TPM Election Central

TPMDC Sunday Roundup

2009-11-15T18:14:27Z

Axelrod: Obama Opposed To Bill With Stupak Amendment
Appearing on State of the Union, White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod said that President Obama would oppose the Stupak Amendment as a change in the status quo on abortion law. "The president has said repeatedly, and he said in his speech to Congress, that he doesn't believe that this bill should change the status quo as it relates to the issue of abortion," said Axelrod. Asked whether Obama would sign a final bill that contains the Stupak Amendment, Axelrod replied that Obama "believes both these issues and can and will be worked through before [the final bill] reaches his desk."

Conrad: Health Care Bill Can't Pass Without Restriction On Abortion Funding
Appearing on State of the Union, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) said that the health care bill cannot pass without something like the Stupak Amendment. "What is clear is at the end of the day, for this bill to be successful, that there cannot be taxpayer funding of abortion," said Conrad, also adding: "It was clear in the House. It'll be clear in the Senate."

Hillary Clinton: I Want 9/11 Conspirators 'Brought To Justice' And To 'Pay The Ultimate Price'
Appearing on Meet The Press, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that it was "appropriate" to try the 9/11 conspirators in New York, as the Obama administration announced last week. "I want to see them brought to justice," said Clinton, also adding: "The most important thing to me is they pay the ultimate price for what they did to us."

Hillary Clinton: No Civilian Aid For Afghanistan Without Accountability
Appearing on This Week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that any civilian aid for Afghanistan must be accompanied by accountability. "I have made it clear that we're not gonna be providing any civilian aid to Afghanistan unless we have a certification that if it goes into the Afghan government in any form that we're going to have ministries we can hold accountable," said Clinton, also adding: "There's no impunity for those who are corrupt."

Giuliani: Obama Administration Giving Terrorists A Better Choice Than The Public
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) said that the Obama administration is giving the 9/11 terrorists better treatment than the public. "If there was no other choice and they had to be tried in New York, of course they should be tried in New York. But the reality is there is another choice," said Giuliani. "It is a better choice for the government. This choice of New York is a better choice for the terrorists. Why would you seek to give the terrorists a better choice than you're giving the -- than you're giving the public?"

Leahy: 'The United States Acts Out Of Strength, Not Fear'
Appearing on Face The Nation, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) praised the decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York. "What we're saying to the world is, the United States acts out of strength, not out of fear," said Leahy, also adding: "I was a former prosecutor. I'd like to just see them prosecuted, in the same way which we prosecuted Timothy McVeigh. We're not afraid to do that. We're the most powerful nation on Earth. We have a judicial system that is the envy of the world. Let's show the world that we can use that power."

Hoekstra: 'What Problem' Is Obama Trying To Solve By Closing Gitmo?
Appearing on Face The Nation, Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) criticized President Obama for moving Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other prisoners out of Guantanamo Bay. "I'm all about problem-solving," said Hoekstra. "What problem is the president going to solve by moving these trials to New York or by moving Gitmo prisoners to Michigan, to Illinois, to Colorado? He hasn't outlined what problem he's solving."

Reed: KSM 'Will Know He's Lost' When Jury Delivers Guilty Verdict
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) said that trying Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York will not be giving him what he wants. "No, I don't think so, because I think the attack here on September 11th was designed not just to kill innocent Americans, it was to break our spirit," said Reed. "It was to render our system of government fragile and broken. When the foreman of that jury stands up and delivers the verdict, not empowered by religious fanaticism, by -- but the Constitution, he will know he's lost."

TPMDC Saturday Roundup

2009-11-14T18:04:16Z

Obama: Fort Hood Shooting Will Be Fully Reviewed
In this weekend's YouTube address, President Obama said there will be a full investigation of the shooting at Fort Hood, and whether better steps could have been taken to prevent it:

"The purpose of this review is clear: We must compile every piece of information that was known about the gunman, and we must learn what was done with that information," said Obama. "Once we have those facts, we must act upon them. If there was a failure to take appropriate action before the shootings, there must be accountability. Beyond that - and most importantly - we must quickly and thoroughly evaluate and address any flaws in the system, so that we can prevent a similar breach from happening again. Our government must be able to act swiftly and surely when it has threatening information. And our troops must have the security that they deserve."

