The daily Progressive Breakfast serves up what progressive movement members need to know to start their day.
WH Re-Engages Grassroots On Health Care Today
LA Times previews today's presidential outreach: "Obama will hold a strategy session today with many of his supporters from the presidential campaign, a massive army that has yet to make its weight felt on healthcare. He is also scheduled to sit down with one of the country's more conservative radio talk-show hosts for a broadcast from the White House."
Politico story on problems with pro-reform grassroots efforts buries fact that tide is changing: "Organizing for America still reigns as the biggest grassroots movement in the nation -- and its supporters are now beginning to outnumber opponents at more town hall meetings. Obama’s call to arms today could accelerate that trend."
President calls out liars during conference call with pro-reform faith leaders. NYT: "I know there’s been a lot of misinformation in this debate, and there are some folks out there who are frankly bearing false witness ... These struggles always boil down to a contest between hope and fear ... That was true in the debate over Social Security, when F.D.R. was accused of being a socialist. That was true when J.F.K. and Lyndon Johnson tried to pass Medicare. And it’s true in this debate today.”
Baucus caucus to meet today via conference call. NYT: "Plans for them to meet in person over the break have evidently been shelved."
President Senator Chuck Grassley decrees we should pass a stripped down bill. W. Post: "[Grassley] said Wednesday that the outpouring of anger at town hall meetings this month has fundamentally altered the nature of the debate and convinced him that lawmakers should consider drastically scaling back the scope of the effort."
PCCC's Adam Green tells Politico strategy to demand simple majority vote: "The next step should be putting the pressure on Harry Reid, telling him to forget about [budget] reconciliation and instead to demand that Senate Democrats unite behind cloture and give this President an up-or-down vote on his proposals."
Reid spokesman hints to CNN they may just do that: ""The White House still prefers a bipartisan bill, and neither the White House nor the Democratic leadership has made a decision to pursue reconciliation. We will not make a decision to pursue reconciliation until we have exhausted efforts to produce a bipartisan bill. However, patience is not unlimited and we are determined to get something done this year by any legislative means necessary."
WSJ says Dems are considering passing part of the bill using budget reconciliation: "In recent days, Democratic leaders have concluded they can pack more of their health overhaul plans under this procedure, congressional aides said. They might even be able to include a public insurance plan to compete with private insurers, a key demand of the party's liberal wing, but that remains uncertain. Other parts of the Democratic plan would be put to a separate vote in the Senate, including most of the insurance regulations that have been central to Mr. Obama's health-care message. That bill would likely set new rules for insurers, such as requiring they accept anyone, regardless of pre-existing medical conditions. This portion of the health-care overhaul has already drawn some Republican support and wouldn't involve new spending, leading Democratic leaders to believe they could clear the 60-vote hurdle."
Howard Dean responds to criticism from W. Post's Steve Pearlstein on Wonk Room: "Real health care reform that includes a new public health insurance option would give Americans a real choice and not reward for-profit health insurers with 47 milllion new customers. Real health care reform that includes a new public health insurance option would cut out the administrative waste of private insurers and begin changing the way health care is delivered. Real health care reform that includes a new public health insurance option could adopt the kind of payment reforms that would start to 'hold down long-term growth in health spending' and encourage providers to deliver care more efficiently. We know that premiums in the public option would be about 10 percent lower and that a real robust plan that piggy backs off of Medicare’s infrastructure could save us somewhere between $75 billion and $150 billion over 10 years."
HuffPost notes WH still won't draw line on public option: "White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said on Wednesday that President Obama is unalterably opposed to a health care bill that raises taxes on those making less than $250,000. But Gibbs would not draw a similar line in the sand when it came a bill that lacks a public insurance option."
LA Times notes Obama faces a incendiary right-wing of historic intensity: "President George W. Bush was routinely portrayed by critics as a warmonger, a dunce and even Hitler. President Clinton was accused, among other things, of orchestrating the murder of his friend and Commerce secretary, Ron Brown; covering up a drug-running ring in rural Arkansas, and complicity in the Oklahoma City courthouse bombing. What is different this time, [SPLC's Mark] Potok said, is the involvement of 'mainstream aiders and abettors' like former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who promoted the false charge that Obama's health plan would euthanize senior citizens, as well as widely watched TV personalities who question Obama's citizenship and, thus, his legitimacy as president. Back in the Clinton days, those kinds of fabrications played mostly on the fringes of political debate and dark corners of the Internet."
TPMDC uncovers memo showing major health insurer pushing employees to join right-wing Tea Party rallies: "Last week, UnitedHealth Group--the second largest health insurance company in the country--sent out a letter to its employees urging them to call UHG's United for Health Reform Advocacy Hotline to speak with an advocacy specialist about health care reform. The advocacy specialist, according to the letter, is there to help UHG employees write personalized messages to elected officials, and to arm them with talking points to use at local events in order to better oppose the public health insurance option." EARLIER: BusinessWeek details UnitedHealth ties to Blue Dog Dems.
While obstructionists delay, more Americans face loss of insurance. Bloomberg: "Unemployed workers facing the end of a U.S. subsidy that pays 65 percent of their group health insurance premiums may be forced to find individual policies. Those who need it most might not qualify. Diane Nelson, 48, of Riverview, Florida, has terminal lung cancer and worries she’ll have to stop medical treatments once her Cobra subsidy ends. 'I have no idea what I’m going to do come December,' said Nelson, whose husband lost his job in February. 'We’ve been paying $377 a month. It will go up to $1,100.' ... The economic stimulus plan passed in February included a $24.7 billion subsidy to reduce health-care costs for the growing number of fired workers. It covers 65 percent of a monthly Cobra premium for up to nine months. Cobra enrollments have doubled since the subsidy began ... The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates about 7 million people will use it for some part of 2009."
