.

I imagine we all get a similar number of newsletters from progressive activist organizations. As today is a super Tuesday, they’ve been coming in fast and furious, and a major theme has been getting well-rid of the Blue Dog Democrats in Congress. Democracy For America (DFA) has been extremely active, sending a small liberal army out to Arkansas to pull for Insurgent Lt. Governor Bill Halter in his run-off bid against incumbent Senator/Washington Infidel Blanche Lincoln. The Netroots for Halter campaign, led by Moveon dot org, Daily Kos and DFA, has raised $3, 604,430 for the Dump Lincoln effort, and is phone-banking the bejeebus out of Arkansans. Down in North Carolina, State Secretary  Elaine Marshall is receiving similar assistance from those keen on seeing a genuine liberal in that Senate seat.

Time will tell if such measures have helped us get true progressives into office, or conversely, actually assisted a Republican or a Tea Bagger into a coveted 2010 seat.

.

Blue Dogs:   worth the price of ejection?

In the wake of Evan Bayh’s decision and public declaration Not To Run (quite the shocking Buh-Bye from Bayh) for reelection to his Senate seat, conversation abounds regarding Bayh-type centrist or ‘moderate’ Democrats. Steve Benen over at Washington Monthly’s Political Animal Blog had this to say about the latest Conserva-Dem headed for the hills:

.

.

WHAT BAYH IS THINKING…. Sen. Evan Bayh’s (D-Ind.) retirement is a shocker, leading many to wonder what on earth a popular incumbent with plenty of money and a big lead in the polls is thinking. Bayh alluded to his frustrations on the Hill as part of his rationale.

“Two weeks ago, the Senate voted down a bipartisan commission to deal with one of the greatest threats facing our nation: our exploding deficits and debt. The measure would have passed, but seven members who had endorsed the idea instead voted ‘no’ for short-term political reasons,” he said. “Just last week, a major piece of legislation to create jobs — the public’s top priority — fell apart amid complaints from both the left and right. All of this and much more has led me to believe that there are better ways to serve my fellow citizens, my beloved state4 [sic] and our nation than continued service in Congress.”

This sounds a bit like Bill Bradley’s rationale in 1996 — politics on Capitol Hill has become ugly and difficult, so I’m walking away.

But it’s not exactly a compelling explanation. To hear Evan Bayh tell it, Republicans have made it impossible for Congress to work on issues important to him … so he’s decided to make it easier for the Republican caucus to have more power.

When the going gets tough, the conserva-Dems pack up and go home?

.

So, for today’s question: Blue Dogs, do you embrace them, tolerate them, simply wish they were gone, or actively work to ensure that more progressive candidates are voted in?

.

.

Fun column over at Salon,  for an interesting perspective on the ego(s) involved, “The Bayh Good-Bye: Why “centrism” is dead for Democrats” .

From phawker.com

Yesterday, it was announced that 10 Senators had cut out the public option in the healthcare bill and inserted an expansion of medicare to cover people 55 and older.

With the healthcare bill looking like a gift for the insurance companies since most people will be forced to buy private insurance if there’s no public option, what went wrong?

What do you think about this issue? Was it the right time to do healthcare?

Did the president take the right steps? How could this have been handled better?

Is it the most important issue in America right now?

Bart Stupak, author of the controversial anti-choice amendment shoved into the House health bill at the urging of the Catholic Bishops, is feeling quite proud and powerful today. The C-Street Family man told LifeNews that the Democrats are “playing with fire” and there will be “Hell to pay” if they attempt to remove God’s word his amendment from the final bill.

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) is warning fellow Democrats not to mess with his restrictive anti-abortion amendment.

Pro-choice outrage was sparked by the inclusion of a provision in the House health care bill making it harder for private insurers to cover abortion. President Obama himself suggested that the language disrupted the status quo and should be taken out of the final legislation. Abortion rights supporters in Congress requested a meeting with the president next week to discuss the issue.

Now Stupak is saying he won’t go easily.

“We won because [the Democrats] need us,” Stupak said. “If they are going to summarily dismiss us by taking the pen to that language, there will be hell to pay. I don’t say it as a threat, but if they double-cross us, there will be 40 people who won’t vote with them the next time they need us — and that could be the final version of this bill.”

