NEW JERSEY: Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie refused to comment on yesterday's sweep of arrests in New Jersey "in a political context." He added, "this matter started while I was at the U.S. Attorney's office, and as I found out this morning while it was culminating, I can only think of it in terms of what it means in a law enforcement perspective," though he did call for the resignation of all public officials involved in the investigation. Campaigning in a barbershop in West New York, Christie said his rivals and pundits would turn the events, in which 44 people accused of corruption and money laundering were arrested, into a political issue. "For the political analysis you'll have to go to other people who do that for a living," he said. And Politicker notes: "Only in NJ is a public official named Cheatam indicted for corruption."

 Video: A corruption sting in New Jersey resulted in the arrest of 44 people, including mayors and state legislators. Rachel Maddow has the latest with New Jersey bureau chief at Gannett's Trenton office, Bob Ingle.

By the end of the day, members of Governor Jon Corzine's administration had resigned after being implicated in the massive corruption scheme. Joe Doria Jr., the Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs, stepped down after his home and office were searched by the FBI. At a last-minute press conference, Corzine said, "Any corruption is unacceptable any time, anywhere by anybody."

NEW YORK: A blow for Democrats… "New York state Sen. Darrel Aubertine (D) has decided not to run in the special election for Army Secretary-designate John McHugh's (R-N.Y.) seat, leaving Democrats without their leading potential recruit in a big special election… National Republicans already spent money attacking Aubertine in ads and robocalls. Democrats will hail the investment as wasted money on a candidate who didn't wind up running; Republicans will say it played into Aubertine's decision not to run." Republicans certainly will consider this a scalp on the wall.

Per the New York Times, "President Hamid Karzai

backed out of a live televised debate with two of his leading opponents on Thursday, saying that he had not been given enough time to prepare and questioning the neutrality of the television channel organizing it. Mr. Karzai's opponents accused him of backing out because he could not defend his performance of the last seven years in office. But the president's campaign office said he would take part in a debate nearer to the election, scheduled for Aug. 20, preferably on state-run television… The two-hour debate, based on Western-style political debates, was polite and rarely confrontational, with a moderator asking the candidates questions. Much of the discussion was about what was wrong with the country and, by reflection, with Mr. Karzai's leadership."

From NBC's Mark Murray
Beginning tomorrow, the Democratic National Committee will air a new television ad that echoes an argument President Obama made in his press conference last night: the cost of NOT reforming health care is too high.

"What's the cost of not reforming health care?" the narrator asks in the ad. "Premiums rising faster than your paycheck. Insurance companies dictating more and more medical decisions. Denying you coverage while their profits soar."

It also takes a shot at Republican/conservative critics (with images of Sen. Jim DeMint, RNC Chairman Michael Steele, and even Rush Limbaugh), saying: "Tell Republicans the cost of doing nothing on health care is just too high."

The ad will run on national and DC cable. A DNC source says the buy size is in the "tens of thousands" -- i.e., a relatively small buy.

[Youtube:Cc9dRP2iKuM]

The ad's script:
What's the cost of not reforming health care?
Premiums rising faster than your paycheck.
Insurance companies dictating more and more medical decisions.
Denying you coverage while their profits soar.
The cost of doing nothing means rising co-pays and out-of-pocket expenses. Families faced with paying the mortgage or paying for health care.
But some leading Republicans, playing politics, have vowed to kill reform.
Tell Republicans the cost of doing nothing on health care is just too high.

From NBC's Luke Russert and Chuck Todd
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel

is now on Capitol Hill meeting with Blue Dog Democrats to try and encourage them to allow a health-reform bill to come before the full House before the August recess.

That goal hit an extra hurdle now that the Senate has punted until September.

From NBC's Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
In response to the Time magazine story detailing former Vice President Cheney's

intense (and ultimately unsuccessful) campaign to get George W. Bush to pardon Scooter Libby, Cheney has issued this press release:

"Scooter Libby is an innocent man who was the victim of a severe miscarriage of justice. 

He was not the source of the leak of Valerie Plame's name. Former Deputy Secretary of State, Rich Armitage, leaked the name and hid that fact from most of his colleagues, including the President. Mr. Libby is an honorable man and a faithful public servant who served the President, the Vice President and the nation with distinction for many years. He deserved a presidential pardon." 

From NBC's Luke Russert

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) expressed optimism that health-care reform would be passed on time.

"We are moving forward," she said at her weekly news conference on Capitol Hill. "We have a few issues that we are going to resolve, I believe, in the next 48 hours. We are on schedule."

Later on, when answering a reporter's question on the fate of the bill, Pelosi conveyed ironclad self-confidence.

"I am more confident than ever," she boasted, adding, "When the bill is ready, we will go to the floor, and we will win."

When asked if she stood by her statement from yesterday that she had the votes right now to pass health care, the speaker again in a calm and cool manner said simply, "The fact is I stand by my statement."

Earlier this morning, there was a meeting among Democrats her about health reform that Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) described as "contentious." In response to a question about the meeting, Pelosi instead described it as "invigorating."

"It was one where I invited the views of members on the issues and timing as we go forward," she said, adding, "There was definitely a consensus in the meeting that members wanted to get this done before the August break."

Video: NBC's Andrea Mitchell talks with Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, about President Barack Obama's ongoing media blitz to help push his health care reform bill before Congress takes recess in August.

On the issue of whether or not healthcare reform would be passed by the August recess Pelosi said, "I don't know that we have to stay any longer than our regularly scheduled departure."

Then Pelosi jokingly elaborated. "I'm not afraid of August," she said. "It's a month. What I am interested in, the sooner the better to pass health care for the American people."

Referring to President Obama, Pelosi went on. "We will be able to honor president's timetable to get this bill done as soon as it is ready," she said.

