Obama Takes On “Willful Misrepresentations” In Health Care Debate
In this weekend’s Youtube address, President Obama attacked and set out to rebut what he called the “willful misrepresentations and outright distortions” in the health care debate:
“This is an issue of vital concern to every American, and I’m glad that so many are engaged,” said Obama. “But it also should be an honest debate, not one dominated by willful misrepresentations and outright distortions, spread by the very folks who would benefit the most by keeping things exactly as they are.”
GOP Rep. Price: Obama “Plays Fast And Loose With The Facts”
In this weekend’s Republican address, Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) said that it’s President Obama who is the one saying things that aren’t true in the health care debate, even as he says he’s trying to fight disinformation:
“As opposition to the Democrats’ government-run health plan is mounting,” said Price, “the President has said he’d like to stamp out some of the disinformation floating around out there. The problem is the President, himself, plays fast and loose with the facts.”
No Obama Or Biden Events Today
President Obama is spending today with his family at Camp David. Vice President Biden is spending the weekend in Wilmington, Delaware. They do not have any public events scheduled for today.
NYT: State Department Still Using Blackwater
The New York Times reports that the State Department has continued to award $400 million in contracts to Xe, the re-branded security firm formerly known as Blackwater, for tasks such as flying diplomats around Iraq, guarding them in Afghanistan, and training security forces in antiterrorism tactics: “The contracts, one of which runs until 2011, illustrate the extent to which the United States government remains reliant on private contractors like Blackwater, now known as Xe (pronounced zee) Services, to conduct some of its most sensitive operations and protect some of its most vital assets.”
Ten-Year Deficit Estimate Rises By $2 Trillion
The Associated Press reports that the Obama administration is currently projecting the ten-year budget deficit to be $9 trillion, which is $2 trillion higher than had been previously estimated. “Ten-year forecasts are volatile figures subject to change over time,” the AP says, in an important caveat. “But the higher number will likely create political difficulties for President Barack Obama in Congress and could create anxiety with foreign buyers of U.S. debt.”
Enzi: Health Reform Needs 75-80 Senators To Get My Vote
Roll Call reports that Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), part of the Gang of Six negotiating health care reform, says that he will only vote for a bill if it can attract significant Republican support and 75-80 total votes. “If we have broad support in Congress, the American people will believe in what we’re doing and the bill will succeed,” said Enzi. “If Democrats try to shut out Republicans and moderate Democrats and jam something through Congress, the plan will fail because the American people won’t have confidence in it.”
At-Risk House Members More Likely To Split Votes
CQ reports that the House members most likely to break with the party leadership on key votes are those who are potentially facing tough re-election fights in 2010, and hailing from districts that are often friendly to the opposite party. This list is made up of mostly Democrats, as exemplified by Rep. Walt Minnick (D-ID), who has only voted with Democrats about 40% of the time on party-line votes. Also making the list is Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA) who has only a 58% unity score with Republicans.
Teachers Union Criticizes Obama Administration
The National Education Association, the nationwide teachers union that is normally an ally of Democrats, is now criticizing the Obama administration for relying too heavily on charter schools and standardized test scores in its reform proposals. “We urge the administration to step outside of this narrow agenda,” the union said.
