The picture is not so much a criticism of myself as much as it is a parody. Posts have been few and far between this summer. This isn’t to say that there hasn’t been interesting things to talk about politically, there have been, but I can tell that I am and have been stretching myself a little thin over the past year and a half, basically since I started MWD. And so I have decided that I need to take a break from the world of political blogging.

There are a variety of reasons for this, and I don’t want to dwell too much on any particular part, but my responsibilities are in more need of my attention at this point than politics. I was in a car accident last march which left me without a vehicle. After buying a new one my monthly car payments have gone up, which means I am working more to make up the difference. The website doesn’t pay my bills, so I had to take one step back this summer. I had to take another step back last spring when I realized that my classes weren’t going to come as easily to me as they once have. It turns out those university professors lean pretty hard on their upper division students, so I have needed to take more time out of my day for reading and studying. I am also seriously considering applying to different graduate schools this winter, and that means that I have the Graduate Record Exams to study for, I have to write an application paper, and I need to carry as much favor as possible with my professors so that I may glean letters of recommendations out of them. This all, as you might expect, takes quite a bit of time.

When I think about how I spent most of the 2008 election cycle, I realize that my “contribution” came from behind the computer screen. While I am the first to acknowledge the strength of the pen (keyboard?), I decided that I would like to get out some more. With all of the above circling in my mind, it was no real surprise that I would want to take some mental health time for myself. I’m spending more time with my girlfriend Liz, and am planning on taking more trips to visit my brother Jeff who goes to school in Lincoln.

The website itself hasn’t performed up to the standards of my initial expectations either. At its height last fall, MWD was getting one hundred hits a day, primarily from Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas. But in order to get those numbers, I had to work very, very hard. Multiple posts a day, each one longer and more detailed than the last is a tough pace to keep up. I was hoping to, at one point, sign other people up to write for MWD, thereby expanding it, but that never really materialized.

That said, do not consider MidWest Democrat dead yet, simply in a coma. Eventually I would like to re-launch the website with a new look, but that is probably way down the road. I don’t know when I’m going to create all the time that I would like for this project, but for now, I need to focus on other things.

For everyone else, keep on fighting the good fight.

Healthcare News Bits

The final days of summer approach, and September promises to be an important month for Democrats if they hope to maintain their majority in both houses. The President of the SEIU says that if Democrats lose the fight for healthcare, that it is a very real possibility. The party of the newly elected President has always lost seats in that President’s first midterm, dating back to World War II. He also drops this little gem:

“Since lawmakers have already decided not to pursue strict regulations on insurance premium increases, Stern said that a public option is the only real cost control mechanism on the table. Without the cost control provided by a public plan, Stern says it would be difficult for SEIU to support an individual mandate which would require all adults to purchase health insurance.”

Senator Ted Kennedy, who was a champion of healthcare reform, but has recently suffered from cancer, is asking the state of Massachusetts to change the law dealing with how vacant seats are dealt with so that Governor Duval Patrick could appoint a successor immediately. Currently, if Kennedy were to leave his seat, a special election would be held 140 days later. Naturally, the Republican Senatorial Committee was not as wild about the idea:

Brian Walsh, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Democrats are at risk if they play “partisan politics,” though he said the Senate succession process should be up to the people of Massachusetts to decide.
“The NRSC believes this should ultimately be up to the people of Massachusetts to decide, however, it is hard to see how the Democrats wouldn’t pay a political price for changing their Senate succession law again to meet a new political purpose. The integrity of this process already took a hit when the Democrats made the blatant power play to take this authority away from Governor Romney, and it’s hard to see how they would have the credibility to reverse themselves simply because it’s now politically inconvenient. This should not be about partisan politics – it should be about ensuring the integrity and credibility of the Senate selection process."

Walsh didn’t comment on the irony of a Republican from Washington DC telling the people of Massachusetts that they shouldn’t change the law on how a vacant seat is filled because how the seat is filled should be left up to the people of Massachusetts.

In any event, thanks to the obstinate GOP, Democrats appear prepared to go it alone on healthcare reform, which would either involve circling the wagons to ensure that every Democrat in the Senate votes for the package, or invoking a little known budgetary procedure which would limit debate on the proposed legislation (that budgetary procedure was actually enacted by Republicans, so what goes around comes around I guess). Still, reform seems to be a long way off thanks to the August recess which will be coming to an end in a little over a week.