After the press conference, as she was walking to her office, Pelosi was asked whether or not funding for abortion would be included in the final health-care reform bill. Last month, 20 House Democrats said they would not support legislation if it included abortion funding in the bill.

Pelosi adamantly said, "We'll work it out before we go to the floor."

From NBC's Mark Murray
Here comes the first Republican attempt to use President Obama's remarks last night on the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. against Democrats.

The National Republican Congressional Committee is running press releases in congressional districts represented by Massachusetts Democrats -- as well as Indiana Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth, a former sheriff -- asking: "Does [enter Democratic congressman's name] Think Cambridge Cops 'Acted Stupidly?'

Video: MSNBC's Mike Barnicle and Carlos Watson discuss the state of race relations in America after the controversial arrest of Harvard professor and African-American scholar Henry Gates by an officer responding to a report of a break-in at Gates' home.

The release is running in these districts: Michael Capuano (MA-08), William Delahunt (MA-10), Brad Ellsworth (IN-08), Barney Frank (MA-04), Stephen Lynch (MA-09), Jim McGovern (MA-03), Ed Markey (MA-07), Richard Neal (MA-02), John Olver (MA-01), John Tierney (MA-06), and Niki Tsongas (MA-05).

Here's the release....

Does Michael Capuano Think Cambridge Cops 'Acted Stupidly?'

Obama Passed Judgment Without 'All the Facts;' Will Capuano Follow Suit?
Washington- President Obama laid a bold accusation at Massachusetts law enforcement officers from the bully pulpit yesterday, saying they "acted stupidly" while admitting that he didn't "know all the facts." Now that Cambridge police have been hit with this allegation by the White House, will Michael Capuano follow suit?
After watching his healthcare sales pitch unravel before his very eyes at last night's primetime press conference, the President fielded a question about the incident in Cambridge:

"'I don't know - not having been there and not seeing all the facts - what role race played in that, but I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two that he Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home,' Obama said in response to a question from the Chicago Sun-Times's Lynn Sweet.

"Gates, Obama allowed, 'is a friend, so I may be a little biased here. I don't know all the facts.' (Ben Smith, "Obama: Cambridge Police Acted 'Stupidly,'" Politico, 7/23/09)
"Does Michael Capuano believe President Obama's comments were becoming of someone who holds the highest office in the land?" said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. "The president was slow to point out any wrongdoing in the wake of the Iranian election and his administration was quick to force through a failed stimulus plan even though they 'misread' the economy. This is certainly a questionable rush to judgment coming from a president who hasn't exactly been quick to call out unconscionable behavior by a merciless foreign dictator or gotten his facts straight before advocating a trillion-dollar mistake to address our ailing economy. Is it really presidential for him to cast harsh judgment of a law enforcement official without all the facts? These questions warrant an answer from Michael Capuano."

Michael Capuano has acted quickly and without foresight as he pushes President Obama's job-killing agenda. Now that the President has started hurling insults from the White House at local law enforcement officers, will his loyal follower continue to play along?

From NBC's Ken Strickland and Chuck Todd
Moments ago, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

said the Senate will NOT pass a health-care reform bill before the August recess. At a health-care event with his leadership team, Reid said, "The decision was made to give [the Senate Finance Committee] more time."

Reid said it was better to have "a product based on thoughtfulness rather than jam something through."

According to a senior administration official, however, Reid pledged to the White House that all committee work would be done before the recess -- i.e., markups, amendments, etc. through the Senate Finance Committee.

*** MORE *** However, the Majority Leader said the Finance Committee WILL complete its work before the August recess. And during the recess, Reid will merge the Finance bill with the Senate health committee bill. That new bill will be brought to the floor for votes when the Senate returns in September, he said.

The current expectation is that the Finance bill will be fundamentally different from the Health committee bill in key areas -- specifically on a public option or government-run insurance plan. Republicans say they're concerned their provisions will be left out of the final bill. 

Reid said he will continue to talk with Republicans "to give them assurances." 
"We'll do what we can to make sure their issues are not buried. But I'm not going to make a deal with them here with all of you [reporters]," the leader said .

Reid also expressed confidence that the bill brought to the floor will be able to garner the super-majority of votes needed to break a filibuster. "I will work with the White House," he said. "I will work with the entire Democratic Caucus. I will work with some of the Republicans to come up with a bill. And I think it will be something we'll get 60 votes on."

From NBC's Mark Murray
As we wrote earlier this week, watching the conservative base -- just months after the Democrats took control of the White House -- has become one of the more fascinating spectacles in American politics. The latest example, per the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, comes from Conrad Reynolds, who's running to challenge Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas.

"When I joined the military I took an oath to defend the Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic," Reynolds said. "I never thought it would be domestic, but in today's world I do believe we have enemies here. It's time for people to stand up. It's time for us to speak out." ... "We need to change if we want to stop the way America is going toward socialism," Reynolds said. "We need someone to stand up to Barack Obama and his policies. We must protect our culture, our Christian identity."

Also:

Asked about his comment regarding domestic enemies, Reynolds declined to give specific examples. He said he was referring to "those people who are trying to sidetrack what we know to be Americanism and redefining it as socialism."

Reynolds said Obama's "policies are leading us to socialism," but doesn't consider Obama to be a domestic enemy.

Reynolds' comments come after another GOP Senate candidate in Arkansas, state Sen. Kim Hendren, referred to New York Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) as "that Jew." Hendren later apologized.

Video: Rachel Maddow is joined by Arkansas News Bureau's Nick Stovall to discuss Senator Hendren's comment.

From NBC's Mark Murray
The liberal group Health Care for America Now and the AFSCME labor union are airing a new TV ad, beginning today, that targets Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), as well as Reps. Dave Camp (R-MI), Eric Cantor (R-VA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Dave Reichert (R-WA), Mark Souder (R-OH), and Pat Tiberi (R-OH). 

Here's the ad hitting Alexander.

