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- I think Jon Cohn is generally right to compare the right wing's effort to kill health care reform "swiftboating" although we probably need a new term to describe what's happening (ditto for the tendency to append the suffix 'gate' to every political scandal). After all, the attacks on John Kerry were supported by the testimony of people who were serving in Vietnam with him at the time. They told nothing but lies, but their lies had the glint of authority behind them. On health care reform, the lies are bolstered by "experts" like the former governor of Alaska and that is why the attacks are so unhinged, or as Cohn observes, "worse than what we've seen before."
- The White House and PhRMA deny it, but a memo obtained by The Huffington Post's Ryan Grim lays out the details of a behind-the-scenes deal to protect pharmaceutical profits in coming health care reform legislation. In short, the government would not use its leverage to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices in exchange for industry promising to cut "$80 billion in projected costs to taxpayers and senior citizens over ten years."
- I'd like to see some other polling outfits confirm this, but according to Rasmussen, arch conservative Pat Toomey would crush Arlen Specter 48-36 (12 percent undecided) if the 2010 election were held today. In hindsight, Specter had little choice but to switch parties, although the decision put him in a new bind vis-a-vis the voters of Pennsylvania who now likely view him as little more than a self-interested opportunist.
- I understand why libertarians believe that legalizing prostitution promotes freedom. What I don't understand is why they don't believe that taxing it (along with other "sin taxes") is the road to serfdom. Seems like only yesterday we were being warned about the tyranny of taxing fast food and soda.
- Remainders: Renditions, Obama style; It's a good thing that Max Baucus made Chuck Grassley the linchpin of the Finance health care reform bill; the Gitmo prisoners could be headed to cash-strapped Michigan; and are Ron Paul's acolytes mucking up races for the GOP in 2010?
--Mori Dinauer
