Remembering Sen. Edward Kennedy

Coverage of Mr. Kennedy's death, at the age off 77 at around 1AM Eastern in his Massachusetts home, will likely be ongoing over the next few days as journalists and colleagues celebrate and mourn his life and death.

The New York times has the lede: "Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA, a son of of one of the most storied families in American politics, a man who knew triumph and tragedy in near-equal measure and who will be remembered as one of the most effective lawmakers in the history of the Senate, died late Tuesday night, he was 77. . ."

Other stories are here from TIME, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and also a Statement from the Kennedy family.

In the early moments of his career he was at worst a joke to his critics, who contend that he was elected solely based on his last name, and the negativity surrounding his career culminated in the tragic Chappaquiddick incident in 1969 and the death of Mary Jo Kopechne. His face became synonomis with rampant liberalism and his image was used in hundreds of political attack ads. He carried on after that though and proved all of his critics wrong by becoming a champion not only of many Democratic causes, but arguably one of the greatest bipartisan dealmakers in the history of the Senate. Kennedy carried a hard-fought reputation as someone who could work side by side with the most dedicated liberals as well as the staunchest of conservatives. He had many, many friends on both sides of the aisle in the Senate, and although he called health care "the cause of [his] life," his own voice will not only be sorely missed in that debate (as much as it already has), but also in the many, many debates that will arise in the future.

DOJ to investigate possible CIA abuse, Obama mostly mum

Upon leaving for a vacation to Martha's Vineyard, President Obama left the decision to investigate alleged abuse by the CIA in hands of attorney general Eric Holder. Although the W.H. quickly reminded the press earlier today that Obama said several weeks ago that he wished to keep the past in the past on this issue, his directive to Holder contained no opinion.

Considering that Obama is currently facing criticism for his hands-off approach to both the energy bill and healthcare reform legislation, it seems that the president is showing an unwillingness to spend his political capital on the most controversial of issues. Obama's current behavior also harkens back to criticism he faced on the campaign for voting "present" a number of times while serving as a state senator in Illinois.

While progress on the health care bill remains on hiatus until congress returns from their summer recess, a DOJ probe into CIA activities that could potentially lead to the prosecution of both CIA agents and contractors is sure to cause a stir. The question remains as to whether Obama is hurting himself by not taking a stronger stand on controversial issues.

Democrats struggle to regain control of health care debate, clarify message

Today might as well be Black Friday for the Democratic Party, it is arguably having it's roughest time since it regained control of congress in 2006, and the White House in 2008, and less than 3 years since the former and less than one year since the latter, the prospects for uniting around a potent legislative agenda are slim.

You can scan the headlines for any number of articles and the result is going to seem clear: The Zeitgeist has turned against the ruling party in Washington and something needs to be done fast if they want to turn the ship around.

A lot can be explained in a great Politico article published last night. Unlike their predecessors in their first term, the Obama White House has not been able to seal the deal on it's trademark domestic legislation. The message has been muddled, the momentum has been lost, and the circular firing squads in Democratic circles have already begun. The civil war breaking out between the liberal and moderate wing of the Democratic Party doesn't seem to be abating soon, and even though polling numbers for the Republican Party are even lower in the basement, there are signs that their numbers among independents and crucial swing voters are starting to grow.

The President plans a much needed vacation next week and meets with his woulda-been Secretary of Health And Human Services, a leading expert on health care reform and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. Obama's question to him might just be: "So what do I do now?"

Public Option May Get Dropped From Healthcare Reform Plan

After weeks of a high tension health care debate, it looks like President Obama has begun to downplay one of the most contentious aspects of his health care reform plan - the public insurance option. Earlier this week Obama referred to the public option as a "sliver" of the overall health care plan during a Colorado town hall, which caused a number of angry liberal talking heads to quickly fire back with a reminder that the public option was the centerpiece of Obama's health care reform plan during the campaign. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius then followed up on the president's comment by saying today that the public option was not essential to health care reform.

With the White House now pushing buzz phrases like "choice and competition," it looks like they are reaching out to more moderate members of congress to finally get some form of health care reform passed. I suspect that liberals will be quick on the president's heels, proclaiming that health care without a public option, health care reform won't do enough to make the kind of difference the president promised.