[Youtube:okYI4ZzAG4A]

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** A snoozer conference: Last night's primetime news conference, President Obama's fourth since taking office, was as much a dry health-care symposium as it was a give-and-take with reporters. Honest question: Is there a point when the president knows too much about an issue? He got into the weeds a number of times on a number of different aspects of health care, which is what his diehard supporters love, but might not grab the attention of the average viewer. Still, in his opening statements and then in his answers, Obama made a direct appeal to those WITH health insurance. "This is not just about the 47 million Americans who have no health insurance," he said. "Reform is about every American who has ever feared that they may lose their coverage if they become too sick, or lose their job, or change their job. It's about every small business that has been forced to lay off employees or cut back on their coverage because it became too expensive." Still, he's selling the unknown to folks with health insurance, and that's no easy task.

Video: White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton joins MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan to discuss President Obama's primetime pitch for reform.

*** No game-changers: There were no game-changers on the politics of the debate -- or even the specifics -- although Obama seemed open the idea of the millionaire surtax (do notice the number he brought up; so that means he doesn't want the lower threshold, which was a subtle signal to Congress). Also, he used the word "mandate" and promised at least 97% of Americans covered, which would leave 9-10 million without insurance or 20% of the current 47 million uninsured (but a big chunk of those people are illegal immigrants). In addition, he signaled more flexibility on the August deadline, saying he won't sign a bill that isn't the right bill. And he bristled at the suggestion he was trying to blame Republicans for the current congressional roadblocks and instead claimed the Democratic disunity (so far) might be more regional than anything else. But let's not forget that he portrayed Republicans as roadblocks in his opening statement. One other thing: Obama hinted which stakeholder might be his chief opposition in August: the insurance industry. Obama had nice words for the pharmaceutical companies, but not insurers. And if it is the insurance industry that feels it's the most under siege when bills finally are passed in the House and Senate, they'll spend a LOT of money and this will be an even higher-stakes campaign.

*** Did Obama jump the gun? But beyond those things, Obama didn't seem he had anything new to sell. There was no new ground about what's acceptable and what isn't when it comes the public/government insurance option. (What happens if he has to start explaining the idea of a co-op?) There also was no new ground on his promise to reduce Medicare costs. (The White House had already rolled out its MedPac plan, but he did sell it more passionately than ever.) All of this raises the question: Did this press conference come too soon? No doubt, the White House probably thought they'd have the Senate Finance Committee bill to tout and explain by last night. Then again, he might have wanted to have a final conversation with the American public before it tunes out for the rest of the summer. (Still, maybe this presser should have happened NEXT week?) As the New Republic's Jonathan Cohn puts it, "All I know is that Obama wanted to speak to America like adults tonight--and make the case for the reforms he (quite rightly) believes are necessary. Time will tell whether that faith in the public's patience and judgment is well-placed."

Video: President Barack Obama outlines the money he expects his health care plan to save and how he intends to cover the plan's further costs.

*** Skip-ping to something else: But because Obama didn't have much new to sell and because of his answer to the final question of the night, that adult conversation about health care he wanted to have also got turned into a conversation about race. Indeed, the press conference's most memorable moment and Obama's most animated answer came when he was asked about the arrest of Harvard's Henry Louis Gates Jr. at his own home in Cambridge, MA. In his response, the president did something he rarely does: weigh in on an issue that he himself admitted he didn't know every fact. And his blunt commentary about the Cambridge police will inevitably lead to some to seek out the police officers in question, potentially stirring an odd political stew. (Who bets he wishes he never used the word "stupidly"?) In his past news conferences, Obama has usually ended on a high note for the White House's message team (remember that ocean-liner metaphor that made Rahm smile?). Right or wrong, Obama's answer to the Gates question didn't help him advance his health-care message.

*** Meet me in Ohio! Obama today takes his health-care show on the road today to Cleveland, OH. He tours the famed Cleveland Clinic at 1:15 pm ET, and then holds a health-care town hall at Shaker Heights High School beginning at 2:10 pm. Here's what Obama said about the Cleveland Clinic last night: "Part of the reason it works well is because they've set up a system where patient care is the No.1 concern, not bureaucracy, what forms have to be filled out, what do we get reimbursed for." Later tonight, the president hits a pair of fundraisers in Chicago, one of which has Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith and new QB Jay Cutler in attendance.

*** A'Huntsman we will go... : You might have forgotten about him, especially in the partisan back-and-forth over health care, but one of those moderate Republicans who is joining the Obama administration -- Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. -- has his confirmation hearing today before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Also today, Vice President Biden is in Georgia, where he meets with that country's president and speaks before Parliament; Hillary Clinton attends the ASEAN conference in Thailand and meets with the foreign ministers of Australia, Japan, and Indonesia; and First Lady Michelle Obama speaks at an event honoring National Design Award recipients at 12:30 pm ET.

*** Not on her radar screen: Speaking of Clinton, Thai reporters pressed the Secretary of State hard about future political plans. Per the Washington Post, "The questioners pressed Clinton on her run for the presidency and whether she still entertained the notion of running again. 'That's not anything I'm at all thinking about,' she replied. She was asked if she had ever given up hope, and she said: 'I don't know, but I doubt very much that anything like that will ever be part of my life.' Is it wait and see? 'No, no, no, no.' Finally, one questioner pressed, 'Never say never,' and Clinton seemed to shut the door. 'Well, I am saying no because I have a very committed attitude to the job I have and so that's not at all on my radar screen.'"

Video: Newsweek's Howard Fineman and Politico's Roger Simon join Hardball's Chris Matthews to discuss Hillary Clinton's political ambitions beyond serving as Secretary of State.

