Senate Health Care Compromise Up in the Air

WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats are considering changing a proposed expansion of Medicare to address complaints from doctors and hospitals and defray costs for consumers, officials said Thursday, two days after party leaders hailed it as part of a breakthrough for health care.

Under the plan, uninsured individuals ages 55 to 64 could purchase coverage under Medicare. The expansion is part of a compromise for dropping a full-blown national government-run insurance plan from the legislation that Democrats and the White House hope to push through the Senate by Christmas.

The American Hospital Association and American Medical Association have both criticized the proposed Medicare expansion since it was announced Tuesday night, saying the program pays health care providers less than private insurance companies, and warning against increasing the number of patients.

"We are trying to find a solution," Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, told reporters in the Capitol, saying that the groups had raised legitimate concerns.

Separately, officials said there were discussions about the possibility of defraying the expense of Medicare coverage for uninsured individuals under 65. Under some estimates, the cost could be as high as $7,600 annually — more than $600 a month — until subsidies become available in 2014. - Fox News Story

Do Israeli's Know Obama Better Than Some Americans?

A new poll of Israelis suggests that President Barack Obama is better-liked in the Jewish state than widely believed.

But the poll, released by advocates for more expansive American and Israeli efforts for peace with the Palestinians, also shows deep distrust for the American president among Israelis, a majority of whom view him as “weak on terrorism.”

The study by the New America Foundation found that 41% of Israelis have favorable views of Obama, while 37% view him unfavorably. That standing "is notably stronger than opinion toward the Israeli Defense and Foreign Ministers, and his unfavorable rating is only four points higher than the unfavorable rating for George W. Bush," the study's authors found. - Politico Story

Obama Below 50% Approval Across The Board

Polling is a snapshot, but it is also all in how the question is asked. Either way, Obama is finding his approval slipping to below 50% across the board.

CBS/NY Times 50% Approve 39% Disapprove
IPSOS/McClatch 49% Approve 49% Disapprove
Rasmussen 48% Approve 52% Disapprove
Gallup 50% Approve 45% Disapprove
Bloomberg 54% Approve 41% Disapprove
Marist 46% Approve 44% Disapprove
Quinnipiac 46% Approve 44% Disapprove

Bloomberg must have talked to many more Democrats as their polling numbers don't match into the trend.

Obama is in trouble as he is rolling out more and more. In the past week he has increased Troops in Afghanistan, Received his Nobel Prize, Health Care is Closer to Passing and he is pushing for more spending to create jobs. Yet his numbers are falling and falling fast.

The most notable poll asked whether you would rather have former President George W. Bush as President or President Obama? Obama won but only by 3% points, 47% preferring Obama while 44% Bush. Not good news if you are a Democrat.

The Misuse of Knowledge for Political Gain

"Knowledge is becoming more specialized and more dispersed, while government power is becoming more concentrated," writes economist Arnold Kling in his new book, "Unchecked and Unbalanced." "This discrepancy creates the potential for government to become increasingly erratic and, as a result, less satisfying to individuals."

"Less satisfying to individuals" is a mild way to put it. In a recent Annenberg focus group, pollster Peter Hart asked Philadelphia suburbanites to write the name that came to mind when they thought of Congress. A retired auto executive and 2008 Obama voter wrote, "Satan." When asked why, he said, "Because I wasn't sure of the correct spelling of 'Beelzebub.'"

Kling's point is that such disenchantment is inevitable when government officeholders make sweeping decisions about matters on which they lack, and only a few specialists have, detailed knowledge. Which is what Congress and the Obama administration have been busy doing these past 11 months. - Rasmussen Reports Story

Obama White House Serves Up ACORN Cookies

Any fan of Cookie Monster on Sesame Street knows that "C" is for cookie.

But at the Obama White House, "A" may be for acorn -- as in acorn cookies served at Monday's annual Christmas party.

The chocolate cookies shaped like an acorn were quite a hit with Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa.

"I didn't expect to see such stark symbolism," King said in an e-mail.

President Obama worked with the community organizing group ACORN in the mid-90s. But now ACORN faces a host of allegations related to voter fraud in the 2008 election and has been weakened by an undercover expose that shows employees offering tax advice to a couple posing as a pimp and prostitute.

The irony of the White House dishing out acorn-shaped chocolate cookies seemed a little, well, "nutty" to King. The Iowa Republican is one of the loudest voices calling for Congress to investigate ACORN.

King pocketed several of the acorn cookies at the White House soiree and even stowed a few at home in his freezer. King even delivered a real acorn to House Judiciary Committee John Conyers, D-Mich., in an effort to launch a dialogue about the organization's legal woes.