While Stupak claims to have control of 40 conservative Democratic votes in the House, there appears to be apporximately 40 votes vowing to kill the bill if the anti-choice language remains in its present form as authored by Stupak.

Although House liberals voted for the bill with the amendment to keep the process moving forward, Rep. Diana DeGette (Colo.) said she has collected more than 40 signatures from House Democrats vowing to oppose any final bill that includes the amendment — enough to block passage.

“There’s going to be a firestorm here,” DeGette said. “Women are going to realize that a Democratic-controlled House has passed legislation that would prohibit women paying for abortions with their own funds. . . . We’re not going to let this into law.”

Yesterday I received a reply from Senator Dianne Feinstein to my signature on a petition, a portion of which is as follows:

The Chairman’s Mark would not preempt state laws that ban private insurance coverage of abortion or require it. Abortion cannot be mandated as a required service. However, it could be covered with non-federal funds. Federal funds continue to be prohibited from being used to pay for abortions unless the pregnancy is due to rape or incest, or if the life of the mother is in danger. The Secretary will ensure that in each Exchange, one plan does not cover abortion, and one plan does cover abortion. Plans cannot discriminate against any provider or facility because of their willingness or unwillingness to provide, pay for, or refer for abortion.

I support preventative reproductive care because I believe that services such as family planning are very valuable. While the compromise on these issues in the Chairman’s Mark may not be perfect, I am pleased that women will continue to have access to private health insurance coverage for all their reproductive health needs. Please know that I will keep your comments in mind as I continue to review health care reform legislation in the 111th Congress.

It’s time to demand some answers, and insist that our elected officials fight back negotiate compromise. My response to her will include the following questions:

1. “What do you intend to do to ensure access to preventative birth control and make it unlawful for any insurer, private or federal, to deny coverage of contraceptives?”

2. “What will you do to ensure that any woman who purchases supplemental private insurance which includes all reproductive services will still have the option to participate in a public option plan?”

3. “What will you do to ensure that any facility which provides abortion services will still qualify to collect federal funds from a public option plan?”

4. “Will you vow to fight to ensure that my tax dollars will no longer pay for erectily-dysfunction medications?”

Pro-choice Americans must prepare to handle this situation calmly and logically. It is time to draw serious expert opinions outlining the societal disaster down the road, as we prepare to inundate our educational and other systems with countless unwanted, neglected, poverty-striken children.

Jeff Sharlet, author of “The Family,” discusses Stupak’s C-Street connection with Rachel Maddow.

The Senate Finance Committee has reached a compromise agreement on health care.  What got cut?  The Public Option and a requirement that big businesses provide coverage to employees.  The six members of the committee, led by Max Baucus (BlueDog – Montana), are doing exactly what they’ve been paid to do:  Kill Health Care Reform.

Let’s take a look at Lord Baucus’ campaign contributors:  Insurance Inc. + $1 million; health care professionals + $1 million; Pharma + $700,000; hospitals + $500,000; HMOs $450,000.

Howie Klein writes:

No one serving in the Senate today has taken as much money from the Medical-Industrial Complex as Baucus ($2,865,881) other than notorious corporate whore Arlen Specter ($4,066,433) and two former presidential candidates, John Kerry ($8,163,141) and John McCain ($8,672,260). Baucus even tops Medical Industry shill Mitch McConnell ($2,755,468).

A new CBO report puts it ever so nicely:

A new government health insurance plan sought by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats could coexist with private insurers without driving them out of business, an analysis by nonpartisan budget experts suggests.

The estimate by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office — seen as good news by Democrats — comes as leaders pushed Monday to make progress on health care overhaul before lawmakers go home for their August recess.

Yup, yup!  Gotz to keep those Insurance Companies rolling.

And Jane Hamsher at FireDogLake points out:

The Finance Committee was supposed to deal with — wait for it — finance. Instead, President Baucus and President Snowe decided that they’d just write the whole damn bill themselves and have included a competing co-op plan that would replace the public plan offered by the HELP committee.

Because three Republican Senators are worth more than 76% of the country to members of the most exclusive club in the world.

