Week in Review: February 28, 2010
Editor’s Note: Changing up the posting calendar here to allow the Saturday post to include the weekly President’s Radio Address. Week in Review now moves to Sunday to reflect on the previous week.
The week of course s was dominated by the build up, the event, and the analysis of the President’s Health Forum. In case you missed it, let’s get to the video highlights of the actual event.
Obama Takes on McCain
First, the McCain smack-down:
Harry Reid Setting the Stage:
In his opening remarks, Reid takes on the Republicans over their use of budget reconciliation to pass their own legislation, including the Contract for America.
House Speaker Pelosi Reminds Us of the Public Option
Good for her, Speaker Pelosi brings the conversation back to the campaign trail and the public option, restating its case.
Mr. President, I harken back to that meeting a year ago. At that time, Senator Grassley questioned you about the public option. And you said the public option is one way to keep the insurance companies honest and to increase competition. If you have a better way, put it on the table.
Well, I bring that up because we have come such a long way….As a representative of the House of Representatives, I want you to know that we were there that day in support of a public option which would save $120 billion, keep the insurance companies honest, and increase competition. [This describes the Medicare-rates version of the public option, not in the House bill. The current version saves $25 billion.] We’ve come a long way to agreeing to a Republican idea, the exchanges…because the insurance companies opposed the public option. They couldn’t take the competition.
We have in our bill [which includes a weaker public option], market-oriented, encouraging-to-the-private-sector initiatives. I think the insurance industry, left to it’s own devices, has behaved shamefully. And we must act on behalf of the American people. We have lived on their playing field all this time. It’s time for the insurance companies to exist on the playing field of the American people.
Why Your Health Benefits Just Expired
Under the category of Why Progressives Are Upset with Our Elected Officials, Retiring Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) single-handedly blocked the the extension of unemployment and COBRA insurance benefits with an assist from our own Democratic Majority Whip, Dick Durbin (D-IL). Durbin (D-Ill.) and other Democrats pledged to keep the chamber in session until Bunning collapsed. ”We’re going to keep doing it until we break him,” the Durbin’s aide said.
Bunning’s filibuster caused Durbin to finally organize a group of Democratic Senators Thursday night to force an actual Bunning filibuster and a potential all-night session. But after three hours of often heated debate — during which Bunning could be heard yelling obscenities at other lawmakers for keeping him from a basketball game — Durbin dropped his efforts for the evening shortly before midnight.
The Point: We had Bunning to the point where he was shouting obscentities on the Senate floor and our team decided… well, to let him go home for a good night’s sleep.
John Stewart Takes on the CPAC Convention
Stewart takes on the annual CPAC Convention and once again lays out a scathing criticism from word one. And check the Altamont Concert reference (3:02) in here!!
Tags: Humor