The daily Progressive Breakfast serves up what progressive movement members need to know to start their day.
Increased Support for Public Option Among Indys, Seniors
For the millionth time, poll shows public option popular, while tax on expansive insurance plans still unpopular. W. Post: "...sizable majorities back two key and controversial provisions: both the so-called public option and a new mandate that would require all Americans to carry health insurance. Independents and senior citizens, two groups crucial to the debate, have warmed to the idea of a public option ... 57 percent of all Americans now favor a public insurance option ... independents prefer a bill that includes a public option but does not have Republican support, by 52 percent to 35 percent ... The Senate Finance Committee suggested taxing the most costly private insurance plans to help offset the costs of extending coverage to millions more people. Sixty-one percent oppose the idea..."
Baucus tells reporters 60 votes may be possible for "less pure" public option. HuffPost's Sam Stein: "[Sen. Baucus said,] '...I just don't know if there is 60 votes for the most pure kinds of the public option. There may be 60 votes for the less pure kinds.' The less pure kinds, Baucus explained, were co-ops, a public plan triggered by economic conditions and an insurance structure that allowed states to opt in or out of a public option. He seemed to find the last option the most intriguing."
TPMDC's Brain Beutler reports Speaker Pelosi may get even better CBO score for public option bill: "On Friday, the Washington Post ran with leaked CBO numbers, showing that House health care leaders have reduced the price tag of their bill by at least $100 billion. The numbers were preliminary ... Still, leadership was not pleased. 'These numbers are outdated and are by no means final as we will send new policy specifications to CBO,' said Brendan Daly, spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ... Why the long face when the news is ostensibly quite good? Because the hope, politically speaking, is to make the news better ... The ideal scenario is a House bill that's cheaper in absolute terms than the final Senate bill, without gutting subsidies. But at the very least the House bill will cover more people than the Senate bill, at a comparable price..."
In These Times' Art Levine reports on the growing effort to kill insurance plan tax: "The respected [Ezra] Klein has argued that unions are being alarmist by claiming that it would lead to higher taxes or cost-shifting. But [Health Care for America Now's Richard] Kirsch and others, pointing to the new Joint Committee on Taxation research, contend that the excise tax could hike taxes and employee health costs several ways: by forcing employers to cut back on spending on health care and raise wages to compensate, leading to higher taxes; and prompt insurers and employers to hike premiums, reduce benefits and jack up out-of-pocket expenses."
LA Times reports on Republican attacks against separating out doctor payment fix. TNR's Jonathan Chait defends: " It's money that would get spent whether or not health reform happens. It would be fair to make this charge if Obama were using these illusury savings to cover the cost of the new spending in his health care reform, but he isn't. So why is Obama getting attacked so bitterly over this? Because he's acknowledging it. It's the same thing that's happened to fiscal policy since he took office. The Bush administration hid the true iscal picture with a plethora of accounting gimmicks ... Obama has tried to make the budget reflect reality ... So Obama gets attacked for a 'shell game' when all he's really doing is admitting the shell game that's been going on for years."
President Obama to address Organizing For America supporters today on health care while top aides meet with the Common Purpose coalition, reports USA Today.
Bank Lobby Loses Round In Financial Reform
Politico reports that bank-friendly Dem Rep. Melissa Bean withdraws amendment to weaken consumer protection agency: "[Rep.] Barney Frank (D-Mass.) has persuaded a bloc of moderates to withdraw an amendment that would have ... shield[ed] banks from tougher state laws. Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.) agreed to pull her amendment with a promise that Frank would continue to work with her to change the bill, though when that change would be made remains uncertain ... Frank’s panel is expected to add back a lesser degree of federal pre-emption to the bill, but it’s not nearly as big of a change as Bean was seeking."
