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Author Archives: MSNBC Politics
Obama delays Asia trip to deal with health care
\President Barack Obama has delayed his first international trip of the year, a three-country visit to Asia, to focus attention on the final push to salvage health care legislation after a year of contentious debate.
Senate-passed health care bill would cut deficit
Congressional budget referees say Senate legislation that’s now the foundation for President Barack Obama’s health care plan would cut the federal deficit by $118 billion over 10 years.
Critics of Justice Dept. lawyers under fire
A conservative group’s bashing of several Obama administration lawyers as the “al-Qaida Seven” has struck a nerve in the U.S. legal community, prompting even some fellow Republicans to denounce the group’s attack.
Pelosi: Democrats close to health care deal
Democrats claim momentum in their drive to enact the sweeping health care legislation sought by President Barack Obama, citing near agreement on crucial issues.
Poll: Obama more popular than Congress
Americans have come to detest Congress ever more deeply as it nears the end of a nasty fight over health care. But more than half still back President Barack Obama, a bright spot for a Democratic Party counting on its leader to help stave off expected losses in elections this fall.
Obama hosts Haitian President Preval for talks
President Barack Obama is renewing America’s commitment to the recovery and reconstruction of earthquake-devastated Haiti, telling visiting President Rene Preval he understands the situation there “remains dire.”
HHS Sebelius exhorts insurers to get on board
The head of the Health and Human Services Department is sketching out a stark choice for the nation’s insurers: oppose reform and eventually lose customers, or work with the Obama administration to improve the legislation.
Roberts: Scene at State of Union ‘troubling’
U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts said Tuesday the scene at President Barack Obama’s first State of the Union address was “very troubling” and that the annual speech to Congress has “degenerated into a political pep rally.”
Massa says ‘groping’ of male aide wasn’t sexual
A New York congressman who resigned under an ethics cloud has been under investigation for allegedly groping multiple male aides, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.
Michelle Obama donates ball gown to Smithsonian
Michelle Obama said Tuesday that she’ll always cherish the moment she slipped into her inaugural ball gown, a one-shouldered, white chiffon design she wore for her first Cinderella-like spins on the dance floor as first lady.
Dem Lincoln opposes fast-track health bill
A moderate Democrat insisted Tuesday she remained opposed to pushing a health care bill through the Senate with a simple majority vote, despite saying she wanted to see what was in the legislation.
Fact-checking Stupak on abortion
If health care passes, will the federal government directly subsidize abortion coverage? First Read reads the fine print.
Newsweek: Has Obama hit bottom politically?
In the race to the bottom that American politics has become—the only question is which party will be less popular going into the November election—Obama’s been written off so completely that the Democrats’ electoral prospects may be starting to look up simply because they can’t drop much lower.
Newsweek: Brown only Democratic nominee in Calif. race?
In one of the nation’s bluest states, why is Jerry Brown the only Democrat running for governor?
Woes at family bank loom over Ill. Senate race
With the public still furious over bank bailouts, Democrats desperate to keep President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat are scrambling to counter revelations that a bank owned by their candidate’s family may be nearing collapse.
Palin notes irony of using Canada health care
Sarah Palin has been no friend lately of socialized health care.
Palin notes irony of using Canada health care
Sarah Palin has criticized Canada’s health care program, saying the socialized system should be dismantled in favor of free enterprise.
Calif state senator says he’s gay after DUI arrest
Republican state Sen. Roy Ashburn said Monday he is gay, ending days of speculation that began after his arrest last week for investigation of driving under the influence.
Stupak: Abortion fight can be resolved
Prospects are good for resolving a dispute over abortion that has led some House Democrats to threaten to withhold support of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, a key Michigan Democrat says.
Obama hails contributions of ‘daring’ women
Crediting their role in the American story, President Barack Obama on Monday praised the nation’s “daring, indomitable” women — including the one-time political rival who is now his secretary of state.