Kirk: Dem Health Care Bill Would Make Top Taxes Worse Than France
This weekend's Republican address is by Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL), a candidate for President Obama's former Senate seat in 2010. Kirk attacks the Democrats on health care -- and even says it would make some Americans worse off than if they were in France:

"The Pelosi health care bill has no significant lawsuit reforms and does not guarantee your medical rights from government waiting lines or restrictions," said Kirk. "In the teeth of the Great Recession, the Pelosi bill would impose ten new taxes on the American economy. The top combined tax rate for my state of Illinois would be four percentage points higher than France."

Obama To Asia: I'm 'America's First Pacific President'
Speaking in Japan, President Obama pitched himself to Asian leaders as "America's first Pacific President," and promised greater trade and diplomatic relations with the region, including both China and Japan. "So I want every American to know that we have a stake in the future of this region. This is where we engage in much of our commerce and buy many of our goods," said Obama. "And this is where we can export more of our own products and create jobs back home in the process."

AP Fact Check: Palin 'Goes Rogue' On Facts
An Associated Press review of Sarah Palin's new book finds her making many false statements, from her statements on policy to the facts about her own political career. "Ignoring substantial parts of her record if not the facts, she depicts herself as a frugal traveler on the taxpayer's dime, a reformer without ties to powerful interests and a politician roguishly indifferent to high ambition," the AP says. "Palin goes adrift, at times, on more contemporary issues, too. She criticizes President Barack Obama for pushing through a bailout package that actually was achieved by his Republican predecessor George W. Bush -- a package she seemed to support at the time."

McCain Gets Autographed Copy Of Palin's Book
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has received a signed copy of Sarah Palin's new book, a gift from his former running mate. "I've just received a signed copy from her yesterday, so I will read it with interest," McCain told supporters -- which certainly should be interesting, considering that much of the book is composed of Palin criticizing the McCain campaign and its treatment of her.

Gregg: We 'Know From Experience' GOP Proposals Would Save Money -- But Can't Be Scored By CBO
Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) said that Republican health care proposals would save money -- but that we don't know how to calculate it under CBO rules. "They would actually save money," said Gregg. "Some of them don't score because we don't know how to score them under CBO rules, but we actually know from experience that they would produce more effectively delivered cost service."

GOP Gets Conservatives' Approval For 2010 Candidates
CQ reports that the NRCC has met with top conservative activists, in the wake of the NY-23 special election loss, and reviewed their challenger candidates for 2010. "They went through the 45 candidates that they had and there were no problems," said top anti-tax campaigner Grover Norquist. "This is exactly the kind of meeting that, if you had 20/20 hindsight, [would have helped] months ago when New York 23 poked up."

New Reid Ad: He's 'America's Powerful Senator'
A new campaign ad by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) reminds voters in Nevada of his clout in Washington as leader -- with the announcer alternately calling him "the most powerful Senator Nevada has ever had" and "America's most powerful Senator":

"As the leader of the Senate, my responsibility is to make sure that no one takes advantage of Nevada," Reid says.

Dem Congressman: 'It's Unamerican' To Oppose U.S. Terror Trials

2009-11-13T23:36:50Z

Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) has strong words for the Republicans opposing Attorney General Eric Holder's plan to bring five 9/11 suspects to New York City to face trial.

"They see this as an opportunity to demagogue," he said. "They will seize on any opportunity to do that, and that means they'll even take a stand that's un-American."

"It's un-American to hold anyone indefinitely without trial," Moran added. "It's against our principles as a nation."

Moran, who represents the Congressional district closest to D.C., was among the only members of Congress to advocate President Obama's plan to send prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to the U.S. so the military prison could be shut down. Obama first proposed the idea shortly after being elected and most in Congress rejected the plan, saying that bringing terror suspects to this country would endanger American lives.

