Jon Alter asks why everybody’s so gunned up about reform when, really, our health care system is pretty much fine how it is.
Frank Rich, on the recent “storm of racial and nativist panic.”
There is only one Semitic language which is an official language of the European Union. What is it?
Click through for the answer …. Read More
Some uncomfortable questions behind ‘cost containment’ in health care.
Obama reportedly weighing new economic sanctions against Iran. That and the day’s other political news in the TPMDC Morning Roundup.
With the House of Representatives now beginning its August recess (the Senate has one more week before its break), the month ahead will undoubtedly see an intensely heated on-the-ground and in-the-airwaves campaign over health care reform. We preview the battle royale in today’s Sunday Show Roundup …
Full-size video at TPMtv.com.
August, traditionally, is the slowest month for news. But this month the big political story of the year — the push for a big health care reform bill — will be hitting a fever pitch in districts and states around the country. Only the details, the nuts and bolts of it, will be happening largely out of public view — particularly beyond the reach of the traditional media.
Right now, Democrats and Republicans are fanning out across the country trying to shape and direct public perceptions about the health care legislation Congress will take up again in September. It’s quite likely that the fate of the legislation will be determined this month before Congress even comes back into session.
So we want to look very closely at how this process is unfolding: What are members of Congress saying at townhall meetings in their districts and states? What sort of response are they getting from attendees? What are they telling constituents about what they plan to do is phone conversations, constituent letters and in comments to the local press? Which groups are most successfully organizing at the ground level? What ads are running in different districts?
You’re there. You know. And you have the ability to monitor and understand these developments the way that no number of national reporters surveying the scene from Washington can.
We’ll be updating with more information and specifics. But let us know what you’re hearing about townhall meetings in your area, ping us when you see statements your members of Congress are making to the local press. Let us know what your member of Congress tells you about his or her position. We’re interested in specifics and details.
How to contact us? There’s an email address in the ‘comments’ link up there on the upper right hand corner of the site. Send us details. We read every one.