TPMDC Saturday Roundup

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Obama: Small Businesses Need Health Care Reform
In this weekend’s YouTube address, President Obama pitched the Democratic health care proposals as being good for small businesses:

“Altogether, they create roughly half of all new jobs. And right now, they are paying up to 18 percent more for the very same insurance plans as larger businesses because they have higher administrative costs and less bargaining power,” said Obama. “Many have been forced to cut benefits or drop coverage. Some have shed jobs or shut their doors entirely. And recent studies show that if we fail to act now, employers will pay six percent more to insure their employees next year – and more than twice as much over the next decade.”

GOP Address Blasts Obama And Pelosi’s “Job-Killing Agenda”
In this weekend’s Republican address, Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) called upon PResident Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi to “put aside their job-killing agenda” and work with the GOP:

“All told, our economy has lost roughly 3 million private-sector jobs since President Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ plan became law,” said Miller, later adding: “It didn’t have to be this way.”

DeMint: Honduran Regime Working To “Protect Democracy” In Honduras
Sen. Jim DeMint told reporters after his return from Honduras that he is encouraged by what he saw there. “[W]e saw a government working hard to follow the rule of law, uphold its constitution, and to protect democracy for the people of Honduras,” DeMint said. “We are very encouraged by what we saw and we hope to be able to work with our administration to support the upcoming elections.”

Browner: Climate Change Bill “Not Likely” Before Copenhagen Conference
White House environmental adviser Carol Browner said at the Atlantic conference yesterday that the climate-change bill is unlikely to pass before the upcoming climate change conference in Copenhagen. “Obviously we’d like to be through the process — that’s not going to happen,” said Browner. “I think we would all agree the likelihood you would have a bill signed by the president on comprehensive energy by the time we would go in early December is not likely.”

Palin Spokeswoman: She Will Respond To Steve Schmidt In Her Book
Former Gov. Sarah Palin’s (R-AK) spokeswoman Meg Stapleton has responded to former McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt, who said that nominating Palin in 2012 would be “catastrophic” for the Republican Party. “The governor will write about all of this in her book,” said Stapleton. “There will be plenty of time to talk about it then.”

Grayson Campaign Thanks Republicans For “Hissy Fits,” Helping With Fundraising
The campaign of Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) has publicly thanked Republicans for attacking him, thus helping him to raise over $100,000. “Congressman Grayson’s re-election campaign wishes to thank all of the Republican hypocrites who attacked Grayson,” the campaign said in an e-mail. “As soon as the Republican hissy fits began, contributions began to pour in to Grayson’s campaign. Thousands of new contributors joined Alan’s Army overnight.”

AP: Medical Premiums Could Still Be “Heavy Lift”
The Associated Press reports that despite government subsidies, some Americans will still struggle to pay for health insurance under the proposed mandates. “For some people it’s going to be a heavy lift,” said Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE). “We’re doing our best to make sure it’s not an impossible lift.”

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