*** Cheney vs. Bush? But this Time magazine story might be the big cable catnip of the day: TIME COVER—THE FINAL DAYS—DETERMINED TO GET A PARDON FOR HIS FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF, SCOOTER LIBBY, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY "REALLY GOT IN THE PRESIDENT'S FACE," [ABOUT THE PARDON] A LONG TIME BUSH FAMILY SOURCE TOLD TIME. "HE JUST WOULDN'T GIVE IT UP."

Countdown to Palin Stepping Down: 3 days
Countdown to Election Day 2009: 103 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 467 days

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"President Obama tried on Wednesday to rally public support for overhauling the nation's health care system and said for the first time that he would be willing to help pay for the plan by raising income taxes on families earning more than $1 million a year," the New York Times writes. "'If I see a proposal that is primarily funded through taxing middle-class families, I'm going to be opposed to that,' Mr. Obama said in a prime-time news conference in the East Room of the White House. A surcharge on the highest-income Americans, under consideration in the House, 'meets my principle,' he said."

Video: President Barack Obama held his fourth primetime news conference Wednesday night. Watch the entire event.

The Boston Globe says, "Obama sought to calm middle-class fears about a major healthcare overhaul last night." More: "Despite the urgency of the moment, the president's tone last night was characteristically low-key and his rhetorical style coolly logical. Obama's job last night was to rally Americans to the cause of the overhaul by convincing them that they have a stake in its outcome at a time when negotiations have become bogged down in Congress and public support has wavered. The political problem Obama faces is that five out of six Americans already have health insurance. They have seen premiums double in the last 10 years, but the debate over healthcare in Washington is dominated by headlines about which taxes Democrats might raise to pay the $1 trillion bill for covering the uninsured."

"Stalled"? Ouch. The Washington Post: "Six months after his inauguration, Obama finds his signature domestic issue stalled on Capitol Hill, where House Democratic leaders are working to quell dissension and the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate acknowledged that action probably will be delayed until September. Addressing what he called 'entirely legitimate' skepticism, the president vowed that health-care reform would drive down costs, eventually saving families thousands of dollars. But he struggled to explain how any of the measures under consideration would fulfill that promise."  

Politico's Smith on Obama's performance: "His dryness was all the more striking by contrast with the press conference's conclusion, when he suddenly re-engaged with a question that he's spent much of his life mulling, race, in the form of the arrest of a black Harvard professor. The appearance was striking by its absence of a move that's long characterized Obama's political career: When in trouble, go big. Faced with a crisis of confidence or with a political furor, he's repeatedly shown an ability to rise above the storm, and to broaden the playing field, as when he turned a flap over his pastor into a meditation on race in America. Now, facing his hardest test as President, Obama chose to go small." 

Video: In his prime time press conference on Wednesday night, President Barack Obama offered few specifics about who will pay for health care reform. NBC's Savannah Guthrie reports.

The Wall Street Journal's headline out of the presser: "Obama backs health surtax."

The Washington Post's analysis: "Convincing Americans -- and by extension Congress -- of the value of reform is pivotal to the fate of Obama's broader domestic agenda. Defeat would be a substantial political setback, not unlike the one President Bill Clinton suffered in 1993, when his failure to remake the health-care system caused him to shrink his ambitions."

The AP's Woodward and Kuhnhenn fact-check some of Obama's health-care claims from last night: "President Barack Obama's assertion Wednesday that government will stay out of health care decisions in an overhauled system is hard to square with the proposals coming out of Congress and with his own rhetoric. Even now, nearly half the costs of health care in the U.S. are paid for by government at all levels. Federal authority would only grow under any proposal in play."

Here's the New York Times' fact-check: "Mr. Obama said doctors, nurses, hospitals, drug companies and AARP had supported efforts to overhaul health care. While it is true the American Medical Association has endorsed a bill drafted by House Democratic leaders, a half-dozen state medical societies have sharply criticized provisions that would establish a new government-run health insurance plan."

Video: Did President Barack Obama step on his own health care headline Wednesday night with his comments about the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates? The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson and Newsweek's Howard Fineman discuss.

The Boston Globe covers Obama's remarks on the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. "Obama, the first African-American commander-in-chief, won office by running a campaign that tried to transcend race. His remarks on Gates's arrest are perhaps the most pointed comments he has made on the subject since his election." 

The police officer, "speaking to the Globe yesterday and again last night in Natick, said he will not apologize and asserted, 'I am not a racist.'" Crowley and others pointed out he was the responding officer who performed CPR on Celtics star Reggie Lewis, who died of a heart condition. The police union contends: "His actions at the scene of this matter were consistent with his training, with the informed policies and practices of the Department, and with applicable legal standards." And: "The city's Police Review and Advisory Board, which is independent of the Police Department, has set a meeting July 29 to decide whether to launch a formal inquiry into the incident." But what's still unclear is what happened between the time Gates and Crowley exchanged words and Crowley slapped the cuffs on Gates -- and led him out of his own home. (Here's the actual police report.)

The AP previews Obama's visit to the Cleveland Clinic. "Obama has cited the clinic as an example of a health care system that works well." He did so last night, in fact, at the prime-time news conference.

The Hill: "Pelosi: I have the votes." "Democratic opponents of the bill said Pelosi's vote count was somewhere between wildly optimistic and dead wrong."
 
"Senate Democrats are increasingly frustrated by the secrecy and duration of Finance Chairman Max Baucus' (D-Mont.) bipartisan talks on health care reform, with some saying it could undermine Democratic support for the bill," Roll Call writes. "Democrats both on and off the Finance Committee said the briefings they get about the six negotiators' progress are too vague. Plus, they say, without a bill in hand, they cannot defend or sell the package to a wary media and public. 'At some point, [Baucus is] going to have to worry about getting Democratic votes,' said one Democratic Senator, speaking on the condition of anonymity. 'If they think that we'll take whatever it is that comes out because we want to get something passed, they're wrong.'"

Video: Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., talks about why Blue Dog Democrats are dragging their feet on health care reform and standing in the way of getting it passed before the August recess.