CQ further explains the compromise "pre-emption" provision: "Federally chartered banks would get a limited pre-emption from some state laws under an amendment that Melvin Watt, D-N.C., plans to offer to consumer protection legislation (HR 3126) being marked up by the Financial Services Committee. Watt said the proposal would allow federal regulators to determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether a particular state law unfairly restricts a federally chartered bank and puts it at a disadvantage to competitors in that state. The amendment has the blessing of Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., Watt said."
House Ag cmte marking up derivatives legislation on Wed. reports The Hill.
Sen. Dodd introduces bill to limit overdraft fees. NYT: "[Sen. Dodd] introduced legislation on Monday to limit the number of fees charged to one per month, and to require a bank to seek consumers’ permission to cover debit card and check purchases that would push their bank balance below zero. The measure ... goes beyond voluntary caps on overdraft fees announced last month by the nation’s largest banks."
67 Senators In Play For Climate Treaty
ClimateWire does its own whip count on climate legislation: "... 24 senators now belong in the 'fence sitter' category ... at least 67 senators are in play on the issue, enough not only to pass the climate bill but also to ratify an international treaty ... some of the key compromises already reached in the House may just need to be renegotiated, with some state-specific tweaks here and there."
Sen. Lieberman playing key role reports CQ: "The Connecticut independent is serving as de facto amendment gatekeeper ... Lieberman is working with colleagues to prepare a long list of proposals to be considered once the bill hits the Senate floor — probably later this year or early next. So far, he said he is working closely with about 15 senators on their floor amendments and on a strategy for bringing them together.
New National Academy Sciences study pegs health costs of fossil fuels, not even counting climate impact. NYT: "Burning fossil fuels costs the United States about $120 billion a year in health costs, mostly because of thousands of premature deaths from air pollution..."
W. Post and Politico update the beating being taken by the Chamber of Commerce.
Senators Plot Fast-Track Budgets Cuts Despite Need For More Stimulus
W. Post reports on education jobs saved by stimulus, but crisis not over. "Federal economic recovery aid has created or saved 250,000 education jobs, the Obama administration announced Monday, although states and school systems continue to face enormous fiscal pressures ... The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that 27 states are forecasting shortfalls for fiscal 2011 that total at least $61 billion, with five more states predicting unspecified budget shortages. Widespread state cutbacks would threaten a major source of school revenue."
USA Today edit board criticizes possible tax credit for job creation: "Limiting the tax credit to companies that hire new workers invites employers to play games. They could get the credit by hiring in one part of the company while laying off elsewhere. Or they could hire now and fire later."
Salon's Michael Lind supportive of jobx tax credit if combined with public investment: "My guess is that Congress, if it does anything, will be attracted to tax credits for new jobs. In our taxophobic age, Congress always prefers tax credits to direct spending. But in the absence of demand for their goods and services, employers are not going to hire more workers, no matter what incentives are provided. For this reason, the optimal synthesis might be a combination of tax credits to lower the cost of hiring with sustained public investment in infrastructure and public services, where the government for the foreseeable future must replace the tapped-out consumer as the driver of demand in the U.S. economy for the next few years."
The Hill reports Senate bloc pushing fast-track plan for anti-stimulative budget cuts: "Senate Democrats are pressing Majority Leader Harry Reid to address the nation’s rising debt with a special legislative process, despite reluctance from the White House and House leaders. Nine Democrats and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) called on Reid (D-Nev.) last week to support the process, which would ensure any legislation aimed at curtailing debt gets serious consideration by lawmakers. Proponents have argued for a special panel to seriously consider fiscal policy changes, such as major tax hikes or spending cuts, that they fear wouldn’t survive the normal committee process ... Lieberman and Democratic Sens. Evan Bayh (Ind.), Mark Udall (Colo.), Mark Begich (Alaska), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Mark Warner (Va.), Bill Nelson (Fla.), Michael Bennet (Colo.) and Claire McCaskill (Mo.) signed the letter ... More than two dozen senators have now backed the idea of a special process to address the country’s fiscal imbalance."
