February 25, 2010 8:00 P.M.

Ducking and Dodging
The Democrats can’t explain away the gimmicks in their health bill.

‘We have some strong disagreements on the numbers,” President Obama said after Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) concluded his devastating critique of the Democrats’ budget claims, “but I don’t want to get too bogged down.” In the ensuing debate, what became clear is that the Democrats just don’t have an answer to Ryan’s arguments. They ducked, dodged, and changed the subject repeatedly, because Ryan’s numbers themselves are unimpeachable.

The Democrats are touting an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office that their health-care bill would reduce the deficit by around $130 billion over the next ten years. What Ryan pointed out — and what no Democrat even attempted to counter — is that this is because the legislation front-loads tax hikes and Medicare cuts and defers costs, forcing the CBO to score ten years of offsets with only six years of spending. Looked at on a level playing field, the true ten-year cost of the bill is $2.3 trillion rather than $950 billion, Ryan said.

Then he brought up another gimmick: The bill is full of double-counting. “Savings” are counted as offsets for new health-care spending and at the same time set aside to pay for future entitlements. For instance, the Democrats claim $52 billion in offsets as a result of increasing Social Security payroll-tax revenues. But these dollars are already claimed for future Social Security beneficiaries. They can’t pay for both. The Democrats take another $72 billion in premiums intended to fund a new long-term-care program and count them as offsets for other spending. Ryan pointed out that Senate Budget Committee chairman Kent Conrad has called this “a Ponzi scheme of the first order, the kind of thing that Bernie Madoff would have been proud of.”

http://article.nationalreview.com/426321/ducking-and-dodging/stephen-spruiell

"There have been a lot of comments from every Republican about the polls," President Obama said near the end of the mind-numbing White House summit on health care reform. "What's interesting is when you poll people about the individual elements in each of these bills, they're all for them."

What Obama was addressing was a dilemma that drives Democrats crazy. Polls show the public supports some parts of the Democratic national health care reform plan, but adamantly opposes the comprehensive bill now dying a slow death on Capitol Hill.

Just look at the latest survey from CNN and Opinion Research. When asked if they support "preventing health insurance companies from dropping coverage for people who become seriously ill," 62 percent say yes. When asked whether they support "requiring all large and midsized businesses to provide health insurance for their employees," 72 percent say yes. And when asked if they support "preventing health insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions," 58 percent say yes.

On the other hand, asked what Congress should do on health care -- pass the current bill, start work on an entirely new bill, or stop working on the issue altogether -- a huge majority opposes the Democratic proposal now on the table. Just 25 percent of those surveyed want to see the bill passed. Forty-eight percent want Congress to start over, and 25 percent want lawmakers to stop working on health care altogether. Put those last two together, and an overwhelming majority of 73 percent do not want Congress to pass the current bill.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Why-Obama-defies-the-public-on-health-care-85426622.html

Another Democratic incumbent trailing in the polls

By: Michael Barone
Senior Political Analyst
02/25/10 3:09 PM EST

Add New Mexico to the list of states (Arkansas, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Dakota) where polling has shown Democratic incumbents behind Republican challengers. The Democratic polling firm PPP shows New Mexico 2nd district Democrat Harry Teague trailing Republican Steve Pearce by a 43%-41% margin. That’s insignificant statistically but, in my view, significant politically, because incumbents usually do not trail challengers and can usually be expected to top 50% in polling; after all, every House member has won an election less than two years before the poll was taken. Teague carried the 2nd district 56%-44% 15 months ago. There’s a mitigating factor here: Pearce was the incumbent in this district from 2002 to 2008, and in the Democratic year of 2006 won reelection by a 59%-40% margin against a low-spending Democrat. In 2008 he ran for the Senate and lost 61%-39% to Democrat Tom Udall, and in that contest failed to carry the 2nd district.

Obviously the political climate has changed markedly in New Mexico in the last 15 months, and while Teague may still end up holding the district he is certainly in far weaker condition than he was in November 2008. New Mexico was one of the success stories of the Obama campaign in 2008; one of the closest states in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections went Democratic by a 57%-42% margin. New Mexico, like most of America, doesn’t look as Democratic now.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Another-Democratic-incumbent-trailing-in-the-polls-85383732.html

Obama listens at health summit, but mostly hears himself

By Joseph Curl POLITICAL THEATER

President Obama pledged to "listen" at the outset of his much-ballyhooed bipartisan health care summit on Thursday. Turns out he meant he'd be listening to his own voice.