News Bits and Quick Hits

White House aides have already begun to back off a previous commitment to an August deadline for a healthcare vote in the Senate, the President had wanted a vote before the August recess. The timetable was ambitious, considering the scale and scope of the legislation in question, the President is now setting a more realistic goal, “Lets pass reform by the end of this year.” Well, if the White House is trying to win over Nelson and his group of five other Senators currently on the fence concerning healthcare, then the President has already put things into motion. This shows that the President is actively trying to win over those Senators by giving them more time, and following their own proposed timetable (Remember, in the letter Nelson drafted, he said “we are firmly committed to enactment of comprehensive reform this year.”

It also looks like the White House has finally found a bad guy in all of this. And no, it’s not Bill Kristol (though it could have been), instead, its South Carolina Republican, Senator Jim DeMint. DeMint’s “Waterloo” comments could potentially be a turning point in the healthcare debate because, as Chuck Todd points out, the President does better on any issue when he has someone to run against. What did the President say about DeMint’s comments? “Think about that. This isn’t about me. This isn’t about politics. This is about a health-care system that is breaking America’s families.” The President is expected to use that quote to “rally the troops” so to speak, refocusing his own party to battle GOP attacks and eliminate infighting.

Now for some quick news bits on healthcare and others:

If you are ready for a lot of numbers, you should read this piece by Timothy Noah from Slate, where he makes a case for affordable healthcare.

Howard Fineman thinks not. But then again, what else is new? The Newsweek politics reporter today talks about the President’s ability surf political waves and how he may be wiping out this time because of ill-conceived timing.

Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank has apparently caught Michael Steele’s puppeteer, Alex Castellanos. But as with all political strategists, they do not prepare you well for policy positions. When asked a question about the legislation, Steele replies “I don’t do policy.”

Brad Delong makes a convincing argument for the recession being over, the stimulus being the prime reason why it wasn’t worse. Now all he asks is “when do the jobs return?”

Healthcare Reform: Where Are We At?

I’ve been busy. I haven’t been here a lot, I know, but I’ve been busy.

So, is the President’s healthcare proposal on the ropes? It depends on who you ask. William Kristol seems to think so. Kristol was the chief architect of the demise of the Clinton healthcare proposals back in the early nineties, and he is pleading with his allies to “pull no punches” in trying to knock Obama’s plan out of the sky. Specifically, he is afraid that anti-healthcare advocates may begin laying off their attacks and begin being, you know, responsible. From his article:

With Obamacare on the ropes, there will be a temptation for opponents to let up on their criticism, and to try to appear constructive, or at least responsible. There will be a tendency to want to let the Democrats' plans sink of their own weight, to emphasize that the critics have been pushing sound reform ideas all along and suggest it's not too late for a bipartisan compromise over the next couple of weeks or months.

My advice, for what it's worth: Resist the temptation. This is no time to pull punches. Go for the kill.

How practical. Kristol doesn’t try to hide his contempt for even a constructive or responsible piece of legislation. Well, if Kristol wants to keep the criticism up, he does have some other anti-healthcare allies to help him with it. Bobby Jindal, who introduced himself to the country earlier this year in rocky fashion will try do so again this week, but this time on paper, and not TV (where hopefully he won’t make a mockery out of himself – again). He plans to release a couple of op-eds chiming in on the healthcare debate. Embattled RNC chairman Michael Steele says that if the GOP can defeat Obama on this one issue, then this will be “his Waterloo.”

But there is plenty of evidence to suggest that pro healthcare advocates may be on the cusp of a breakthrough as well. There were whispers last week that a compromise may soon be reached which would deliver a number of Senators who are on the fence. Many of these same Senators were the targets of a campaign style advertisement delivered by Organizing for America:



The ad is being released in markets which would affect Ben Nelson (D-NE), Susan Collins (R-NH), Olympia Snowe (R-NH), Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Kent Conrad (D-ND) as well as retiring Republicans Mel Martinez (R-FL), and George Voinovich (R-OH).

For their part, Nelson, Collins, Snowe, Landrieu, along with Ron Wyden (R-OR), and Joe Lieberman (I-CN), sent a letter to the Party leaders in the Senate urging them to slow down on the healthcare vote, but still emphasizing that a bill needs to be passed this year. From the letter, which was drafted by Nelson:

In the current debate about our health care system, we are firmly committed to enactment of comprehensive reform this year. That reform must reduce premiums and administrative costs, expand choices, and increase coverage for all Americans. We are eager to work constructively with Senate leadership and agree that this is an historic opportunity which makes it imperative to proceed thoughtfully and responsibly. Our efforts will affect virtually every American.