Obama as a one-termer?

Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-IA) told a town-hall meeting in his district that President Obama had said to him in a private meeting that he would make sure health reform passes, even if it costs him a second term.

Boswell had been hosting a relatively civil town hall meeting, but many of his constituents were arguing against the proposed bills in congress and he had to remind the citizens that there wasn't yet a bill to support, just committee drafts, and that he believes health care reform needs to happen. Although he did reiterate that he may end up voting against the bill saying it's "very possible" that the end bill may be something that he can't vote for.

Boswell is a member of the more conservative Democratic "blue-dog" caucus that became a household name before the August reccess for their demands in the House Energy and Commerce committee to bring down the total pricetag and ensure more effective cost controls. He said that the comments from The President came in a meeting with other members of the blue-dog caucus at The White House, and he spoke about the president's comment in a brief Q&A with reporters after the event:

"The president (said), 'I'm not going to kick the can down the road.' And he said that and I said, 'Well, that's something I'm kind of used to from southern Iowa, you know. I know about kicking the can down the road.' And he said, 'No, if it makes me a one-term president, I'm going to, we're going to take it on because the country is in need of us taking this on.' I respected that very much."

Other Presidents such as Bill Clinton have come back from rocky and contentious first years to have very successful administrations, but with Health Care Reform becoming less and less popular with the public and Cap and Trade legislation stalling in the Senate, the President will need sweeping support on other domestic intiatives, or a dramatic improvement in the economy, to help his re-election chances.

On the other hand, despite most pundits' thoughts on the contrary I think the 2012 election is going to be a lot more about what's happening in 2012 then what happened in 2009.

Senior citizens nervous about health care reform

An article published today by Politico, shows that Democrats pushing health care legislation have run into a stumbling block amongst older voters, who as recent polling shows are the group that is most skeptical on reform.

Much of the early health care reform arguments have been focused on lowering costs for middle class Americans who currently have health care through their job, and covering the nearly 50 million Americans who are uninsured. Many seniors feel that their medicare benefits may be threatened and grow nervous when they hear phrases like ". . .cutting $300 Billion from Medicare." This raises warning bells for the Democratic leadership, and especially for the White House, because if they can't get seniors on board, then their efforts to pass sweeping health care legislation, much like President Bush's failed efforts to reform social security in 2005, may be for naught.

One reason seniors are, albeit belatedly, being given so much attention is because of how high their voting rolls are, and could pose yet another problem to Democrats hoping to maintain their congressional majorities in next years midterm elections. Also, the majority of the shouting and chaos going on at many of the contentious town halls across America are coming from frustrated and angry older Americans that are upset that they've contributed to medicare for their entire working lives and that the benefits they believe they've earned may now be threatened, despite continuous urging from both Democratic congressional leadership and the white house that current reform efforts would not limit their range of care and that the proposed "cuts" to Medicare come from eliminating wasteful programs and curbing administration costs.

Senior citizens are going to be the linchpin to whether the message war on health care is effective for either side. So far, labor groups and progressive leaders have pushed a simple "reform medicare now so it's not insolvent later" message that could be powerful if it sticks, but I think first they have to explain what they really mean by "reform," in terms that put older voters at ease, only then will this contentious issue be laid to rest.

Obama's N.H. Town Hall on Health Care

Earlier this morning Obama fielded questions on health care reform in front of an audience of about 1800 people at a high school in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It was his first town hall meeting on the subject since June, and unlike last time, the audience today was not handpicked by the White House. In spite of the stories of town hall meetings erupting into angry screaming matches (like the one Arlen Spector was faced with in Pennsylvania only hours before the N.H. meeting got underway), the president ended up with a relatively civil audience.

At times Obama sounded exasperated, and took several time outs to chastise the cable news media for further sensationalizing the health care reform debate. He also painstakingly reiterated over and over again that he would not indulge the rumors about the healthcare plan, he was here to only talk about the facts.

As the health care debate continues to heat up, it will be interesting to see in the coming days whether Obama's town hall effort to get the word out makes any sort of impact on a national level.