House Dems far apart on deal? Roll Call: "With time running out to reach consensus before a scheduled summer break, House Democrats appear further than ever from bridging internal rifts on a sweeping health care overhaul. House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) spent hours Wednesday in talks with moderate Blue Dog Democrats on his panel who have stalled the package over concerns about its price tag and scope. But the two sides emerged speaking different languages." 
 
House Republicans are trying to send out to constituents the Rep. Kevin Brady-created complicated health-care flow chart using House mail. Democrats are blocking the effort, saying it would violate House rules because it is misleading. 
 
540 amendments? That's a lot of amendments. "Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) is set to file 540 amendment requests with Democratic leaders to strike earmarks in the defense-spending bill," The Hill reports.

CONNECTICUT: It's still not good, but it's possible that Chris Dodd stopped the bleeding. He trails Rob Simmons by nine points in a new Quinnipiac poll. But his job rating has inched up a tad, and he's gained a bit among Dems. Remember, the state's so blue, Dodd can pull this off with just Dems and a few indies. Still, he has a LONG way to go.

FLORIDA: Marco Rubio says he's staying in the Senate race.

NEW JERSEY: Gov. Jon Corzine said he would announce his candidate for lieutenant governor on Saturday, but declined to discuss his short list." On that list is former "Apprentice" winner Randall Pinkett, who held a press conference yesterday to "speak directly" about his interest in the job.

NEW YORK: Here's a name for you... Scozzafava. That's who "Republican leaders in New York have chosen ... as their nominee for the special election to replace Army Secretary-designate John McHugh (R-N.Y.)." Dede Scozzafava is a state Assemblywoman, and she was voted in by "County chairmen for the 23rd district" yesterday. "The chairmen choose their nominee in lieu of a primary process for special elections in the Empire State."

VIRGINIA: Remember when we said to watch how Terry McAuliffe handles the post-primary phase to gauge his seriousness about staying on as a player in Virginia politics? Well, it looks like he has yet to convince his big donors to climb aboard the Creigh Deeds train. Is that a sign about Terry's future interests? After all, he's the most persuasive fundraiser in the party...
 
The Washington Times: "Deep-pocket donors who helped fund Terry McAuliffe's unsuccessful bid for the Virginia governor's office are showing much less interest in helping the man who beat him in the Democratic primary - campaign finance records show only two of the 115 donors who gave $10,000 or more to Mr. McAuliffe have so far contributed to state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds."

And as Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell received a crossover endorsement from Democrat businesswoman Shelia Johnson, Creigh Deeds "announced Wednesday that he had been endorsed by several former Republican delegates and senators." Most were Virginia Republicans, who had "previously expressed disenchantment with their party's leadership," but two former state senators in the group had never before endorsed a Democrat in a statewide race.

From NBC's Mark Murray
The White House just released excerpts of the opening statement President Obama will deliver at his primetime news conference at 8:00 pm ET.

Video: NBC Chief White House Correspondent Chuck Todd reports on President Obama's 10th health-care related event.

According to the excerpts, he will make these arguments:

1) that health-care reform will benefit all Americans, especially those who already have insurance.

This is not just about the 47 million Americans who have no health insurance. Reform is about every American who has ever feared that they may lose their coverage if they become too sick, or lose their job, or change their job. It's about every small business that has been forced to lay off employees or cut back on their coverage because it became too expensive. And it's about the fact that the biggest driving force behind our federal deficit is the skyrocketing cost of Medicare and Medicaid.

2) that reform won't add to the deficit

I have also pledged that health insurance reform will not add to our deficit over the next decade – and I mean it. 

3) that reform shouldn't be a political game

So let me be clear: This isn't about me. I have great health insurance, and so does every Member of Congress. This debate is about the letters I read when I sit in the Oval Office every day, and the stories I hear at town hall meetings… This debate is not a game for these Americans, and they cannot afford to wait for reform any longer. They are counting on us to get this done. They are looking to us for leadership. And we must not let them down.  We will pass reform that lowers cost, promotes choice, and provides coverage that every American can count on. And we will do it this year. 

From NBC's Luke Russert

Blue Dog Democratic leader Baron Hill (D-IN) openly disagreed with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's assertion that Democrats have the votes to pass health-care reform in the House right now.

"I think that the speaker was well intended, because she was hearing optimistic things, but I don't believe there are votes on the floor as of right now," Hill said in an interview with reporters outside of the Speaker's Lobby in the Capitol.

Hill was referring to a comment from Pelosi at her morning press briefing where she said, "I think that we are moving closer, that we are making progress, and I have no question that we have the votes on the floor of the House to pass this legislation."

Video: MSNBC's Ed Schultz and a political panel talk about the Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats standing in the way of President Barack Obama's health care reform bill.

While contradicting the speaker, Hill implied some optimism with regard to passing health care reform.

"Look, we are making progress here," Hill said. "I don't want to go into all the details, because these negotiations are intense and sensitive. We are moving forward on several things, and what happens next we don't know. We are going to go back in at six o'clock again."

When asked whether or not the White House was involved in the negotiations, Hill said Nancy Ann Deparle, the White House's director of the office of health reform, was in the room.

When asked if the House remain in session in August to pass health reform, Hill said, "I don't think so. I don't think so."

Pelosi has left the door open to doing that.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Here's a look at how senators voted on the Thune Amendment.

Lots of Western and Southern Democrats voted for it, including Majority Leader Harry Reid (up for reelection in 2010).

Video: Despite support from some Democratic senators, the Senate struck down a bill Wednesday that would have allowed gun owners to carry concealed weapons across state lines. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports.