Today, many politicians raised those same fears. Moran dismissed them.

"Right now, they're sitting in Guantanamo gaining sympathy," he said. "The sooner that we prosecute this guy, the sooner we can reduce the anti-American propaganda that surrounds his detention and inflames our enemies."

"Until we do that, it only strengthens the hand of people who recruit new terrorists with the clame claim we aren't true to our principles," he added.

Doug Hoffman: With '20-20 Hindsight' I Wouldn't Have Conceded

2009-11-13T23:25:53Z

Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate in the NY-23 election, appeared today on the Neil Cavuto show, where he kept the door open to challenging his narrow defeat by Democrat Bill Owens, who was sworn into office last week after Hoffman had conceded the race.

Hoffman said "I don't think we'll have an answer to this for at least a week or two," and thats when the totals are completed, "each candidate will still have another week to protest." He also said that with "20-20 hindsight," he would not have conceded on Election Night. Hoffman's concession allowed Owens to be sworn in quickly, even though the full vote-counting process was not completed -- and in this same interview, Hoffman attacked Speaker Nancy Pelosi for swearing in Owens.

Adjustments to the vote totals -- which came from a standard process of correcting human errors in election night spreadsheets -- showed Owens' lead shrinking from about 5,000 votes to 3,000, and spurring a a lot of talk in conservative media outlets about how Hoffman will be able to pull ahead from the several thousand absentee ballots yet to be counted. The math suggests that Hoffman is still highly unlikely to win, absent some other monumental error being discovered, because he would need to win the absentees by overwhelming margins.

Hutchison Switches Course, Won't Resign From Senate While Running In Primary For Texas Governor

2009-11-13T22:43:57Z

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) has announced that she will not resign from the Senate while she is running for governor of Texas, which she had previously planned on doing as she challenges incumbent Gov. Rick Perry in the Republican primary.

"A newly appointed senator would be selected in the midst of a political storm," Hutchison said in a statement that cited the battle against the Democrats on health care and energy legislation, "And will need on-the-job training in the midst of a crisis."

This comes after a Rasmussen poll today, which showed her trailing Perry by 46%-35% -- and which also showed that 60% of likely primary voters disagreed with her plans to resign. Perry had frequently been attacking Hutchison for the planned resignation, as well.

Although Hutchison had previously announced her intention to resign at some point, she is now spinning this new decision as herself bravely saying no to what others had told her to do: "Some have told me that for the sake of political expedience I should quit the Senate now to focus on winning the primary. To them I say, perhaps its time we elect a governor who puts a little less priority on what is politically expedient."

Ed Gillespie Joins McDonnell Transition Team In VA

2009-11-13T22:25:46Z

Former George W. Bush adviser Ed Gillespie has found a new Republican executive to guide behind the scenes -- Virginia's Governor-elect, Bob McDonnell.

Gillespie was McDonnell's campaign chair during the campaign, which ended in a McDonnell landslide on Nov. 3. He's now signed on to the McDonnell transition team as a "Senior Advisor."

Others on the list announced today by McDonnell's transition team include former GOP Representatives Tom Davis and Thelma Drake. Both left Virginia's congressional delegation in 2008. Current House Minority Whip Eric Cantor's wife, Diana, is also on the list. She is a former investment banker at Goldman Sachs and the founder of Virginia's independently-run College Savings Plan.

DeGette: Stupak Agenda Is Much Wider Restrictions On Abortion

2009-11-13T22:24:39Z

As co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) is leading the fight in the House to strip the Stupak amendment, which would forbid millions of women from buying comprehensive insurance policies that cover abortion, from the final health care bill. And she takes issue with Stupak's interpretation of the events leading up to the vote that completely changed the stakes of reform debate.

"Basically Congressman Stupak moved the goalposts, and I think it really took [House] Speaker [Nancy Pelosi] and other people by surprise," DeGette told me in an exclusive interview.