They certainly have a mighty high opinion of themselves.”

As Howard Dean (video) mentioned last night on Maddow, the litmus test of the 2010 battle should be:  Did you vote for the American People or did you vote for the Insurance Industry?

h/t crooksandliars

Morning, Rangers! It’s time for another look back at the week that was with the latest edition of Sunday Roundup. From a sweet swearing-in to unrest in China and Iran to updates on healthcare reform and gay rights, we’ve got a lot to talk about this week. So sit back, put your feet up, and let’s get to it.

Top of the Hill
Happy news from Capitol Hill this week, as Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) — read that again: Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) — was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden on a Bible that belonged to late Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone.

The former comedian’s ascent to high office drew no laughs, but plenty of smiles, hugs, and applause, as Franken made it clear that he’s serious about politics and serving his constituents. It’s a nice sentiment, although we’re concerned about the fact that one of Franken’s first official acts was to accept a huge Republican bribe.

But we’re willing to give Sen. Franken (D-MN) — yes Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) — the benefit of the doubt, as he gears up this week for his first real test as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee: the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee, Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

Despite the fact that Judge Sotomayor has been roundly hailed as an excellent jurist who knows her stuff, the Republicans are doing their level best to make themselves look like fools raise concerns about her nomination. It should be quite a circus, but I’m betting she’s confirmed in short order.
Winners: Sen. Al Franken (D-MI), Justice Judge Sonia Sotomayor, Wonkette
Losers: Norm Coleman, Minnesota Republicans, Other Republicans

Big Trouble in Greater China
Ethnic violence broke out in western China this week, as Muslim minority Uighurs clashed with Han Chinese in the province of Xinjiang. The violence was sparked after a protest over the deaths of Uighur factory workers turned violent and spread throughout the city of Urumqi, where roving gangs of both ethnicities killed more than 150 people.

The Chinese government sent in troops to pacify the situation. And they have promised to deal harshly with the “instigators.” In a hat-tip to the Iranians, the government also used the unrest as an excuse to block access to Twitter, Facebook, and other Internet resources. Human rights groups, in the meantime, are demanding an investigation into the exact cause of the violence, while Japan has called on China to protect the rights of the Uighurs, and Turkey has likened the situation to a genocide.

And as if things weren’t already bad enough, a 6.0 earthquake rocked the southwestern province of Yunnane on Thursday, injuring more than 300 people and collapsing some 18,000 homes. Our thoughts are with the victims of this disaster as they attempt to pick up the pieces and recover.
Winners: No One
Losers: Citizens of Xinjiang and Yunnane

What the Health?
A wild week on the healthcare front as things got really silly hardly a day went by in which we didn’t see a new development. We started the week with a kerfuffle over a Wall Street Journal report claiming that the White House is willing to negotiate away a public option. Specifically, the venerable bird-cage liner financial paper of record stated that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was leaning toward a “trigger” option — a clause that would only “trigger” public healthcare if private insurance companies fail to meet certain conditions. The article was met with a huge outpouring of spittle outrage on the Internets, as well as within Democratic ranks.

It turned out to be much ado about nothing, however, as President Obama quickly nipped that shit in the bud released a statement reiterating his support of a strong public healthcare option. Speaker Nancy Pelosi also weighed in, vowing that a healthcare bill would never pass the House unless it contains a strong public option. And even Senate Majority Leader Caspar Milquetoast Harry Reid followed suit, as he ordered Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus to stop pandering to Republicans and get a bill written. See KQuark’s excellent update for more information.

But life isn’t all beer and Skittles the news wasn’t all good. We also saw a setback on Thursday, as 40 members of the House Blue Dog coalition demanded changes to healthcare legislation that would assuage their concerns about holding on to their seats in 2010 the overall cost of the plan: especially for small businesses and rural healthcare providers. Their move delayed the bill — which was supposed to be introduced on Friday — until at least tomorrow.

In the meantime, on Friday, Vice President Joe Biden met with a group of small business owners to address some of the concerns raised by the Blue Dogs, even as earlier in the week he announced that a deal had been struck with hospitals. At the same time, House leaders worked on a proposal that would tax the nation’s wealthiest to help pay for health reform, and thus lower the costs that so concerned the Blue Dogs.