Some others that stand out:

Russ Feingold (up for reelection in 2010) voted for it. Feingold said in a statement: "Last year, the Supreme Court finally recognized that the right to bear arms protected by the Second Amendment to the Constitution is an individual right.  Americans' right to possess a firearm to protect themselves or their families does not stop at a state border.  Once citizens have obtained permission from a state to carry a concealed weapon, they should be able to rely on that permission in states that permit the concealed carrying of firearms, and that is why I will support the Thune amendment."  

Arlen Specter voted against. As the National Republican Senatorial Committee points out, this puts Specter to the left of the other Pennsylvania senator, Bob Casey, who voted for it.

Two Republicans voted against: Richard Lugar and George Voinovich (retiring). And that means the Republican from Indiana is to the left of the Democrat on guns. Evan Bayh, the junior senator from the Hoosier state, voted for it.

Most of the votes fall along predictable geographic lines.

Here's the full roll call:

YEAs ---58
Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennet (D-CO)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Casey (D-PA)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feingold (D-WI)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagan (D-NC)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reid (D-NV)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)
Tester (D-MT)
Thune (R-SD)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Vitter (R-LA)
Warner (D-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Wicker (R-MS)
 
NAYs ---39
Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Burris (D-IL)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
 Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Kaufman (D-DE)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
 Merkley (D-OR)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Reed (D-RI)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Specter (D-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)
 
Not Voting - 3
Byrd (D-WV)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Mikulski (D-MD)

From NBC's Betsy Cline and Whitney Bright
In a speech about the economy, former New York City mayor and 2008 presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani

railed against President Obama's push for health care.
 
"Why not let it be examined in the marketplace of free ideas?" Giuliani said, arguing for the free market. "If it's so good, what's the rush?"
 
Giuliani went on to say, "We don't have a health emergency." And because of that, he argued, Congress and the president should take the time to "avoid a horrible mistake?"
 
Besides the timetable, Giuliani also took issue with the contents of the bill. Going further than most critics, he said the bill is not a step toward nationalized health care, "it IS nationalized health care, and it's just a few more steps to socialized medicine."
 
He said Democrats are trying to borrow from systems like Canada's and Europe's, which, he claimed, don't work. He may not like the timing or the content, but Giuliani seemed to relish the Democratic infighting.
 
"We won't be non-participants in the debate," he said, but "we should allow them to battle it out."
 
At a separate event today, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich

criticized Democrats for rushing health-care legislation, as well as for not attracting enough Republican support.
 
"They have made an artificial deadline, because they are unwilling to have a conversation," Gingrich said. "Those folks are in no way bipartisan. They rammed through a 300-page energy bill at 3 a.m. and voted on it at 4 p.m. The same will happen with the health-care bill, too, because it's done in secret."
 
But Gingrich spent most of his time talking about tax reform, which he said would boost the economy. First, he proposed a two-year, 50% reduction in Social Security and Medicare taxes.
 
"This would get everybody more take-home pay," he said.
 
Second, he suggested following the Chinese model of having no capital gains tax. Third, he called for cutting corporate taxes, referencing Ireland's business tax rate of 12.5%.
 
"Do the math!" he exclaimed. "If you have less after taxes, you can't invest in the next factory!"
 
Lastly, he strongly advocated to eliminate the estate tax, saying, "No one should have to visit the undertaker and the IRS in the same week.

From NBC's Mike Viqueira

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears to be leaving the door open to keeping the House in session past the scheduled July 31 target date for recess.

"I believe that 70% of the American people think that that is a good idea," she said at her news conference today. "I want to see a bill. The American people have waited a very long time."

But the question is what, if anything, the House will be voting on if she does so. We're learning today that if Senate negotiators come up with a deal among themselves, the House could abruptly change course and drop it's tax plan in favor of a possible Senate compromise, according to well-placed House sources.

There remains a solid wall of Republican opposition to the House plan, and Dem groups like the Blue Dogs and vulnerable freshmen are in opposition to the surtax on the wealthy to pay for it. Meanwhile, the Senate has been working on a plan that may not include a surtax, but could raise revenue on a tax on insurers on their high-end, "Cadillac" plans, for example.

So why would Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer break arms and force their members to take a vote on raising taxes -- even if it is on people making more than $280-350,000 a year -- if that provision will ultimately be dropped in favor of what the Senate does?

The House is on health-care hold for today. "We are waiting to see what the Senate will do, hopefully in the next few days," Pelosi said today.

The trouble with this approach is that even if white smoke were to appear above Max Baucus's office in the next five minutes and a deal were reached in his finance committee, there are still several procedural twists and turns in the road before something could be considered on the Senate floor.

Notably, there is another committee with a bill in the Senate -- Ted Kennedy's health committee --and the two would have to be married up. Then committee debates and votes, then on to the floor where Republicans can be expected to throw up roadblocks and slow things down. All that is not likely to be accomplished by Aug. 7, the Senate's scheduled adjournment date.

So where does that leave the House? If they wait for the Senate to come up with a bill then there is little chance that they can fulfill the president's wish to have a vote before recess. Even given all this and somewhat surprisingly, Pelosi today asserted, "I have no question that we have the votes on the floor of the House to pass this legislation."
                            
If she judged that an extra week would make the difference, then she may put a delay in the August "District Work Period" before her members, or the president could pressure her and Harry Reid to do so.

From NBC's Ken Strickland
Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch

has taken himself out of bipartisan group of Finance Committee members drafting the health-care bill.

"Some of the things they're talking about, I just cannot support. So I don't want to mislead anybody," he told reporters moments ago.

Left in the group -- which met this morning without Hatch -- are Max Baucus (D-MT), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Mike Enzi (R-WY), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA).

From NBC's Ken Strickland
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham

(R), who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is making his announcement now on the Senate floor. More to come.

He becomes the fifth Senate Republican to back the Supreme Court nominee, joining Sens. Susan Collins, Dick Lugar, Mel Martinez, and Olympia Snowe.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Rep. Jim Cooper, a member of the Blue Dog Coalition and someone who also taught health-care policy at Vanderbilt, laid out his arguments for the revisions needed to current health-care reform legislation making its way through Congress.