She says, after his abortion amendments went down in the House Energy and Commerce Committee (a panel on which she also sits), he demanded he get another crack at it when the Rules Committee set the contours of the floor debate.

"After we defeated him in committee," she said, "he said that he wanted to have an amendment in order on the floor... and that if he didn't have his amendment made in order then he had 40 people to vote against the rule."

'The rule' is a matter of arcane House procedure, but basically it defines the floor debate. Importantly, though, an amendment that's tacked on to the rule becomes incorporated in the underlying bill (in this case, the House health care bill), and Stupak wanted to add an abortion amendment into the bill on the evening before it passed in historic fashion. Apparently, though, his numbers were off. Pelosi had the votes to pass the rule without his changes.

"The Speaker said to Bart, we have the votes to pass the rule, so we're going to pass the rule without your amendment," DeGette told me.

"Then Bart said, if you don't give me the amendment in the rule, we're going to kill the bill."

There his calculation appears to have been correct, and it sent leadership scrambling to find a solution: give his amendment an up-or-down vote on the floor. With a unified pro-life Republican caucus, and dozens of pro-life Dems, and the Conference of Catholic Bishops behind pushing hard, Stupak was all-but a shoo-in.

"This all happened Friday night, so then on Saturday morning we arrived, and most of the members hadn't been involved in this, and Bart told them this was just the Hyde amendment, and many of them were confused," DeGette said. "The Bishops were really cranking up the heat on a lot of our colleagues. The Speaker was really afraid that she would lose the whole bill about this."

And the rest is history.

DeGette said that she supports the Capps amendment, which would create an accounting mechanism to segregate federal funds from private funds in the exchanges, but she's willing to negotiate. Stupak feels differently.

"Congressman Stupak keeps saying this just puts Hyde into the health care bill," DeGette says. "But in fact it goes much, much further than that. This would be the biggest restriciton on women's right to choose in my career.... It shows a complete lack of understanding of what's happening when somebody has an abortion. Either these pregnancies are unplanned, or they're planned pregnancies that have gone horribly wrong."

"We would be willing to talk about improving that language," DeGette says. "Congressman Ellsworth talked about strengthening the language about separating funds."

But, she says, forbidding some women from buying plans that cover abortions is beyond the pale.

"Let's think about Medicaid, that's federal funds and its a federal program,"

Seventeen states have given abortion coverage to women with their own state money, and we don't stop that.
The other thing several people have pointed out--nobody's ever said that anybody who gets tax assistance can't have insurance that covers abortion. The logical extension of what bart is saying, is let's say you're a coroporation and you get tax assistance for your health care, then you can't get abortions... I think that's the longterm agenda.

Rep. Stupak has not agreed to an interview.

CREDO To Send Coat Hangers To Pro-Choice Dems Who Voted For Abortion Restriction Amendment

2009-11-13T21:36:02Z

This isn't for the squeamish. It's about as hardball and brutal as it gets.

The liberal group CREDO Action will soon ask over 1,000,000 members to sign a petition condemning the Stupak amendment...and with each signature, CREDO will send a coat hanger to the 20 supposedly pro-choice members of Congress who voted for it.

"We know what happens when women are denied access to reproductive health care including abortion," the petition reads. "And we can't go back to an era of coat hangers and back alley abortions. Reconsider your vote on the Stupak Amendment. Tell House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that the final health care bill that emerges from the conference committee can't turn the clock back on women's rights."

The email hasn't been sent yet, but you can read the language below the fold.

Subj. line: Send them coat hangers.
Headline: Did these Democrats forget what happens when women are
denied access to abortion?

We're furious.

In a backroom deal brokered to get the votes necessary to pass the House health care bill, one amendment was allowed an up-or-down vote on the floor. The Stupak amendment -- which passed on a vote of 240 to 194 -- is the most serious assault on abortion rights in a generation.
What's more, according to FiveThirtyEight.com, 20 of the 64 Democrats
who joined Republicans to pass the measure are nominally pro-choice.