By the end of the televised event, Mr. Obama had spoken for 119 minutes - nine minutes more than the 110 minutes consumed by 17 Republicans. The 21 Democratic lawmakers used 114 minutes, giving the president and his supporters a whopping 233 minutes, according to a "talk clock" kept by GOP aides.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/26/obama-listens-at-health-summit-but-mostly-hears-fr/

Bush and Cheney Reunite, First Since Leaving Office

February 25, 2010 5:41 PM

ABC News’ Kim Randolph reports:

Cheney and Bush, both sporting dark suits, shook hands and exchanged grins on the steps of Cheney’s residence in McLean, Va., before turning to wave to the ABC News camera.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2010/02/bush-and-cheney-reunite-first-since-leaving-office.html

Kathleen Sebelius: No 'Plan B'

By CAROL E. LEE | 2/25/10 10:05 AM EST

Kathleen Sebelius, the Health and Human Services secretary, rejected reports Thursday that President Obama has a so-called Plan B for health-care reform.

"I don’t think there is a Plan B as far as I know, and I’m pretty involved in all these conversations," Sebelius said in an interview before the start of Obama's bipartisan health care summit. The secretary was addressing reports Thursday morning that Obama, depending on the summit outcome, is weighing alternative, more modest approaches to reform.

"No doubt that along the way as every draft is put together there's lots of different options," Sebelius said. "The president has made it absolutely clear that he supports comprehensive reform, and he urges the final step to be done in the House and the Senate, who have both passed comprehensive reform bills. That’s what today’s meeting is about. That’s what the future is about. I don’t think he’s interested in what other issues are out there. He wants comprehensive reform that deals with cost, deals with coverage, deals with changing the insurance rules once and for all."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33509.html

Delaware: Castle Starts With Big Lead Over Coons

By Greg Giroux | February 25, 2010 11:22 AM

A challenge from the anti-Israel Left

By: Michael Barone
Senior Political Analyst
02/25/10 5:06 PM EST

California 36th district Congresswoman Jane Harman is being challenged in the Democratic primary by left-wing Democrat Marcy Winograd. Harman has paid some political price for her strong positions on national security issues. Speaker Nancy Pelosi removed her as the lead Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee; Harman had been ranking minority member from to , but Pelosi denied her the chairmanship when Democrats won their majority in 2006, instead naming Silvestre Reyes of Texas, whose knowledge of the issues was far inferior to Harman’s. Also in 2006 Winograd ran against Harman in the Democratic primary, attacking her for her support of the Iraq war resolution, and held Harman to a 62%-38% victory—by no means an overwhelming margin for an incumbent in a primary.

Harman was unopposed in the 2008 primary, but this year Winograd is running again. It looks like one key issue will be Israel. Harman’s colleague Henry Waxman, of the 30th district and Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has sent out a letter criticizing Winograd for a February 2008 speech in which she, as Politico writes, “lamenting the violence from both sides of the Middle East conflict, deemed a two-state solution ‘unrealistic’ and ‘fundamentally wrong’ and called for a one-state solution in which Israel and Palestine would coexist.”

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/A-challenge-from-the-anti-Israel-Left-85404547.html

Congressional Black Caucus members are dismissing a $15 billion jobs bill as inadequate, forcing House leaders to rethink their plan to vote on the measure Friday.

Leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) told Democratic leaders Thursday that they didn't support a measure they saw more as a "tax bill" than a bill that will create jobs.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/83859-black-caucus-throws-roadblock-in-front-of-tax-cut-15-billion-jobs-bill

Via Gateway Pundit:

Via Gateway Pundit:

A controversial bill that would have levied criminal punishments on intelligence officers for harsh interrogations was pulled Thursday evening.

House Republicans charged Democrats with trying to sneak a provision into the intelligence authorization bill that would establish criminal punishment for CIA agents and other intelligence officials who engage in “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” during interrogations.

Democrats inserted an 11-page addition into the bill late Wednesday night as the House Rules Committee considered the legislation.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/83817-gop-cries-foul-over-amendment-to-intel-bill

If you didn't see what Andrew McCarthy had to say about the provision that I posted earlier, here it is:

http://liberalslie.blogtownhall.com/2010/02/25/andrew_mccarthy_democrats_are_saying_they_would_prefer_to_see_tens_of_thousands_of_americans_die_than_to_see_a_ksm_subjected_to_sleep-deprivation_or_to_have_his_%E2%80%9Cphobias_exploited%E2%80%9D_.thtml