Syria Resolution Clears Cmte, Faces Uncertain Congress
McCain gets amendment supporting a "change the momentum on the battlefield in Syria." TPM: "McCain’s addition doesn’t quite say 'regime change' — and the White House has said that would not be the purpose of military action — but it sounds a lot like regime change and describes a new government in Syria as the ultimate outcome. And with Congress already appearing uncomfortable voting for war, any language that seems to increase the likelihood of the United States getting entangled in a prolonged intervention is going to be met with skepticism ... it’s fair to wonder if bending over backward to appease McCain could complicate things with the rest of the Senate, given the early reactions from some Democrats."
Senate procedural floor vote could be Wednesday reports Roll Call.
House may be on slower track. Politico: "'We have been told we have more time,” Pelosi said Wednesday ... 'They can accommodate a couple of weeks of debate. Our members want to have a say in shaping the resolution.'"
Liberals and conservatives resist. NYT: "Many of the president’s core supporters, especially African-Americans and members of the Democratic Party’s liberal wing who voted repeatedly against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, are expressing the deepest reservations. With rank-and-file House Republicans showing little inclination to back Mr. Obama on an issue on which he has staked his political credibility, scores of Democratic votes will be needed if a resolution authorizing force against Syria is to pass the House ... the fate of the resolution rests to a large degree with Representative Nancy Pelosi of California..."
Obama Tight With Summers
Only fear of losing a Senate will persuade Obama to dump Larry Summers, reports NYT: " Mr. Obama’s one concern about nominating Mr. Summers has been the potential for a Senate battle — not only from Republicans spoiling for fights, but also from Democrats who view Mr. Summers as having been too friendly toward deregulating big banks ... Mr. Obama has heard it all before, advisers say, even before he brought Mr. Summers into his 2008 campaign and then the White House ... having worked side by side daily in stressful times, aides say, the president knows Mr. Summers’s plusses and minuses, and he decided ... the balance on Mr. Summers was positive."
W. Post suggests Summers will be aggressive on jobs at Fed: "In a meeting with the president and other advisers, Summers warned that even after the economy recovered, large swaths of the population would be left without jobs. This was largely because of the diminished job prospects awaiting less-educated Americans, particularly men and racial minorities ... Summers said historians would judge today’s leaders not on their response to the crisis but on whether they did what was necessary to confront this longer-term challenge, according to the participant. Today, people who know Summers say he is preoccupied with the question."
Dean Baker slams W. Post: "If this work left Summers skeptical about the prospects for a swift rebound he was able to conceal this skepticism from the public. He apparently was also unable to convince President Obama to embrace such skepticism since the president was talking about the 'green shoots of recovery' just after the stimulus was approved and the need to pivot to deficit reduction."
More Good ObamaCare News
"Lower than expected" ObamaCare premiums. The Hill: "The nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation compiled premium data from the new marketplaces in the 17 states where it is fully available and released a variety of figures showing how much consumers will pay if they choose to purchase coverage individually ... Researchers with Kaiser wrote that 'while premiums will vary significantly across the country, they are generally lower than expected.' ... The study did not seek to compare expected premium prices under ObamaCare to current prices on the individual market, but stated that 15 of the 18 areas examined had premiums below the level most recently projected by the Congressional Budget Office."
Bill Clinton elevates ObamaCare public education push. NYT: "...the speech comes at a pivotal time for the Obama administration, which needs millions of healthy Americans to buy insurance through new state-based markets in order for the law to work but faces an escalating campaign by Republicans to cut or eliminate the law’s financing ... [Clinton] laid out who would qualify for federal subsidies to help pay for the cost of coverage through the new markets and even ticked off Web addresses and phone numbers where Americans could find information."
Young Americans eager to sign up. National Journal: "The poll, conducted by The Morning Consult, a health care policy media company, found that young adults are the most supportive of the health care law across age groups. A full 56 percent of adults 18-29 approve of the law ... Not only are young adults more supportive of the law overall, they are notably more likely to consider purchasing insurance on the exchanges."
"The Latest Effort to Sabotage Obamacare": OurFuture.org interviews Ethan Rome of Health Care for America Now! on how Republicans are trying to impede enrollment.