Sign the petition, send a coat hanger.
http://www.sendacoathanger.com

Why did pro-choice Democrats vote to approve the Stupak Amendment?
We're telling these 20 Democrats -- all men -- to reconsider their
vote and urge Congressional leadership to do everything they can to
ensure the health care bill that comes out of committee does not take
us back to an era of coat hangers and back alley abortions.

Sign our petition and we'll send a coat hanger to the 20 formerly
pro-choice Democrats who voted to take away women's rights.
If the Stupak amendment is allowed to stand, it would ban private
insurers who participate in the insurance exchange created by the
health care bill from covering abortion as a part of women's
reproductive health care. Tens of millions of women would be affected.

These 20 formerly pro-choice Democrats need to hear that it is NOT ok
to throw women under the bus when it comes to passing health care.

Back in 1992, Working Assets helped its members send coat hangers to
Congress. Now, 17 years later, it's time to do it again.

Please sign the petition, send a coat hanger, and tell your friends
about CREDO's SendACoatHanger.com campaign.

Sincerely,

Laura Scher, CEO of CREDO Mobile
Michael Kieschnick, President of CREDO Mobile
Becky Bond, Political Director of CREDO Action

Is Snowe Popular Enough In Maine To Withstand Anger From The Right?

2009-11-13T21:35:43Z

With a new poll suggesting that Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) could potentially lose her 2012 Republican primary to a conservative challenger, does the political environment in Maine mean that she could be in real danger from the right, or that she might have to become an independent or even a Democrat?

Snowe's office has not returned out requests for comment. We spoke to Mark Brewer, an associate political science professor at the University of Maine, for the opinion and perspective of a local expert.

"Certainly the numbers among Republicans are a little surprising. It is certainly the case that the Maine Republican Party has a pretty significant faction within it that is relatively conservative, that has for a decent amount of time now looked at Sen. Snowe somewhat skeptically, I guess -- and that's probably being charitable to a certain degree," said Brewer. "So the fact that there's anger within the Maine GOP at Snowe isn't surprising. The fact that the figure among the Republican primary figure, and the fact that there were 59%-31% in favor of a conservative challenge, that surprised me a little bit."

Brewer cautioned, however, that it's a long time between now and 2012, and from the idea of a generic conservative to an actual campaign against someone who is in other regards . "I still think even with these numbers -- and even though I wouldn't want to dismiss them as irrelevant, because I do think they're interesting -- I do think we're still a long way from the possibility of her to lose a primary."

Brewer also said that if Snowe were to skip the Republican primary and run as an independent, she would likely win: "I think that certainly would be an option if she needed to do that, I think she certainly could do that."

"I guess you can't rule anything out, but I don't see any real kind of push for her to switch parties," said Brewer. "I don't think any - maybe there are some conservative activists in the Republican Party who would be pushing for her to switch. But I think if you talked to Republican leaders, they would want to be able to hang on to whatever they have at the moment. And the reality is that Snowe is, on fiscal policies, she's still much more Republican than she is Democratic. Stimulus vote aside, she is still relatively conservative on fiscal issues, her kind of libertarian streak on social issues is nothing new."

We also checked with Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, for some information that could well influence any later decisions: The state election laws. Maine uses a form of a closed primary system. For registered Democrats to vote in the primary, they would have to change their registration at least 15 days before the primary -- a measure designed to prevent parties from interfering in each other's primaries. Registered independents can change their registrations on primary day itself, under the state's same-day registration voting procedures, giving an element of openness to the primary, but the bottom line is still that only a registered Republican, at the moment of being in the booth, can vote in the GOP primary.

Maine also has what is often called a "sore-loser law," which forbids somebody from pulling a Joe Lieberman -- that is running in a primary, losing that primary, and then being put on the ballot as an independent candidate for the general election. That very factor contributed in part to Sen. Arlen Specter's switch from the Republicans to the Democrats -- and who knows, it might become relevant in Maine, if these poll numbers keep up.

