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“President Obama will bypass Congress and appoint Dr. Donald M. Berwick, a health policy expert, to run Medicare and Medicaid, the White House said Tuesday,” the New York Times writes. “As a recess appointee, Dr. Berwick will have all the powers of a permanent appointee. But under the Constitution, his appointment will expire at the end of the next session of Congress, in late 2011.”
More: “The recess appointment was somewhat unusual because the Senate is in recess for less than two weeks and senators were still waiting for Dr. Berwick to submit responses to some of their requests for information. No confirmation hearing has been held or scheduled. Although hospital executives who have worked with Dr. Berwick describe him as a visionary, inspiring leader, he would have faced a long, difficult struggle to win Senate confirmation.”
The White House announced the recess appointment news on its blog: “Many Republicans in Congress have made it clear in recent weeks that they were going to stall the nomination as long as they could, solely to score political points. But with the agency facing new responsibilities to protect seniors’ care under the Affordable Care Act, there’s no time to waste with Washington game-playing.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell responded in a statement: “Democrats haven't scheduled so much as a committee hearing for Donald Berwick but the mere possibility of allowing the American people the opportunity to hear what he intends to do with their health care is evidently reason enough for this Administration to sneak him through without public scrutiny.”
The AP on President Obama's meeting yesterday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "Eager to show unity to the world, President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel dismissed talk of a rift yesterday as wildly unfounded, and Netanyahu pledged concrete, 'very robust' steps to revive sluggish Mideast peace efforts with the Palestinians. In a warm, yet carefully choreographed White House embrace, the two leaders took pains to convince allies and enemies alike that a deeply important relationship is doing just fine."
And here’s the AP on the Justice Department’s lawsuit yesterday: "The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Arizona's new law targeting illegal immigrants, setting the stage for a clash between the federal government and the state over the nation's toughest immigration crackdown.”
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Bravo!
It's about time that the Obama administration realized that the GOP is not going to offer any support or assistance in doing the people's business for the remainder of this session. They are simply out to block, stall, and rty to defeat any and all democratic proposals while offering none of their own.
I applaud Obama for taking action to install someone in this important role that will actually be doing the people's business. You know, much like we elect Representatives and Senators to do. What a shame only half (give or take) of the body takes their oath seriously. Boehner, McConnell, & Co., offer us something more useful than NO!
Good move President Obama. Do whatever it takes to allow people to do the job required, and let the republicans whine. The republicans will stall every nominee forever unless the MSM reports their deliberate holds on jobs criticial to the country, like the TSA head. I have noticed that when the media reports the actions of DeMint and his pals, within a few days, the hold is lifted--most likely because their e-mail system crashes due to the outrage of citizens.
Way to go President Obama for showing some balls and making a recess appointment! Now get some real balls and just make every held up appointee a recess appointee and show the dopes of nope your fickle finger of fate. Witch McConnell can't whine about the Democrats not scheduling a committee hearing because you limpwristed conservative crybabies placed a block on his nomination.
For the first time ever, I have to say I agree with Eric: Barry SHOULD make all his appointments recess appointments. Just like the minority Dems in the Senate set the stage for abusing the filibuster under Bush, this move will set the stage for the next Republican President to abuse the recess apointment just like Barry is now doing. I'm looking forward to the lefty liberals whining and complaining about their own abusive tactics being used against them, just like they're doing right now about the filibuster. Payback's a b!tch. LOL!!!
He's had, what, 2 recess appts? I may not have been paying that much attention and I could have missed the others, but, I recall 2.
That's not abuse - I don't like using that word after you drove it into the ground, Joe - that' s doing his job.
Another "Robbing for the hood" kind of guy. Take from those who bust their butts, to give to those who want a hand out. WAY TO GO BAMMY, another " Night move" NOTHING transparent about it, but the DRONE'S love it, with their kool-aid of course. More tax and spend mentality IS NOT what is needed with this regime, it is already destoying the fabric that made this country great fast enough!
JB - Be honest. Obama is not destroying the country with a tax and spend mentality. In reality taxes are low. It took the sentiment of all of us progressives to allow Obama when he was campaigning to see the light and agree to let the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy phase out. I hope he keeps that pledge.
The country is spending not taxing. You can argue that it is spending too much, but it is spending to try to stimulate the economy. Yet even the 787 million stimulus that the right wing whines about had nearly 300 million of tax cuts and incentives for business and regular folks. No this administration is not taxing and spending. It is spending. I'll give it credit it is placing all things on the table. They are including the war spending in the budget instead of sneaking it through as emergency funding.
I wonder if you also think that the bank bailout and the car dearlership bailout was part of the stimulus. Surprise me. I think you may be a tea partier with a lot of anger and not a lot of factual information.
By the way, I wonder if you approve of the tax cut to american companies that is given for outsourcing jobs to India and China etc. I would think that ending that loophole could be something that would get bipartisan support.