The American people expect us to adopt comprehensive health reform that addresses the priorities we have outlined without detrimentally affecting those who have health insurance or increasing the national debt. This week, Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendorf testified that the currently introduced health reform bills will not reduce costs. We are faced with the dual challenges of pressing ahead to pass legislation by the end of the year and to produce the reform the American people need.

We appreciate the work that has been done by Senators on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and Finance committees, but in view of the Budget Director's statement, there is much heavy lifting ahead. We support the efforts of Finance Committee members to produce a bipartisan bill, despite calls from both sides of the aisle to rush forward or delay indefinitely. While we are committed to providing relief for American families as quickly as possible, we believe taking additional time to achieve a bipartisan result is critical for legislation that affects 17 percent of our economy and every individual in the U.S.

We look forward to working with you to develop legislation that is vital to the well-being of the American people and urge you to resist timelines which prevent us from achieving the best result. This opportunity is rare and the impact will last for generations.

As you can tell from the parts that I have added emphasis to, The group of Senators recognize that this is an important opportunity, that a clear majority of Americans expect healthcare reform, and that they are not promising to block that reform, as has been suggested, but simply want time to analyze its potential impact.

The letter suggests that their votes may come as a bloc. It would be very important to both sides of the debate to win their support seeing as the Democrats cannot possibly win a cloture motion without Democrats like Nelson, Independents like Lieberman, and backup support from Republicans like Collins and Snowe. If these six pledge to vote for the reform package, then it passes.

Another ad is running in another nine states, with an $800,000 ad buy made by Healthcare for America Now:



Ben Smith suggests that the President is now well into his first post-honeymoon engagement of his Presidency. He is right. The President is going to have to push a lot harder this time to get his legislative victory, but it looks like the President is well prepared, and is already fighting hard. I expect to see the healthcare legislation being debated into the fall. I also expect to see it passed by the time the fall is over.

Fourth of July News Hit (HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA)

Obviously, there are some huge news stories to be discussed below, and I will get there in good time, but first, on the lighter side:



That is the textbook definition of “historical accuracy.” At least it’s not the complete bastardization of history that you see nowadays.

So, Sarah Palin announced her impending resignation today. So far, the number one question I’ve gotten from everyone that I’ve talked to about it, political novice or experienced old hand alike, is somewhere along the line of “why would she do it?” Why would the woman widely considered to be the lone frontrunner, if not than at least one of the frontrunners to become the next GOP nominee for President in 2012 decide that she wants out of politics?

Let’s assume for the moment that all the whispers we’ve heard about her wanting out of politics are false, and there is some ulterior motive to her resignation. What are the possibilities? Well, she could be setting herself up for a run at the Presidency not in 2012, but 2016. That would give her time to sit out President Obama’s re-election run, and allow half of her potential opponents to waste their own viability in another doomed campaign against a popular Democrat. It also allows her take a couple years out of the spotlight before announcing her run for the Senate, not against Lisa Murkowski as previously ventured, but against Mark Begich when he runs for re-election. This way, she regains her public popularity just two years before running for the White House in a year where there will be no incumbent running (presumably).

Or, maybe she is looking at running in 2012. The GOP field certainly is narrowing with two popular dark horse candidates in Ensign and Sanford both being effectively removed from any serious Presidential discussion thanks to their extramarital affairs. Jindal took a hit back in February when he tried his hand at responding to the President’s first address to Congress. Most observers, including yours truly, viewed the attempt as a swing and a miss. Jindal may not have struck out of the 2012 race yet, but his shaky performance can certainly raise some legitimate questions about his ability to sell himself to voters nationwide. Ron Paul is a joke. That leaves Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, and Newt Gingrich, all popular among conservatives, but none are currently holding an elected office, and therefore all will find it more difficult than their elected counterparts to find media attention. The only other threat to Palin would be Tim Pawlenty, who will be leaving the Governor’s office in Minnesota in 2010, just in time for the invisible primary to start in Iowa and New Hampshire.

The last possibility, and the one that may be all too likely, may be that a skeleton could be in Governor Palin’s closet, and that skeleton could be finding its way towards a camera soon. Consider this, if Palin is planning on running in 2012, then her move to step down now is still puzzling for multiple reasons. First, the extra year out of the public eye will hurt her. The old saying “out of sight, out of mind” comes to me here. Even if Alaska is not an industrial or populous state, being Governor, if only until 2010, will keep her in the public eye and keep her fundraising numbers up. Now she just forfeited that advantage. Also, read the announcement itself. It is rambling, often times off message, and just seems poorly judged. The press conference itself was hastily thrown together, with reporters getting little warning as to its subject material beforehand. Also, consider the timing of the announcement. On the Friday of the holiday weekend, would there be a better time to make such a declaration than a weekend when hardly anyone will read their newspapers or watch the news? It was timed to draw as little attention as possible. And if the decision has “been in the works for a while,” like she claims, then why was she just earlier this week playing political games by challenging the President to a foot race? Something isn’t right about this, and I’m guessing we will be hearing a lot more about it soon.