Cooper told Dr. Nancy Snyderman on MSNBC's "Dr. Nancy," the bill has to be "deficit neutral" in less than 10 years and "bend the cost curve in the right direction."

Video: Details of the congressional health care overhaul are filtering out. What is President Obama doing to push through his plan? NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman talks with Reps. Peter Welch and Jim Cooper.

At issue is the House bill making its way through the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Democrats have argued that the bill, over time, would reduce costs. But the head of the Congressional Budget Office testified that's not so -- that, in fact, costs would go up as a result. As a result, in part, markups on the bill have been delayed twice now -- yesterday and today -- to accomodate negotiations with the Blue Dogs.

Cooper, who is not a member of the committee, said the Blue Dogs want "real, scorable savings," an indication that the moderate group will give weight to the CBO.

Cooper added that getting health reform passed is important and disagreed that there had to be some form of "rationing" if reform is passed. He said there is enough excessive waste that, if cut, would lead to affordable and quality care.

He added that the Blue Dogs' meeting with President Obama yesterday was a "very productive session."

Cooper said he is personally in favor of a public plan, though Blue Dogs are not. He is also in favor of taxing health benefits, though the president is not. He is also in favor of mandates. And said Medicaid can't be completely free forever to the states.

From NBC's Mike Viqueira and Domenico Montanaro
The Blue Dog Coalition's Mike Ross, congressman from Arkansas, says the conservative Democratic group and House Commerce and Energy Committee Chairman Henry Waxman "are making progress; however, we have a long way to go."

Here's the full statement:

"The Blue Dogs share the President's goal of providing the American people with quality, affordable health care reform that's deficit neutral, and we have put forth a number of substantive policy proposals over the past several months aimed at achieving this goal. "We are making progress; however, we have a long way to go. The Blue Dogs will continue to work constructively with the administration, Chairman Waxman and members of the House and Senate to produce a bill that we can ultimately support."

Video: Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., joins MSNBC's Carlos Watson to discuss whether President Barack Obama is rushing to pass the new health care reform bill.

As CongressDaily wrote yesterday: There are "seven Blue Dog Coalition members on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which was forced to postpone the markup it had scheduled for today as Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman tries to assuage the group's concerns. If the group stays unified in its opposition to the bill, it can be held up in committee. Leaders could elect to end the markup without passing it out of committee, but if that happens, 'you will see a howling cry come up from the floor,' [Rep. Charlie] Melancon said."

Melancon is a member of the conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coaltion. It has been widely reported that he is likely to mount a 2010 senate challenge to Republican David Vitter.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Tonight's presser: Will President Obama come armed with news tonight when, beginning at 8:00 pm ET, he holds his fourth primetime news conference? In his last full-fledged presser -- a daytime one dominated by the Iranian issue -- the president didn't have any news, and instead found himself more on the defensive than at any other time he's faced the press. You can easily see how tonight's news conference could produce a similar outcome if the White House doesn't have some specific news to make on health care. Will Obama be able to articulate specific policy proposals on health care that he's for, or will we hear more of the same chatter on his principles? Repetition is always important to pushing a message, but one of the things that may be slowing down the process in Congress is that the president hasn't come out publicly on the specifics. He won't even say if he's OK with the millionaires' surtax or not; whether a co-op is enough to fulfill his "public option" promise; or what amount of "virtually" universal coverage is satisfactory. Other issues will also come up tonight, including the stimulus and the economy in general, perhaps Iraq, Afghanistan, GITMO, and the Bush-era investigation issue. But health care should dominate.

*** The taxing debate: One of the bigger, but more under-reported, sea changes in American politics is how any kind of tax increase -- whether in war or peace, good economic times or bad ones -- has become absolutely unacceptable. After all, Ronald Reagan raised taxes. So did every modern American president involved in war, until George W. Bush. But not anymore. Indeed, as one of us pointed out on Nightly News last night, only 29% (or 157) of the 535 and House members and senators serving in Congress were around the last time -- 1993! -- the federal government raised taxes, and that was on gasoline. Think about that for a moment: Congress hasn't really had a TOUGH vote in 16 years, if one defines a "TOUGH" vote as the government asking for a financial sacrifice from the American people. This is the political climate that President Obama faces in trying to pay for health reform. Republicans and some Democrats are opposed to a tax on the wealthy, and unions and Obama's political strategists are against taxing health benefits.

Video: Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., an outspoken critic of President Obama's health care reform plans, talks with TODAY's Matt Lauer about Republicans' concerns about the proposed reforms.

*** A new era of responsibility? But at some point, if you're fighting two wars, trying to pay for health care, promising to reduce the deficit, and trying NOT to "starve the beast," you've got to raise taxes, right? When they were in charge, Republicans punted because they could NEVER go back to their base and defend a tax increase of any kind (and look where that got them). But is Barack Obama, who called for a "new era of responsibility" in his inaugural address, willing to use his influence to truly change how Washington works? So far, he's supported borrowing -- for the stimulus and for part 2 of the bank bailout.

*** The Great American Health-Care Fight: Other moving parts in the health-care debate: Right before Obama's press conference tonight, Eric Cantor and other GOP members participate in a health-care forum sponsored by the conservative Pajamas Media TV… The DNC is running a Web video using Sen. Jim DeMint's "Waterloo" comment to hit Republicans on health care… Cantor's office has its own Web video on the subject… And around 9:30 am ET, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks on health care, his 25th speech on the topic since June 1, according to his office.