Massa details ’salty’ talk, slams Dem leaders
Rep. Eric Massa, D-N.Y., admitted that he made a sexually-charged comment to an aide but implied that Democratic leaders used the investigation to pressure him to resign before the House holds a close vote on health care legislation that Massa has opposed.
Newsweek: How Graham works the White House
Barack Obama and GOP Senator Lindsey Graham disagree on almost everything—except the need to work together.
Obama calls Iraq vote an ‘important milestone’
President Barack Obama praised the Iraqi people for passing “an important milestone” Sunday, when millions turned out for national elections despite insurgent attacks that killed more than 30 people.
Massa to resign under ethics cloud
New York Democratic Rep. Eric Massa, facing a harassment complaint by a male staffer, said Friday that he is stepping down from his seat with “a profound sense of failure.”
Abortion coverage dispute divides House Dems
On the other side of the obstacle course that President Barack Obama must clear to get his health care overhaul, a final trapdoor is lurking: the divisive politics of abortion.
A Roberts rumor’s blip on Washington’s radar
For a short time, Washington buzzed over a rumor reported exclusively by an online gossip Web site with no particular Supreme Court expertise that Chief Justice John Roberts was considering stepping down.
Levin to replace Rangel as tax panel chairman
Rep. Sander Levin of Michigan was chosen Thursday as acting chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, a post that plays a major role in health care and billions of dollars in expiring tax cuts.
GOP portrays Dems as evil Scooby, Cruella
Democrats criticize a Republican National Committee document caricaturing President Obama as the Joker, Nancy Pelosi as Cruella de Vil and Harry Reid as Scooby-Doo.
Hoyer: Massa faces misconduct allegation
A freshman congressman from New York who cited health reasons in announcing his retirement Wednesday is facing allegations of misconduct, a top House Democrat confirmed.
Senate rejects bonus Social Security payments
The Senate has rejected President Barack Obama’s proposal to give a $250 bonus payment to people on Social Security.
Obama: Give health care an ‘up or down’ vote
President Barack Obama urged Congress Wednesday to vote “up or down” on sweeping health care legislation in the next few weeks, endorsing a plan that denies Senate Republicans the right to kill the bill by stalling with a filibuster.
Kaine not worried about politics of health care
Democratic Party chairman Tim Kaine said Wednesday he expects the health care overhaul will be passed and he’s not worried about Republican threats to make it a premier issue in this year’s midterm elections.
Analysis: Washington ties big loser in Texas
Winners: Texas Gov. Rick Perry and “tea party” anger. Losers: Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and anybody else tied to Washington.
Perry wins GOP nomination for Texas governor
Texas Gov. Rick Perry tapped into a rising wave of anti-Washington ire and rode it to an easy Republican primary win over Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, once seen as the candidate who could block his march toward four more years in the state’s highest office.
Obama to incorporate GOP ideas in health plan
President Barack Obama said Tuesday he was open to four new Republican proposals on health legislation in a gesture of bipartisanship meant to jump-start his stalled overhaul drive.
In book, Romney blasts Obama over U.S. image
Once and possibly future Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney says in a new book that President Barack Obama’s international outreach efforts during his first year in office have been “kindling” to the “anti-American fires burning all across the globe.”
Dems threaten all-nighter to end budget block
With a Senate impasse causing federal furloughs and threatening the unemployment benefits of thousands, the top Republican on Tuesday predicted quick passage of a stopgap measure to extend help for the unemployed and keep federal highway dollars flowing.
Brown announces California governor run
California Attorney General Jerry Brown will try to reclaim the state’s governorship, after formally announcing his candidacy on Tuesday.
Obama spells out rebates for energy efficiency
Consumers would collect on-the-spot rebates of $1,000 or more for buying insulation, water heaters or other equipment to make their homes burn energy more efficiently under a rebate program President Barack Obama is promoting.