National Association of Manufacturers Opposes More Manufacturing
OurFuture.org's Dave Johnson slaps NAM: "So who comes out to blast [W. Post's Harold] Meyerson for his column promoting American manufacturing? Was it the European Manufacturers Association? Was it the China Manufacturers Association? Was it the Korean Manufactures Association? No, it was America’s own National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)."
Manufacture This adds: "There seems to be a problem, though, when some of the nation’s leading CEO’s say there’s a manufacturing crisis while their trade association shares a different view. "
WH may create new post to shape manufacturing policy. Bloomberg: "The Obama administration may elevate Ron Bloom, head of the government’s auto task force, to a job that would set U.S. manufacturing policy more broadly, people familiar with the matter said ... As the chief policy maker on manufacturing, Bloom would be charged with reviewing U.S. competitiveness in the global economy. His job would likely encompass trade, taxes and other economic issues, the people said ... The U.S. is the only major country that doesn’t have a coordinated industrial policy, leaving it at a disadvantage to competitors such as China or Germany..."
CQ reports Colombia trade pact remains stalled, despite intense lobbying. " With public attitudes toward trade becoming increasingly negative, job losses weighing down much of the United States and an administration focusing on other priorities, such as health care, Congress has been in no mood to approve new trade deals. But given the deal’s importance to the economy of the South American nation, and its role in internal politics, Barco and other Colombian officials continue their fight, working to convince the Obama administration and lawmakers that Colombia has made great strides in addressing concerns raised by critics, particularly in its judicial system."
Made In America vs. Big Oil
Made in America Tour to bring unions and enviros together back climate bill. AFP: "A coalition of U.S. environmental groups and major labor unions on Wednesday unveiled a national campaign to refute charges that legislation to battle climate change would cost U.S. jobs in a recession. 'The fact of the matter is, you’re either going to have both, or you’ll have neither,' Leo Gerard, the head of the United Steelworkers union, told reporters ... 'This is about creating good family-supporting jobs as we do the right thing for the planet,' said Gerard, who predicted that legislation to fight global warming would create hundreds of thousands of jobs 'if we do it right.' The 'Made in America' Jobs Tour will open Thursday in Ohio—a critical political battleground in presidential elections—and stretch into September, when lawmakers return from their month-long August break."
NRDC running pro-climate bill ads in key states. Grist: "With TV and newspaper ads and a website, the campaign is aimed at states whose senators are on the fence about passing a climate bill this year—Indiana, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Virginia"
1Sky lays out strategy to prevent right-wing hijacking of climate town halls: "Gather up your friends and co-workers, and attend a town hall meeting in your area and tell your lawmaker why a climate bill is important to you. Congress needs to hear the views and stories from individual citizens, not from organizations representing special interests. Below is a list of states with upcoming town hall meetings. If you're interested in attending one of these meetings email congress@1sky.org and we'll send you more details about these events..."
Grist's Sarah McDonald visits Big Oil-backed rally against climate bill: "...this event was nothing more than a company picnic. About 2,500 energy employees were brought by charter bus to the Verizon Wireless Theater, a private location that could be easily secured to keep undesirables out."
Earth2Tech tracking advancing battery projects: "At this point, firms based in China, Japan, South Korea dominate the market for lithium-ion batteries. But as demand grows beyond mobile devices and laptops for advanced battery technologies (lithium-ion and others) to increasing numbers of electric and hybrid vehicles, there’s an opportunity for players in the U.S. to either enter the game or expand their role ... we’re at 35 battery projects and counting."
Economic Breakfast Sides
Deficit projections come in lower. The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder: " In May, the administration projected a deficit of $1.84 trillion. That's now down to about $1.58 trillion, according to an administration official. The basic reason: the financial sector didn't hit rock bottom, and so a lot of the money the administration set aside to pay for emergency actions wasn't needed. Still, $1.58 trillion is... a big number. But remember: the WH was initially very worried that the August estimate would dwarf previous numbers... and would infect the health care debate. It'll be interesting to see whether the Congressional Budget Office revises its deficit projection downward, too; the CBO releases its number the same day as OMB."
Public sector employment growing, mitigating impact of recession. NYT: "[The Rockefeller Institute] pointed to the slow pace of decision-making in many states, and the power yielded by politically influential unions. But it also noted that the demand for many government services rises in a recession, and said that billions of dollars of federal stimulus money sent to states helped them avert layoffs."
CNN/Money.com reports new credit card rules go into effect today: "...credit card issuers will be required to give customers 45 days advance notice before making any significant changes to a contract and will be required to mail bills 21 days before the due date ... Consumers will also have the right to reject changes to their contracts, including interest rate increases, and they will have the option of paying off their balances at their existing rates within five years ... the more substantial changes are expected in February, when the second half of the act is implemented."
Naked Capitalism slaps NYT for Bernanke profile: "All hail the conquering hero, expect those mean unappreciative Congressmen. Wall Street LOVES Ben! Obviously Wall Street is smarter than everyone else and vastly better qualified to evaluate Ben than mere mortals. And Ben has tried SOOO hard to make friends with those petty Congressmen. He's actually gone to meet with them personally, and they are still giving him a hard time! How nasty of them!"