"Bill Clinton redefined a two and a three-letter word," King said, a reference to Clinton's denial of the Lewinsky scandal . "But from the man who wrote 'The Audacity of Hope,' we were served the very redefinition of the word 'audacity.'" - Politico Story

44% of Americans Would Prefer to Have Bush back in Office over Obama

If White House officials were peeved at Gallup Poll for its reporting on President Barack Obama’s recent slide to 47 percent approval — and they were — imagine the reaction at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to the survey released Wednesday by Public Policy Polling, which also reported the president’s approval rating at 47 percent, but added this analysis:

“Perhaps the greatest measure of Obama’s declining support is that just 50 percent of voters now say they prefer having him as president to George W. Bush, with 44 percent saying they’d rather have his predecessor. Given the horrendous approval ratings Bush showed during his final term, that’s somewhat of a surprise and an indication that voters are increasingly placing the blame on Obama for the country’s difficulties instead of giving him space because of the tough situation he inherited. The closeness in the Obama/Bush numbers also has implications for the 2010 elections. Using the Bush card may not be particularly effective for Democrats anymore, which is good news generally for Republicans and especially ones like [former Ohio Republican Rep.] Rob Portman who are running for office and have close ties to the former president.”

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs mocked Gallup’s daily tracking poll, saying, “I don’t put a lot of stake in — never have — in the EKG that is the daily Gallup trend.” - Politico Story

Obama Tells GOP To Prove He Shouldn't Be Spending

President Barack Obama challenged congressional Republicans to back up their criticism of his economic recovery plans with academic expertise, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) told reporters Wednesday.

Speaking at the White House following the president's morning discussion on job creation with bipartisan congressional leaders, Cantor said Obama defended his agenda against criticism that it was too expensive.

"He challenged us to bring in economists to make the case that we ought not be spending right now," said Cantor, who characterized the talks as "cordial" and "more in-depth than usual."

But, the Virginia Republican added: "We can't keep spending money we don't have."

Cantor brought to the White House a copy of the House Republicans' "No-Cost Jobs Plan," which includes proposals such as a domestic discretionary spending freeze and halting new regulations on business.

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), the third-ranking House Republican, went after the administration more sharply in his post-meeting remarks.

"It's clear this administration doesn't get it," he said. "It's time for new ideas." - Politico Story

I agree with Obama, Lets all go out and just spend and spend and spend. We don't have to have the money, lets just up our debt to totally unmanageable levels and then.....keep going. Hell I am sure that there is no common sense reason not to do it.

What are they thinking?

Democrats to Increase Debt Ceiling som $1.8 Trillion by End of Year

In a bold but risky year-end strategy, Democrats are preparing to raise the federal debt ceiling by as much as $1.8 trillion before New Year’s rather than have to face the issue again prior to the 2010 elections.

“We’ve incurred this debt. We have to pay our bills,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told POLITICO Wednesday. And the Maryland Democrat confirmed that the anticipated increase could be as high as $1.8 trillion — nearly twice what had been assumed in last spring’s budget resolution for the 2010 fiscal year.

The leadership is betting that it’s better for the party to take its lumps now rather than risk further votes over the coming year. But the enormity of the number could create its own dynamic, much as another debt ceiling fight in 1985 gave rise to the Gramm-Rudman deficit reduction act mandating across-the-board spending cuts nearly 25 years ago. - Politico Story

Terrorist in Iraq up Violence - US Pullout too Soon?

Al-Qaida's umbrella group in Iraq claimed responsibility Thursday for coordinated Baghdad bombings this week that killed 127 people and wounded more than 500, warning of more strikes to come against the Iraqi government.

The group, known as the Islamic State of Iraq, said in a statement posted on the Internet that the attacks in the Iraqi capital targeted the "bastions of evil and dens of apostates."

It also warned the group is "determined to uproot the pillars of this government" in Iraq and said "the list of targets has no end." The authenticity of the statement could not be independently verified, but it was posted on a Web site commonly used for militant messaging.

The blasts Tuesday were the third major strike against government sites in the Iraqi capital since August, raising serious questions about the abilities of Iraqi security forces ahead of next's year national elections and the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops. - ABC News Story

Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility. Yet Obama claims the real war on Terrorist is not in Iraq. Well guess what? The Terrorist must think so.

Your Stimulus Dollars Hard at Work Saving Jobs - Really?

....

The digital television advertising campaign ranked as No. 3 on the list of 100 projects that GOP senators on Tuesday highlighted as “pure waste” in the billions of stimulus funds spent this year.

At the top of the GOP list is a $5 million grant from the Department of Energy to create a geothermal energy system for the Oak Ridge City Center shopping mall in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The main problem with the project, say Republicans, is the fact the mall has been losing tenants for years and is mostly empty.

GOP senators also blasted a $1.57 million grant to Penn State University to search for fossils in Argentina and a $100,000 award to a liberal-leaning theater in Minnesota for socially conscious puppet shows.

Two million dollars in stimulus money went to build a replica railroad as a tourist attraction in Carson City, Nev.

A dinner cruise company based in Chicago received nearly $1 million in funds to combat terrorism.

Half a million dollars went to Arizona State University to study the genetic makeup of ants to determine distinctive roles in ant colonies; $450,000 went to the University of Arizona to study the division of labor in ant colonies.

The State University of New York at Buffalo won $390,000 to study young adults who drink malt liquor and smoke marijuana. The National Institutes of Health got $219,000 in funds to study whether female college students are more likely to “hook up” after drinking alcohol.

The University of Hawaii collected $210,000 to study the learning patterns of honeybees, and $700,000 went to help crab fishermen in Oregon recover lost crab pots. - The Hill