Dems: Emanuel’s ‘gut instincts’ trump Obama’s
Rahm Emanuel is a Washington caricature, but many Democrats think Obama isn’t listening to him nearly enough.
9 Dems who voted no on health bill may reconsider
Nine House Democrats indicated in a survey they have not ruled out switching their “no” votes on President Obama’s health care overhaul, brightening the party’s hopes in the face of unyielding GOP opposition.
‘Reconciliation,’ revisited
A little-known legislative procedure called “reconciliation” is making a fierce comeback as congressional Democrats’ best hope to end the Senate’s stalemate over health care reform.
Biden defends bailouts before labor leaders
Vice President Joe Biden told AFL-CIO leaders Monday that the government bailouts of the banking and auto industries were necessary steps the Obama administration needed to take before it could tackle causes important to organized labor.
Senate gridlock triggers cut to doctors
Political gridlock in the Senate triggered a 21 percent cut in Medicare fees to doctors Monday, as the American Medical Association warned of a “meltdown” for seniors and the Obama administration scrambled to contain the damage.
Supreme Court dismisses Uighers’ appeal
The Supreme Court dismissed an appeal Monday from the seven Chinese Muslim detainees at Guantanamo Bay because they have been offered another place to live.
Obama walks to improve his cholesterol
Poll results, congressional head counts and federal deficits aren’t the only numbers President Barack Obama has to worry about. Now, he’s trying to walk off a marginally high cholesterol count.
Analysis: Republicans setting filibuster record
The filibuster — tool of obstruction in the U.S. Senate — is alternately blamed and praised for wilting President Barack Obama’s ambitious agenda. Some even say it’s made the nation ungovernable.
Big beer bet for Obama, Harper on Olympic hockey
President Barack Obama owes his Canadian counterpart a case of beer.
Ready to go it alone, Dems push on health care
“We know what happens if we do nothing: more and more people pay more,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Friday. “The president believes we still have to act.”
Rangel refuses to step aside after ethics report
New York Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel said Friday he won’t step down as chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee despite being admonished for violating rules by letting corporations pay for his Caribbean trips.
White House social secretary to step down
White House social secretary Desiree Rogers is stepping down three months after an uninvited couple crashed the Obama administration’s first state dinner and she was heavily criticized for allowing it to happen.
Judge says she’ll approve SC gov’s divorce
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s divorce will become final next month, just over a year after the first lady discovered his affair with an Argentine woman he later called his soul mate.
Pelosi still hopeful health care can be passed
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the health care plan that President Barack Obama is promoting should be the basis for Congress to move forward and at last pass a bill overhauling the system.
Obama picks four more for debt-cutting panel
President Barack Obama’s four appointments to the bipartisan debt panel he established last week include the head of manufacturing giant Honeywell and a former top-ranking Federal Reserve official.
NYT analysis: Obama battles to unite Dems
The president did not seem to win over any Republicans, and seemed to end the day largely where he started, with little choice but to rally his Democrats to act on their own.
Newsweek: What’s in the GOP’s health care proposals
Republican and bipartisan health care proposals may be up for discussion at Obama’s summit. What are the details of these plans?
Notable quotes from the health care summit
President Barack Obama leads a last-ditch bid to save his stalled health care reform, convening a televised summit with Democratic and Republican leaders.
In the room: Smiles, smirks and serious looks
This is what President Obama found at his health care summit: a made-for-television seminar of American politics filled with moments the cameras never caught — smirks, smiles and staredowns.
Newsweek: Why climate change is dead in the Senate
Obama has long advocated for legislation to put a price on carbon to encourage polluters to invest in cleaner resources. But he’s right that the Senate won’t choose that path. The most likely outcome is energy legislation that doesn’t cap greenhouse-gas emissions or penalize polluters.
Insurance nightmare: We need a better system
PoliticsDaily.com’s Janet Battaile is in the fight of her life against a virulent form of cancer. Now she’s met an obstacle that is harder to beat than cancer itself — her new health insurers.