Michelle Obama Uses Stories That 'Touch Our Hearts' In Health Care Pitch

2009-11-13T20:59:13Z

With President Obama abroad, First Lady Michelle Obama is stepping in for a few days with a focus on health care.

At an event with women at the White House this afternoon, the first lady joined health care czar Nancy-Ann DeParle. They showcased the stories of women whose families had suffered due to bad insurance and the Medicare "donut hole."

"These stories touch our hearts and they spark in us a fundamental source of unfairness," she said.

Obama said she can't say what the bill "that ultimately will cross my husband's desk will look like," but said it would be true reform.

She ticked off the details of the current plan and stressed plans will be portable and "will not endanger Medicare."

Obama stressed the important role women have in health care decisions, and gave a shout-out to her 72-years-"young" mother Marian.

"Let's get to work," she told the women.

DeParle said it is "tempting" to get involved in political back-and-forth before the health care negotiations are completed and a bill passes Congress, but suggested people remember that "this isn't about politics."

The health care debate is "truly history in the making," she said, since "this president and this Congress are the first to advance a health care bill to a vote in either house."

An interesting moment came when one of the speakers stressed she wanted to see a health care plan "including a public option." The line drew loud applause.

Presented By:

2009-11-13T20:59:13Z

Former Bush Admin AG Slams Holder On 9/11 Trials

2009-11-13T20:16:25Z

Just a few minutes ago, former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey slammed his successor, Eric Holder, over Holder's decision to bring five terror suspects from Guantanamo Bay to New York to try them as planners of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

"It shows a willingness to disclose how our intelligence process works and offer [the suspects] a platform in our legal system to gather intelligence for themselves," Mukasey said before an audience of conservative lawyers at the national Federalist Society's annual legal convention in Washington.

Holder's plan "creates a cornucopia of intelligence for those still at large and a circus for those being tried," Mukasey said.

"This step appears to have come from a desire to close Guantanamo Bay within a year," he added, "and to show the world we can do not only what the law allows -- but more."

Mukasey, who served as Attorney General during the last year of George W. Bush's administration, largely echoed the conservative line on Holder's announcement today, claiming that trying terror suspects inside the U.S. are an invitation for new terrorist attacks.

"They're not going to escape," Mukasey said when asked about the detention facility in New York City where the suspects will likely be held under Holder's plan. "The question is whether the city will become the focus for more mischief, for more murder."

Mukasey said, "it will."

Tea Party Group To Get 'Fired Up For Freedom,' Burn Rep. Perriello In Effigy

2009-11-13T20:01:08Z

The local Tea Party organization in Danville, Virginia, is taking their opposition to freshman Democratic Rep. Tom Perriello to a whole new level -- announcing that they will burn him in effigy, along with a similar image of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, at a rally called "Fired Up For Freedom."

"At this point we feel we have no representation in Congress," Danville Tea Party chairman Nigel Coleman told the Chatham Star Tribune, with the chief complaint being Perriello's vote for the House health care bill this past weekend.

Perriello's office declined to comment to TPM about this.

Late Update: DCCC chairman Chris Van Hollen has responded in a statement. "These shocking and despicable acts are becoming all too common at extreme right-wing Republican rallies. Hanging Members in effigy or displaying images of Nazi concentration camps on the steps of the Capitol have no place in any debate and Republican Members of Congress must condemn these actions," said Van Hollen. "While there should be a robust debate about reforming America's broken health insurance system, violent expressions are beyond the boundaries of a respectful debate. The American people are counting on Republicans to join Democrats in a constructive debate to help President Obama bring about urgently-needed health insurance reform."

Rep. King: New White House Counsel Brought In To Protect...ACORN!

2009-11-13T19:45:39Z

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is attacking the appointment of Bob Bauer as the new White House Counsel -- saying that it's all a plot to protect ACORN!

In a new press release, King declares:

"Bob Bauer has a public record of defending Barack Obama's relationship with ACORN. Bauer has acted as the agent between Obama and ACORN, and now he will be perfectly positioned to be tasked with erasing the tracks between Obama and ACORN. Bauer's hiring appears to be a tactical maneuver to strategically defend the White House exactly one week after Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell raided ACORN's national headquarters in New Orleans and seized paper records and computer hard drives that may lead to the White House."

