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- It's often taken as a given that the House will vote for a health-care reform bill that includes a strong public option. But now we have the numbers, in the form of an internal whip count, showing three-quarters of the Democratic caucus is already on board (which makes this raise my eyebrow). Meanwhile, half of House Democrats are opposed to a provision in the Senate Finance Committee bill that would raise revenue via a tax on employee benefits.
- Josh Harkinson has the backstory on the rift between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the flight of some of its high-profile members that is worth a read. Commenting on the story, Bradford Plumer provides the political history that explains the CoC's decision -- that the Chamber's current manifestation was forged in the mindless Republican assault on Bill Clinton, found a willing player during the Bush years, and hence has no idea how to deal with a Democratically controlled government in the age of Obama.
- Conor Friedersdorf has started mailing questionnaires to Republican Party county chairmen in an effort to gauge where the party stands during its wilderness period out of power. The early responses are not encouraging. Almost every response considers Obama's "socialism" to be the most "worrisome" part of his presidency, that he'll squash our freedoms and liberties, that he'll appease our enemies, etc. If the GOP ever grows up and becomes a responsible party again, that change certainly won't be coming from the party's leaders.
- David Leonhardt has a brief preview of Bruce Bartlett's new book on the failure of Reaganomics and what the GOP can do to be credible in economic policy in the future. I'd certainly agree with Leonhardt's characterization -- "One of the country’s two political parties has no answer to an enormous economic issue" -- and Bartlett's ideas are worthy of intelligent debate, but the GOP has been locked into the supply-side voodoo for 30 years. Americans for Tax Reform ensures that Republican members of Congress sign a pledge promising to never raise taxes. The GOP is hardwired to an economic policy that makes no sense, and they face institutional collapse and political civil war if they attempt to abandon the most fundamental of their creeds.
- An amendment proposed by Sen. Al Franken to the 2010 defense appropriations bill, which would withhold defense contracts from companies who deny their employees claims to sexual assault and discrimination in U.S. Courts, passed today on a 68-30 vote. Every female member of the Republican caucus voted for the amendment, along with six of their male colleagues who believe that women who are gang-raped by their fellow employees ought to have their day in court. The other 30 Republicans are apparently monsters who could could care less.
- Remainders: Maybe Democrats ought to be taking the Alan Grayson approach to dealing with the opposition party; more deep thoughts from the GOP's one-man ideas factory; just another day in the House of Representatives; Minnesota's most deranged representative explains what "critical mass" means; and I'm not sure I want to meet the "next Glenn Beck."
--Mori Dinauer
