Obama: Strong Health Care Reforms Will Take Effect Quickly
In this weekend’s YouTube address, President Obama said that multiple reforms to the health care system will take effect immediately or within the first year of his signing the final bill — a rebuttal to attacks from Republicans who say that the bill’s benefits wouldn’t kick in for several years:
“In short, once I sign health insurance reform into law, doctors and patients will have more control over their health care decisions, and insurance company bureaucrats will have less,” said Obama. “All told, these changes represent the most sweeping reforms and toughest restrictions on insurance companies that this country has ever known. That’s how we’ll make 2010 a healthier and more secure year for every American – for those who have health insurance, and those who don’t.”
Pete King: ‘We AreA Nation At War, And We Should Act Like It’
In this weekend’s Republican YouTube, Rep. Pete King (R-NY) attacked the Obama administration’s handling of the Flight 253 attempted bombing:
“We can’t gather the intelligence we need to foil future attacks if we are blindly granting terrorists the right to remain silent. But for some reason, we’ve already done that with the terrorist who tried to bring down Flight 253,” said King. “We’re a nation at war, and we should act like it. We need to pull together, remain vigilant, and send a clear signal – both to our friends and our enemies – that this government will stop at nothing to protect our homeland. That’s how America sets an example for the world.”
AP: House Dems Giving Up On Public Option
The Associated Press reports that House Democrats have largely abandoned their efforts to pass a public options in negotiations with Senate Dems, and are instead pushing for other reforms of the insurance companies: “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other senior Democrats told President Barack Obama in recent meetings they want the legislation to strip the insurance industry of a long-standing exemption from federal antitrust laws, officials said. That provision is in the House-passed measure, but was omitted from the bill that the Senate passed on Christmas Eve.”
Poll: Reid Trails All Three GOP Candidates
A new Mason-Dixon poll has Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) trailing all three GOP candidates. Former state GOP chairwoman Sue Lowden leads Reid by 50%-40%; former UNLV basketball player Danny Tarkanian leads Reid 49%-41%; and former state Rep. Sharron Angle leads Reid by 45%-40%. Reid’s personal rating is only 33% favorable, with 52% unfavorable.
Hillary Clinton Seeks To Revive Mideast Peace Process
The Washington Post reports that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is seeking to revive the Israeli/Palestinian peace process: “In what amounted to a public road test of key phrases and terms arduously discussed behind the scenes with the two sides, Clinton told reporters in Washington that the United States would seek ‘an outcome which ends the conflict and reconciles’ two competing visions: ‘the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state based on the 1967 lines, with agreed swaps, and the Israeli goal of a Jewish state with secure and recognized borders that reflect subsequent developments and meet Israeli security requirements.'”
Gerlach Seeking Re-Election To Congress
Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA), who dropped out of the race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination this week, announced Friday that he will seek re-election to his House seat. “I truly believe that I represent the best chance for Republicans to not only hold this seat, but play a major role in regaining control of the U.S. House of Representatives,” said Gerlach, who represents a Democratic-leaning district.
Gingrich Creates New PAC
Roll Call reports that former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) has filed paperwork to create a new political action committee, the “American Solutions PAC.” The PAC would seem to be a potential early sign of a Gingrich presidential campaign, though a spokesman said the committee is unrelated to that.