Health summit underscores unbridgeable gulf
PoliticsDaily.com’s Jill Lawrence says the real divide between Democrats and Republicans in the health care debate is not political, it’s philosophical.
Democrats looking past summit to final talks
Reckoning the health care summit will amount to political theater, Democrats shift focus to intraparty negotiations on fate of health-care reform.
Compromise unlikely at health summit
Expect Republicans and Democrats to collide, not come together, at Thursday’s health care summit.
Clinton eyes quick resumption of Mideast talks
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday she hopes long-stalled peace talks between Israelis and the Palestinians will resume, an assessment offered as the Obama administration criticized Israel for designating two shrines on Palestinian territory as national heritage sites.
Obama weighs hoops match with Sen. Brown
Could President Barack Obama use the basketball court to avenge a Democrat’s loss in a key Senate race?
Republican turns down White House summit invite
Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe has turned down a White House invitation to attend President Barack Obama’s health care summit on Thursday.
House would repeal insurers’ antitrust exemption
The House has voted to repeal the health insurance industry’s exemption from federal antitrust laws, giving Democrats an easy win on health care a day ahead of President Barack Obama’s bipartisan health summit.
How would you fix the health care system?
Answer five questions on which direction the nation should take on health care reform and compare your answers to other responses.
Senate approves tax breaks for new hires
Companies that hire the unemployed would claim new tax breaks under a jobs-promoting bill the Senate passed Wednesday, delivering President Barack Obama and Democrats a much-needed victory.
War chest shrinks for lone GOP overhaul backer
The lone Republican lawmaker to support Democratic health care legislation has seen his fundraising drop by nearly 40 percent since his vote, and he is quickly burning through a dwindling bank account after resorting to a costly national fundraising operation.
Perry’s tactics tough on Hutchinson campaign
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison offered what appeared to be her first acknowledgment that Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry has done some damage to her bid to unseat him by successfully casting her as a Washington insider.
Dem youth support waning amid gov’t gridlock
Whither the youth vote? A year after backing Barack Obama by an overwhelming 2-to-1 ratio, young adults are quickly cooling toward Democrats amid dissatisfaction over the lack of change in Washington and an escalating war in Afghanistan.
Comprehensive health bill may be no-go
Democratic congressional leaders confronted the reality Tuesday that they may not be able to pass the comprehensive health care overhaul sought by President Barack Obama. Republican leaders prepared to do everything in their power to make sure they can’t.
Poll shows less fear on health care overhaul
With President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul in limbo, Americans’ fears about its effect on them eased in January, according to a poll released as the president tries to revive sweeping Democratic legislation.
Romney backs McCain for re-election
Mitt Romney is endorsing former rival John McCain as the 2008 Republican presidential nominee fights to keep his Senate seat.
President urges states to raise school standards
President Barack Obama says America’s “primacy in the world” is at stake in the quest to substantially improve educational quality and global competitiveness.
Obama unveils revised $1 trillion health plan
President Barack Obama tried to rejuvenate his stalled healthcare overhaul on Monday with a revised plan designed to make coverage more affordable and bolster federal authority to regulate insurance premium hikes
NYT: Obama to urge oversight of insurance increases
President Obama will propose giving the federal government new power to block excessive rate increases by insurers, as he rolls out comprehensive health care legislation.
Powell backs Obama on national security record
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is rejecting charges that the country is less safe because of the way President Barack Obama has handled national security matters.
Health care drama headed to daytime TV
Coming soon to daytime television: America’s long-running civic drama over how to provide better health care to more of its people without breaking the bank.
Rejuvenated, conservatives see sunny skies
Conservative activists, united in opposition to President Barack Obama’s agenda, celebrated their rising political prospects on Friday and confidently predicted big Republican gains in November’s congressional elections.
Obama unveils $1.5 billion in housing aid
President Barack Obama used a campaign push for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to announce a new fund to support homeowners in five states hit hardest by the housing crisis.