Sex Scandals Galore

Sex scandals are an amazing thing. Rising GOP star Senator John Ensign (NV) was forced to apologize to the Senate yesterday for his affair with a former staffer. That scandal simply added another bruise to a party which has been knocked around like a piñata the last three years. There were whispers surrounding Ensign as a potential nominee for President. His promise lay in the fact that he would be a conservative alternative to the already-rans who are more or less already running (Palin, Romney, Huckabee, etc) That star has already faded. Ensign’s career may not be over, but he will have to keep his head down for so long that there is little chance of him seeking a higher office anytime soon.

Is that all? No.

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford (also a Republican) went missing last Thursday. He left the governor’s office, turned off his cell phone and pager, and went for a drive. His staff didn’t know where he went. His family didn’t know where he went. He just went. It was originally reported by his staff that these short disappearances weren’t that unusual. His wife said that he sometimes would just go off somewhere quiet to work on journal articles or editorials that he has fallen behind on. When he got back, he said originally that he had taken a hike on the Appalachian trail, then quickly admitted that he had actually taken a vacation to Argentina.

Then he dropped another bombshell on the GOP. He admitted in a press conference this afternoon that he has had an affair with “a dear, dear friend” who lives in Argentina.

Sanford’s name was also getting a lot of play as a possible Anti-Obama for his steadfast rejection of stimulus funds to his state. Sanford could have run on the fiscal conservative tag and revitalized the GOP all by himself. Instead, his career will likely end in disgrace. Former South Carolina GOP Chair Katon Dawson is already talking about whether the Governor should resign or not.

If either the Senator or the Governor decides they want to take a look back to their comments they made during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, then they may rediscover what their own moral standards are concerning illicit affairs and officeholders. Said Sanford of Clinton, “Very damaging stuff. This one’s pretty cut and dried… I think it would be much better for the country and for him personally [to resign]." What did Ensign say? "The honorable thing for him to do is to resign and not put the country through this."

But then again, these men have already proven themselves to be hypocrites once. Why would it bother them to be proven that again?

Quick News Bits

Politics in Minnesota is reporting from two sources on each side of the Coleman-Franken Senate recount epic that the Minnesota Supreme Court is expected to release its final decision sometime today. Rumors have been swirling that if the court sides decidedly with Franken that Coleman will call off the dogs and allow Franken to be seated, much to the dismay of the RNC. So is this the light at the end of the tunnel? It seems almost too much to think so, but I really think it is. It may be too late for Coleman to save his name and make a run at the Governor’s office, but then again, maybe he is thinking he still has a shot at that office. Expect to see Harry Reid doing a jig in some Capital hallway later today.

The theme of the week out of Washington (or more specifically, the Washington press corps) is that the President’s honeymoon is coming to an end. Honeymoon’s don’t last forever, but this isn’t the first time that different pundits have taken this story out for a spin. You may remember during the stimulus vote that quite a lot of writers were openly wondering if the President may even get a honeymoon at all, and that was at the beginning of February.

There are two indicators that show the honeymoon that was supposed to have ended in February may actually be coming to an end now. The first is a set of polls, one by the Wall Street Journal and the other by the New York Times which show that public attitudes towards the President’s policies may be faltering. Both polls cite public concerns about the rising deficit as well as government intervention in the economy. But both polls still give the President high public approval ratings.

The other indicator may just well be the mouth of George W. Bush. It was too much to hope that he would keep his thoughts to himself forever, the former President made his first sharp criticisms of the current administration earlier this week while speaking in Pennsylvania. It is significant if for no other reason than his defense of his own policies could serve as a potential rallying point for the GOP.

The administration is already responding to both problems. Secretary Geithner is out and about defending the administration’s economic oversight, as has the President who disparaged Wall Street’s “short memory” concerning how a lack of oversight led to this crisis in the first place. As far as the ex-President Bush is concerned, the Administration will likely continue to use him as a political punching bag because the more Bush tries to defend his various failed policies, the deeper a hole he digs himself.