It’s such a critical document that I wanted to republish in full the 1993 Kristol memo on defeating health care reform. (Here’s how it looked at the time on letterhead.) Both for now and for future reference. It’s the primary document I referenced in the post below on why Republicans are fighting so hard on Obamacare.

Full text after the jump. Read More

We are now witnessing what is presumably one of final, antic, dying twilight struggle efforts to kill Obamacare before its full roll out next month. We also continue to see an unprecedented effort to sabotage implementation of the plan at the state level. Not just most Republican governors refusing to participate in the law’s various components – that’s their legal right in most cases. But actually getting down to the grassroots level and organizing efforts to prevent people from learning how the program works. But it’s worth stepping back for a moment and refocusing on why the stakes seem so high to many Republicans. Read More

Alan Simpson’s daughter-in-law says she stands by her account of Lynne Cheney confronting Simpson at a fundraiser Saturday over his support for Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) and telling him “shut your mouth.”

The CEO of AIG (one of the prime beneficiaries of massive government largesse at the height of the 2008 economic crisis) compares the outrage over excessive bonuses to AIG employees to the lynchings of African-Americans in the South in the first half of the 20th century.

‘Senate Conservatives Fund: McConnell, Cornyn move on defunding Obamacare proposal is “ultimate betrayal.”

Apparently we’re now talking Judas, Benedict Arnold type stuff.

Lynne Cheney, mother of Liz, got in the face of former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson over the weekend for his support for Liz’s opponent in the Wyoming Senate race, incumbent Sen. Mike Enzi. That’s according to Simpson’s daughter-in-law, on her Facebook page. The post has since been deleted.

Mitch McConnell took to the Senate floor a few minutes ago to reemphasize what his office said late yesterday: He’s not going along with Ted Cruz’s convoluted defund Obamacare filibuster.

Still a solid lead. But Cory Booker isn’t as far ahead of (pretty out there) Tea Partier Steve Lonegan as you might expect – and not nearly as far ahead as in earlier polls.

Legendarily corrupt (but it’s Louisiana so who ain’t) former Gov. Edwin Edwards (D) gets a reality TV show about his bizarre life with his new (50 years his junior) wife and family. Edwin’s 86 now. They met when Trina started writing him while he was in prison for conspiracy, money laundering, racketeering and mail and wire fraud.

As you can expect I’ve heard from a lot of former classmates and others in response to my Ted Cruz (non) recollection yesterday. Largely it’s confirmed the basic take. But not all. One mutual friend and fellow classmate notes this, “I knew Ted Cruz from debate also. While he could be an asshole, it wasn’t his only mode. Ted liked to help his ideological opponents and allies alike improve their debating skills; he was a ruthless competitor but also a team player.”