From The Plum Line:
National Dems think they’ve caught a prominent Republican in another major health care gaffe, and they say they’re planning on banging away at it all day today.
The gaffe in question: GOP Rep. Roy Blunt has now said Republicans won’t offer a health care bill of their own, breaking a previous promise. Worse, it turns out Blunt is chair of something called the “House GOP Health Care Solutions Group.”
“Our bill is never going to get to the floor, so why confuse the focus? We clearly have principles; we could have language, but why start diverting attention from this really bad piece of work they’ve got to whatever we’re offering right now?”
That’s a pretty stark admission that Republicans won’t introduce their own bill solely because they think it’s better politics to keep the focus on the Democrats.
It gets better. Head over to the House GOP Health Care Solutions Group’s Web site, and you’ll find prominent video of Blunt vowing the GOP is “drafting our own legislation.”
Obama Demands: The Bill I Sign Must Include Public Option - “[A]ny plan I sign must include an insurance exchange: a one-stop shopping marketplace where you can compare the benefits, cost and track records of a variety of plans - including a public option to increase competition and keep insurance companies honest - and choose what’s best for your family.”
Subprime Brokers Resurface as Dubious Loan Fixers - FedMod is but one example of how many of the same people who dispensed risky mortgages during the real estate bubble have reconstituted themselves into a new industry focused on selling loan modifications.
From Bill Moyers Journal:
“With almost 20 years inside the health insurance industry, Wendell Potter saw for-profit insurers hijack our health care system and put profits before patients. Now, he speaks with Bill Moyers about how those companies are standing in the way of health care reform.”
From Houston Chronicle:
AUSTIN, Texas — Health class will no longer be a state requirement for high school students this fall, making Texas one of the few states in the country with no required health education, officials said.
Education Commissioner Robert Scott announced the move in a recent letter to school districts, causing some to worry Texas students will miss out on critical topics like alcohol awareness, sex education and basic nutrition.
“It was very surprising to a lot of people,” said Diana Everett, executive director of the Texas Association for Health Physical Education, Health, Recreation and Dance. “We’ve all been in shock.”
Individual school districts still can require students to take health classes, but Scott eliminated the state requirement to comply with a new law that bumps up the number electives required to graduate. Starting this fall, students must take six elective courses, instead of the currently mandated three-and-a-half.
Officials wanted to give students more flexibility to pursue electives of their own choosing, so while two required semesters of fine arts were maintained, a semester of physical education and two semesters of a technology class also were removed from the state’s recommended high school program.
“It’s a major statement about where we’re going,” Everett said. “We’ve been trying to address the issue of childhood obesity, but we seem to be losing ground every time the Legislature meets.”
From TPM:
If you’re a long-time politico, you may have seen it coming: Standing between progressives and fundamental health care reform is a 30-year Senate veteran with a reputation cemented long ago as a deal-maker — or less charitably, as a sellout. Montana’s Max Baucus is exactly the sort of centrist often embraced by Washington insiders for “getting things done”–but whose record of acquiescing to special interests makes progressives cringe. As chairman of the Finance Committee he’s weathered his share of controversies. There’s no bypassing Baucus entirely. And he’s enjoying his position at the nexus of the reform battle.
“It’s a parade of lobbyists going in and out of that office every day,” says a Senate aide. “Everyone involved has strong ties back to the industry. And anyone who understands Baucus’ record understands that neither he nor his staffers want to make them unhappy.”
From The Huffington Post:
“This Independence Day weekend marked the second incarnation of the fabled Tea Party movement, protesting the government’s growing involvement in economic matters. And, just like the first go-around, the July 4 protests saw an elected Republican official, undoubtedly hoping to harness some of that the popular unrest, taking the stage to a chorus of boos.”
Obama, Medvedev Agree To Cut Nuclear Arms - President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev struck a preliminary deal Monday to reduce their nations’ stockpiles of nuclear warheads to as few as 1,500 each, aiming toward the lowest levels of any U.S.-Russia arms control agreement.
McNamara dies, career haunted by Vietnam war - Former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara died on Monday aged 93. He will be remembered most as the leading architect of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War.
China says 140 dead in Xinjiang unrest - Around 140 people were killed in a riot in Urumqi, the capital of China’s western-most region of Xinjiang, state media and local reports said on Monday, as the Beijing government faced the most severe unrest in ethnic minority areas since the rioting in Tibet last March.
Palin dashed her chances of winning the 2012 nomination - Forget about Sarah Palin as the Republican presidential candidate in 2012 and probably ever. She may have no interest in seeking the GOP nomination. But if she does, her chances of winning the nomination have been minimized by her decision to resign as governor of Alaska. She’s knocked out one of three legs of the presidential stool and a second one is wobbly.
Legal Bills Swayed Palin, Official Says - Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell of Alaska said Sunday that Gov. Sarah Palin’s decision to resign was largely prompted by the personal legal costs of the ethics investigations against her.