*** Transparency we can believe in? And just askin', but why is the White House declining a request to release a list of health-care industry stakeholders it has met with? The Los Angeles Times: "Invoking an argument used by President George W. Bush, the Obama administration has turned down a request from a watchdog group for a list of health industry executives who have visited the White House to discuss the massive healthcare overhaul. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington sent a letter to the Secret Service asking about visits from 18 executives representing health insurers, drug makers, doctors and other players in the debate. The group wants the material in order to gauge the influence of those executives in crafting a new healthcare policy." And this gets at another issue: The White House hasn't said what it has promised the various stakeholders they've gotten to publicly promise to make cuts. Apparently, doctors are getting a 10-year fix to soften the blow of lower Medicare reimbursement rates. Who else got what?  

*** Iraq is back: Before his primetime news conference, Obama meets at the White House with Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki, and the two will hold a joint press availability at 3:00 pm ET.

According to NBC's Libby Leist, Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told reporters in Washington this week that Maliki will have one key message for Obama today: your attention is still needed. Zebari pressed the point that while the Obama administration turns its focus to the war in Afghanistan, it cannot come at Iraq's expense. He stressed that "serious challenges" remain and Iraq is still in a very fragile situation, especially over the next six months in the run up to January 2010 elections. For his part, Obama will try and send message that the U.S. is pledging support beyond security, and cultural and business exchanges will be discussed. Simply put, Iraq is like an 18 year old -- it wants independence from the parent (in this case the U.S.), but if it runs into trouble, it wants to know that the parent will bail him/her out.

*** Ace of Base? Whether it's "Birther" conspiracies, worries about ACORN and the Census, or the GOP's fealty to Rush Limbaugh, watching the conservative base in the Obama Era has become one of the fascinating spectacles in American politics. And perhaps the best place to monitor that base is in competitive Republican primaries. The latest example: Florida Gov. Charlie Crist -- who's running for the Senate and competing in a GOP primary against the more conservative Marco Rubio -- says he opposes Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination. If Crist weren't running in a competitive Republican primary, does anyone believe he'd be opposing Sotomayor, let alone commenting on this issue? Do note that the man Crist and Rubio are trying to replace, Mel Martinez, has said he'll vote for her. As the Washington Post's Cillizza writes, Crist "appears more concerned about angering the GOP primary electorate by supporting Sotomayor than risking the ire of Hispanics in a general election against Rep. Kendrick Meek."

*** Birth(er) of a nation, part 2: Speaking of the conservative base, is anyone else stunned that a member of the United States Congress wouldn't unequivocally say that Barack Obama was born in the United States? That's exactly what happened when MSNBC's Chris Matthews interviewed Rep. John Campbell (R-CA) on Hardball yesterday. Why are elected officials feeding this conspiracy theory? As the "Morning Joe" crew noted today, what do these conspiracy theorists think -- a single mother, 47 years ago, secretly had the president in Indonesia and then hours later decided to get a Hawaii birth announcement because she thought he'd be president?

Video: Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis discusses what problems the Republican Party will face if they continue to entertain conspiracy theories like those questioning President Barack Obama's citizenship.

*** Palin back in the news: With four days until she officially leaves office, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is dealing with another ethics investigation. The AP reports that an independent investigator "has found evidence that … Palin may have violated ethics laws by accepting private donations to pay her legal debts. The report obtained by The Associated Press says Palin is securing unwarranted benefits and receiving improper gifts through the Alaska Fund Trust, set up by supporters." Per NBC's Norah O'Donnell, Palin spokeswoman Meg Stapleton issued this response: "I cannot verify the validity of this claim.  There is no final report. The investigator is still confidentially reviewing this matter. It appears suspect that in the final days of the governor's term, someone would again violate the law and announce a supposed conclusion before it is reached."

 

Video: Is Palin going to have to face charges? Rachel Maddow is joined by KTUU reporter Jill Burke

*** Gingrich & Giuliani: Today in DC, two of the nation's better-known Republicans -- Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani -- give competing speeches on the economy. At 10:00 am ET at the National Press Club, Gingrich will outline steps he thinks will lead to job creation. And at the same time at the American Enterprise Institute, Giuliani will talk about the free market and economic competitiveness.

Countdown to Palin Stepping Down: 4 days
Countdown to Election Day 2009: 104 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 468 days

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The Boston Globe previews tonight's press conference. "After weeks of bad news about costs, the defection of moderate Democrats, and a negative drumbeat from Republicans, President Obama will use a televised news conference tonight in a bid to shore up public support for his sweeping plan to cover the uninsured and reform the healthcare system."

The New York Times: "On Wednesday night Mr. Obama addresses the nation in a prime-time news conference as the public, and lawmakers, are growing skittish over his next big plan, to remake the American health care system. How he handles the issue over the next several weeks could shape the rest of his presidency, shedding light on his political strength, his relationship with both parties in Congress and his appetite to fight for his own agenda."

 Video: On Tuesday, President Barack Obama said America was closer than ever to overhauling the health care system, but there is still no agreement on how to pay for it. Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and  Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, discuss the president's health care predicament.

The Washington Post reports as fact that a "mandate" -- a la auto insurance -- would be included in any health-care reform legislation. "Many of the nation's 47 million uninsured people, however, would be required to purchase a health policy or face financial penalties, though waivers or discounts would be provided for lower-income Americans. The concept is modeled after a requirement instituted in Massachusetts three years ago as part of that state's broad health-care overhaul. And like the Massachusetts law, the individual mandate proposed by congressional Democrats would be paired with a much more controversial new requirement that nearly every employer contribute to the total cost of care."   

While the insurance industry isn't trying to scuttle the Obama administration's efforts on health-care reform, it is trying to push back at attempts to create a government plan. "The industry's stance against a public health plan revives shades of 1994, when it was instrumental in blocking President Bill Clinton's health-care proposals. 'A government-run plan would turn back the clock on efforts to improve the quality and safety of patient care,' AHIP has argued. Such a plan 'will ultimately limit choices and access,' the big insurer WellPoint contends.