What would you do if you were The President?

Via Mark Halperin

In each pair, pick A or B:

A. Get more hands-on with Congress now on what you want in a health care bill.
B. Let Congress continue to work its will and wait to step in.

A. Put the fate of your presidency in the hands of Nancy Pelosi.
B. Put the fate of your presidency in the hands of Max Baucus.

A. Focus like a laser beam on health care and the economy.
B. Focus like a laser beam on health care.

A. Stop being on TV so much.
B. Be on TV more.

A. Let the Democratic National Committee and outside liberal groups your White House basically controls wield the same brass knuckles as your opponents.
B. Uphold higher standards than your opponents, even if it means short-term political cost.

A. Govern to achieve your goals, with a que sera sera attitude about re-election.
B. Keep your eye always on 2012.

A. Go with the team you have.
B. Bring in someone new.

Latest unemployment numbers give Democrats and Republicans a boost

Today's report from the labor department that unempoloyment dipped 1/10th of a percent for the month of July, from 9.5 to 9.4 percent is good news for a beleagured White House, but also provides more fodder for their Republican opponents that the stimulus is not working fast enough. White House officials have been bracing for the report all week, which some economists predicted could bring the unemployment rate above the dreaded 10% mark, not seen since the recession of the early 80's. Today's numbers give them somewhat a reprieve from months of bad news on job numbers, despite a $787 Billion stimulus package that was passed in February.

Both Democrats and Republicans are claiming victory, with Democrats saying that the first unemployment drop in 15 months shows that their policies are slowly working, a small -- if not desperately needed victory -- they can use during the August recess as opponents to Democratic policies turn up the heat in their rhetoric. Republicans, in a statement from RNC chair Michael Steele are saying: "While President Obama was taking a victory lap to celebrate the economy's performance, more Americans lost their jobs and the budget deficit soared to a record $1.3 trillion in July. In the month of July alone 247,000 Americans lost their jobs, which means more than 2.8 million Americans have lost their jobs since the president took office. The president said his stimulus bill would keep unemployment from rising higher than 8 percent. It hasn't."

Steele's statement echoes what Republicans have said more and more boldly over the past few months as Obama's poll numbers on his handling of the economy have slowly gone down.

What the Sotomayor confirmation means

In a 68-31 vote, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who had arguably one of the most boring confirmation processes ever, was confirmed by the Senate in a mostly party line vote last night.

When David Souter announced he was retiring in June, and President Obama subsequently announced his intention to put Sotomayor to the bench, partisan lines already began to form and it seemed it would be a sizzling summer affair; promising that conservative and liberal groups would converge head-on in a red vs. blue idealogical smackfest. There were a couple of hiccups along the way, especialy with Ms. Sotomayor's famous "wise latina" quote, but the monotony and boredom of the subsequent hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee were mostly a dissappointment to anyone hoping for serious red meat policy fights.

A lot of this had to do with Republican senators on the Judiciary Committee, hoping to keep their party further out of the doghouse with hispanics and minority groups, they kept it a largely civil debate trying to show Sotomayor more as a liberal "activist" judge, than an affirmative action appointment. 9 Republicans in total voted for her confirmation, a smaller number, than say Ruth Bader Ginsburg or Stephen Breyer; who were Bill Clinton's appointments to the court and enjoyed wide bipartisan support. Four of the Republican votes; Kit Bond (MO), George Voinovich (OH), Mel Martinez (FL) (who also announced this morning he would be resigning his Senate seat), and Judd Gregg (NH), will not be seeking re-election in 2010.

Although there was quiet pressure on the GOP not to vote against the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice, there was arguably more pressure on the right from both grassroots conservative groups and the National Rifle Association; who said a vote for Sotomayor would count against them in their coveted NRA legislative ratings. Many Republicans and conservative Democrats tout these ratings to protect their right flank from future election opponents, as well as to tap into the NRA's large donor base. Democrats will surely try and use the vote to drive a further wedge between the GOP and minority groups. However, Republican cooperation on comprehensive immigration reform could blunt that argument, especially if that legislation passes this either this year or early next year.