Way to go J B you got all the Limbaugh and Fox talking points in one short post. Take from the rich and give to the poor, Bammy, night move, no transparency, drones, kool-aid, tax and spend, regime, destroying the fabric (what ever that means), did Fox or Limbaugh ever explain to you what fabric their talking about? Oh I get it as long as Fox or Limbaugh says it it's worth repeating. BTW: it does make you look stupid.
OK, you drones, did you look at this TAX AND SPEND guys bio????? NO! Did I lie about him and his wealth distribution ideas, NO! Did he insert this guy in the dead of the night, YES! Did he promise transparency, along with many other UNFULFILLED promises, and it has not happened, YES, I feel he is destroying THE FABRIC ( in other words, the burning desire by GOOD Americans to go create wealth as has been done for years, NOW THOUGH, you will need to give more to help MOSTLY dead beat people) that made this a great country.. ONE MORE THING, for Mark. The tax cuts that are to expire at the end of the year will probably affect YOU! Look into in, the 15% bracket goes to 18% and on and on all the way to the top, BUT DO NOT think it will only affect the rich, that is what all the LIBERAL sources want you to think ( sorry but I do not know any of their names, maybe John Stewart Obiwitch, or whatever his REAL name is). MO, Your response makes you look stupid, but read the fabric part, heck, it may enlighten you to go start a company and pay BIG taxes!!!!
JB,
Please enlighten us as to what you are looking at when you "look at this TAX AND SPEND guys bio??" I mean, I know better than to take you seriously at this point, but I am kind of curious what kinds of things people like you can look at and have their hair burst spontaneously into flames. I mean, I never want to look at ANY of these things if the result is thinking like you do...
Why do we encourage people like this? There's no possible way that any of the more reasonable people here are going to convince this nutjob fanatic of anything that he doesn't want to hear. Why waste your time and your breath (fingers?) trying to reason with him? As Mo points out, these aren't his ideas; he got them right from propaganda central--I mean Fox New. . . (no, I can't even type it with a straight face). If this joker is so convinced of the evil Democratic story that they put out, let him do what all the other nutjobs do; pick up your gun (quick before the Socialists take it!), and go and join Rick Baker's "Army".
When you are ready to play with the adults, maybe you can come back.
THIS IS MY LAST ATTEMPT ! PA guy, when I typed tax and spend, I guess I should he typed wealth redistribution, in my eyes, they are one in the same. Now, that got us past my first sentence. Can you deny, disect or refute any of the rest of the post.......Then I sure as hell would not want to be like you!!!! Glennie, I do not need Fox to find a reason to post what I post.. just as you can not deny any of the FACTS posted. You, my friend, are a fanatic as well, just wrong on this one. One last thing, Yellowdog, if you are still out there, I hate the fact our jobs are going else where. The nasty business owners are getting trumped by the nastier unions, NAFTA and a few other circumstances beyond our control, at this time. Peace to all, and I will wait for any denial of the FACTS posted.
JB - Check the link, odds are that the middle class will keep their tax cuts. The wealthier above 250,000 K or maybe 200,000 K will not. Those income groups don't describe me. Besides if my taxes go up a bit it won't kill me.
http://money.cnn.com/2010/07/07/news/economy/bush_tax_cuts/index.htm
I'm glad to see you would like to cut out outsourcing job tax credits. Finally some agreement from the right. Now if only one republican could break from the pack and support the democrats on this one. It has passed the house but can't get by the filibuster in the Senate. Last time I heard Reid had to pull it off the schedule in mid June because the Repubs vowed to filibuster.
http://www.angrybearblog.com/2010/06/american-jobs-closing-tax-loopholes-and.html
Yellowdog, When I originally checked a few months back, Reuters had reported one thing and have since retracted it, saying they misread. I googled" back door tax" and that is how I found it. Medicare is currently a payroll deduction but it will change to a income tax as opposed to a payroll tax, so that could hurt some low income folks when that takes effect. My contingent is those who trashed Bush, are now trashing anyone who does not agree with the direction this country is presently heading....and that is what really gets under my skin. There will always be people who agree to disagree, thanks for doing it with more class than any of the others! ! ! ! PS: I'm am such an azz, I wanted until the day after the cash for clunkers expired to trade in my sons Trans Am for a Silverado and I since traded my wife's Saturn for a Traverse, so I am helping by buying American, I wander how many others can say that. Best of luck to you and yours, J B.
I would like to know what thanking the Muslim world for their contributions to NASA is all about? And when has it become the agenda of NASA to further relationships with the Muslim world. NATIONAL AERONAUTICS SPACE AGENCY.
I would like to know how it is that you can remove your lips from the Faux News pipeline just long enough to post to a blog that is connected to MSNBC? Is Glenda blowing pixie dust out his drain pipe again and you are sucking up the exhaust?
This story has been debunked too many times to count on ALL media outlets other than those that are affiliated with Rupert.