Having disappointed many Christian conservative voters with the revelation of his philandering ways, Gov. Mark Sanford (R) of South Carolina has a new angle on why he should stay in office and not be impeached: God wants me fighting for liberty as governor.
“I feel absolutely committed to the cause, to what God wanted me to do with my life. I have got this blessing of being engaged in a fight for liberty, which is constantly being threatened.”
Former Rep. James Traficant (D-OH) was released from prison this morning after serving a seven-year sentence for corruption. Traficant walked out of the joint with “his famously wild hair pulled back,” the AP reports.
According to Rep. Phil “I’m All For Guns at Town Halls” Gingrey (R-GA), who was on MSNBC this morning, true bipartisanship would be Obama threatening to veto his own public option plan.
The Washington Monthly is celebrating its 40th birthday. And they seem to be rolling out a new site design too.
What if the version of the public option that emerged in the House (which has to be seen as the maximal version of what’s possible) is so constrained and anemic that it wouldn’t really accomplish anything anyway?
Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas yesterday appeared to flatly rule out supporting a public option. But she did so in some funny language which may amount to something of a hedge.
There’s a lot of shadow boxing now. But the gist of the articles out today about the White House’s new initiative on the health care front is that the president thinks it’s time to put his cards on the table, say what has to be included and get a bill through Congress. And a public option does not appear to be one of the cards he’s planning on putting on the table. Read More
According to Jonathan Weisman at the Journal, President Obama is going to unveil his newly revamped health care reform strategy at the AFL-CIO’s annual labor day blowout picnic in Cincinnati, along with John Sweeney and Richard Trumka.
If that’s true and it’s also true that the White House is essentially jettisoning the public option, that could be an awkward day in the park.
Obama to address joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Topic: Health Care Reform.
TPM Reader FC pleads, “Stop the madness!”:
You’re part of the problem. I don’t expect much from Politico or AP because they’re shills for the Republican Party. But I hold TPM to a higher standard. You’re getting your readers worked up about some anonymous sources and Axelrod’s language (I can’t believe you’re deconstructing the word “spirit”) in order to start the whole hyperventilating-of-progressives cycle again.