Senate GOP challengers woo conservatives
Marco Rubio and J.D. Hayworth have different styles and different backgrounds and they’re from opposite sides of the country. But both are hoping to win Senate seats by tapping into the energy of conservatives to defeat big-name, establishment-backed Republicans.
Deficit panel may deliver harsh medicine
President Barack Obama’s new deficit commission might give Americans a slap in the face about the sacrifices needed to avoid bankrupting future generations.
Conservative activists open ‘our Woodstock’
Emboldened by a belief that conservative fortunes are on the rise, old-guard joins tea partiers to give CPAC meeting a festive feel.
Obama supports Senate Democrats out West
President Barack Obama is intervening out West in a brutal election season for incumbents, trying to bolster two vulnerable senators — one of them Majority Leader Harry Reid — and the morale of his party.
Romney hammers Obama at GOP conference
Republican Mitt Romney blistered President Barack Obama for a squandered first year of policy failures and broken promises on Thursday, informally auditioning before a key part of the GOP base for the chance to challenge the Democrat in 2012.
Excitement masks divisions within GOP
Conservatives seem more fired up than they’ve been in years — but energy alone won’t herald a Republican revolution.
White House: Dems near accord on health care bill
The White House and congressional leaders are preparing a detailed health care proposal designed to win passage without Republican support if GOP lawmakers fail to embrace bipartisan compromises at President Barack Obama’s summit next week.
Obama report warns of health premium spikes
Eye-popping health insurance premium increases of up to 39 percent are not an exception but a worrisome sign of the times, the Obama administration said in a report Thursday.
Work done, astronauts take call from Obama
With construction work finished, the 11 astronauts on the shuttle-station complex accepted congratulations from the president, who assured them of his “unwavering” commitment.
Obama calls space station from White House
Obama on Wednesday telephoned astronauts aboard the International Space Station and praised the work being done some 200 miles above the Earth. He also told astronauts that he wants to continue to invest in NASA even as the current fleet of space shuttles is nearing retirement.
GOP sees possible upside in health care summit
Congressional Republicans see a chance for political gain in President Barack Obama’s televised health care summit next week, even though the president will be running the show.
Zsa Zsa’s husband says he’s ready to lead Calif.
What the world already knows of Prince Frederic von Anhalt reads like a tabloid writer’s dream: eighth husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor, lover (never confirmed) of Anna Nicole Smith, self-proclaimed member of European royalty.
Newsweek: Can Hayworth beat McCain in Arizona?
Can J. D. Hayworth actually beat John McCain? You know, John McCain: the two-time presidential candidate and 27-year veteran of Congress who hasn’t faced a serious primary challenge since 1982? Not really. But there’s a chance that McCain could beat himself.
White House defends year-old stimulus
President Barack Obama, defending his economic stimulus plan on its first anniversary, is dispatching his Cabinet across the country to try to calm an anxious public as Democrats head into potentially devastating congressional elections in November.
Obama spokesman is D.C.’s newest Tweeter
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Obama renews commitment to nuclear energy
President Barack Obama announced more than $8 billion in federal loan guarantees for the construction of the first nuclear power plant in the U.S. in nearly three decades.
Obama’s challenge: Anger is replacing hope
Thrust into office on the veracity of hope, President Barack Obama is trying to get himself on the right side of a remarkably different national sentiment these days: anger.
Biden: Cheney is misinformed or misleading
Vice President Joe Biden belittles Dick Cheney’s criticism of the Obama administration’s commitment to fighting terrorism.
Now Tweeting: White House press secretary Gibbs
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs has a new way to communicate directly to people — Twitter.
Obama names special envoy to global Islamic group
President Barack Obama on Saturday named a White House lawyer as his special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference, part of his continuing effort to repair strained U.S. relations with the world’s Muslims.