All to say, it’s been an up-and-down week, but we’ve seen some progress. And despite the fact that there are plenty of hurdles still to overcome, there’s still hope that Congress can get this thing passed before the August recess.
Winners: Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Harry Reid, Blue Dogs
Losers: Rahm Emanuel, Wall Street Journal, Max Baucus

News You Might Have Missed

A new wave of protests broke out in Iran this week, as pro-reform demonstrators rallied to commemorate the anniversary of a round of 1999 student demonstrations — despite harsh government measures intended to prevent such commemorations. Meanwhile, Iranian Supreme Leader Elmer Gantry Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took to the airwaves to blame the unrest in his country on lies being perpetuated by outsiders and the media. Sounds like he’s been taking lessons from Sarah Palin.

News of the ghoulish hit the headlines this week, as it was revealed that employees of the Burr Oak Cemetery near Chicago had moved hundreds of bodies so that they could re-sell the burial plots — a scheme that reportedly went on for years and earned the perpetrators some $300,000. Seriously, Chicago, it’s bad enough that you let the dead vote, but now you can’t even verify their addresses?

And speaking of ghoulish, after two full weeks of wall-to-wall Michael Jackson coverage, you’d think that the MSM would be ready to move on. Sadly, no. The’re so enamored of the elfin performer (or the ratings) that they’re wracking their brains to come up with any silly angle that hasn’t already been covered. Seriously, CNN? Psychics see magic in Jackson’s life? Don’t you feel the slightest hint of shame at publishing that? Just a tad? A smidgen? A modicum? An iota?

Your favorite Pixie, and mine, sends us news on the reproductive rights front, as a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals voted to lift an injunction that prevented Washington state from penalizing pharmacies that refuse to dispense the “morning after” birth control pill. Tribal shamans Religious pharmacists had originally sued the state (and won the injunction) over a law that requires pharmacies to do their jobs carry the contraceptive, claiming that it violates their 1st Amendment rights to pretense of victimhood free exercise of religion. And while aspects of the lawsuit continue, the 9th’s ruling is a hopeful sign of the eventual outcome. Really, folks, if you have religious problems with killing people, it’s probably a good idea to stay out of the Army, and if you have religious problems with dispensing medication, it’s probably a good idea to stay out of the pharmacy business.

In other reproductive-rights news, SurferKit sends an alert about the latest goings on from Operation Homicide Rescue. Not content with the murder of Dr. George Tiller, the group is now targeting Dr. LeRoy Carhart, this time complaining about the conditions at his clinic and claiming that he represents a “clear and present danger” to women’s health. (Yes, these are the same people who are doing everything they can to push abortions back into the alleys). And although Dr. Carhart is used to dealing with this type of nonsense, law enforcement is taking it seriously.

America breathed a sigh of relief on Friday, when Sen. Roland Burris (D-Burris) announced that he will not stand for election in 2010. The neophyte Senator claims that he would rather spend his time working for the good of his state, rather than raising campaign contributions — but the fact that he managed to raise only $845 in the first quarter of 2009 just might have something to do with his decision. Despite his financial difficulties, however, at least Burris didn’t try to sell the seat for cash, so he’s got that going for him.

And finally, good news on the gay-rights front, as Massachusetts filed a Federal lawsuit challenging the Constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage act. The lawsuit itself is brilliantly written, as ExcommunicatedPagan pointed out in his excellent analysis. Suffice to say, this one’s got legs, and has a good chance of succeeding. And if that wasn’t good news enough, this week Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-PA) — the first Iraq War veteran elected to the US House of Representatives — took the lead in the effort to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Citing the fact that, “We cannot afford to wait any longer,” Murphy began pushing Congress to overturn the utterly ridiculous and discriminatory controversial law, despite opposition, even from within his own party. There’s no doubt, however, that Murphy brings some clout to the effort, and I doubt we’ve heard the last of it from him. Go Murph!

Well, that’s it for this week. As always, if you come across an interesting news item, an underreported story, or an article that you think the Rangers need to read, drop me a PM through the Forum or email submissions@freerangetalk.com. Now the floor’s open for comments. What’s your take on the news of the week?