percent of Americans and provide subsidies for people who cannot affort health insurance. More about the bill can be found at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120214124&ps=cprs. As monumental as this may seem, I don't think anything will come of the House's bill anytime soon, as with the speed of American politics we could still be debating this issue during the next presidential election. It's unlikely that the Senate will pass the bill too, and thus a special commitee will be formed and we will be back to square one.