Poll: 3 in 4 back letting gays serve openly
Three-quarters of Americans say that they support openly gay people serving in the U.S. military, a finding that could lend momentum to the Obama administration’s effort to dismantle the policy known as “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
NYT: Obama has edge over GOP, poll finds
At a time of deepening political disaffection and intensified distress about the economy, President Obama enjoys an edge over Republicans in the battle for public support, a new poll finds.
Kennedy son won’t run again, marks end of era
Rep. Patrick Kennedy’s decision not to seek re-election will leave Washington without a Kennedy in political office for the first time in more than 60 years.
Obama to see Dalai Lama despite China ire
A long-anticipated meeting between President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama is likely to enflame tensions between China and the United States.
Dems push back on campaign finance ruling
House and Senate Democrats struck back Thursday at the Supreme Court’s decision to let corporations and unions sponsor political campaign ads, calling for tighter restrictions and more disclosure about who’s buying the spots ahead of this fall’s midterm elections.
Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart won’t seek re-election
U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida says he will not seek another term this fall, stepping aside after two decades in office. His brother, Mario, will run for the seat instead.
Texas Rep. Charlie Wilson dead at 76
A hospital spokeswoman says former Rep. Charlie Wilson of Texas, who pushed U.S. officials to arm the Afghan mujahedeen to fight Soviet occupation forces, has died at the age of 76.
Black leaders meet with Obama on economy
President Barack Obama and three prominent African-American leaders grappled Wednesday with how to improve economic opportunities for blacks.
Calif. Rep. Watson likely won’t run again
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Blagojevich: ‘Not guilty’ to revised charges
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich heads to court Wednesday to answer a revised batch of charges that he schemed to sell or trade President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat and swap official favors for campaign money.
GOP Rep. Ehlers won’t seek re-election in 2010
Rep. Vernon Ehlers, a moderate Republican from Michigan who sought protections for the Great Lakes and funding for math and science education, said Wednesday he won’t seek re-election to Congress.
Obama hosts protest song concert
President Barack Obama listened to an all-star lineup of performers pay tribute to the music that he said fueled freedom marches and civil disobedience.
Obama says music fueled civil rights movement
Crediting civil rights-era protest songs and their spiritual predecessors for his election, President Barack Obama on Tuesday sat in the East Room of his White House and listened to an all-star lineup of performers pay tribute to the music that he said fueled freedom marches and civil disobedience.
Obama: Parties must ‘transcend petty politics’
President Barack Obama said Tuesday that it’s time for Democrats and Republicans to work hard because the American people “expect a seriousness of purpose that transcends petty politics.”
GOP wary of Obama’s health care summit
Even as Republicans publicly welcome President Barack Obama’s call for a bipartisan confab on health care, some privately worry that he might be laying a trap to portray their ideas as flimsy.
First lady begins fight against childhood obesity
First lady Michelle Obama launched a nationwide campaign Tuesday to fight childhood obesity, part of her effort to teach America’s children about better nutrition and exercise.
GOP flexes muscles, defeats Obama nominee
The Republicans’ first test of their new Senate clout could come in a vote to block President Barack Obama’s choice of a union attorney for a seat on the National Labor Relations Board.
Ala. senator releases holds on Obama nominees
Republican Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama will stop blocking Senate confirmation of about 70 government appointees nominated by President Barack Obama, his office said.
Obama’s health care summit: Just for show?
In a story with more twists than a soap opera, Obama’s invitation to congressional leaders of both parties to attend a Feb. 25 meeting can’t be dismissed as a mere diversion.
GOP cool to Obama call for health talks
Republicans gave a chilly reception Monday to President Barack Obama’s invitation to discuss health care in a bipartisan, televised setting later this month, part of the White House effort to revive the stalled legislation.
Clinton-era aides push to save Obama’s plan
Shock and awe. That’s what survivors of the Clinton-era health care collapse are feeling as President Barack Obama’s overhaul legislation wobbles in Congress.
White House, Democrats close in on health bill