As evidence, King cites how Bauer, as Obama campaign counsel in the 2008 election, had sent a letter to the Justice Department objecting to Republican efforts against ACORN.

This also comes a few days after another King press release in which he alleged that the resignation of White House communications director Anita Dunn -- Bauer's wife -- was connected to the aforementioned investigation against ACORN in Louisiana.

So King previously seemed to be implying that Dunn was leaving in a hurry because of an ACORN scandal -- and now says that Bauer is coming in because of the same ACORN matter.

MoveOn Pulls The Lever, Calls On AMA To Ditch The Chamber

2009-11-13T19:18:56Z

The liberal group MoveOn is exploiting an interesting opening to both support health care reform and weaken the Chamber of Commerce.

Citing the American Medical Association's endorsement of House health care legislation, and the Chamber of Commerce's unapologetic opposition to it, MoveOn is calling for the AMA and the Chamber to part ways.

MoveOn is calling on their doctors to sign a petition demanding that the AMA pull out.

"The American Medical Association has been running ads for months supporting President Obama's health care plan," reads a letter from MoveOn to supportive doctors.

So why on earth is the AMA simultaneously helping fund a massive attack campaign to kill the bill?...
You've told us that you're a medical professional, and that gives you a powerful voice for reform. Can you sign our petition urging the AMA to stop funding opposition to health care reform and quit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce?...

Then please forward this email to the other medical professionals you know who support reform.

The letter comes after several major businesses pulled out of the Chamber because of their climate change skepticism. According to MoveOn, 2000 doctors signed on within an hour of launch. You can read the entire letter below.

Dear Eileen,
The American Medical Association has been running ads for months supporting President Obama's health care plan.

So why on earth is the AMA simultaneously helping fund a massive attack campaign to kill the bill?

The AMA is a leading member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is spending millions on lobbyists and TV ads attacking the health care bill, calling it a crushing tax increase.1

You've told us that you're a medical professional, and that gives you a powerful voice for reform. Can you sign our petition urging the AMA to stop funding opposition to health care reform and quit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce? Click here to add your name:

http://pol.moveon.org/ama/?id=&t=3

Then please forward this email to the other medical professionals you know who support reform.

This year, the American Medical Association's support for health care reform has been crucial, and their endorsement of the House health care bill, including a public option, was important in helping that bill pass last weekend.2

But while the AMA has been publicly backing reform, they've also been helping fund a multi-million dollar campaign to kill the bill through the membership dues they pay to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Following the passage of the House health care bill last week, the Chamber launched yet another wave of attack ads against supporters of reform.3 Their ads are running all over the country, scaring voters with false claims of massive tax increases, "millions" of jobs lost, and a big "Washington takeover" of the health care system. They've even tried to stir up racist resentment to turn people against Obama's health plan.4

The AMA should stop funding the Chamber's outrageous attacks on health care reform. They should join companies, including Apple and Nike, that have backed away from the Chamber's extreme right-wing positions.

Sign this petition to urge the American Medical Association to quit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Clicking here will add your name:

http://pol.moveon.org/ama/?id=&t=4

Thank you for all you do.

-Steven, Noah, Kat, Nita, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Board of Directors," U.S. Chamber of Commerce, accessed November 12, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85174&id=&t=5

"U.S. Chamber Expresses Major Disappointment with Irresponsible House Health Care Legislation, U.S. Chamber of Commerce News, October 29, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85173&id=&t=6

"Millions," Employers for a Healthy Economy, November 12, 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__ngB7uiNk4

2. "AARP, AMA give House healthcare bill an 11th hour boost," Christian Science Monitor, November 5, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85182&id=&t=7

3. "Business Groups Launch Ads to Fell Senate Health Bill," The Hill, November 12, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85178&id=&t=9

4. "New Business-Group Ad Has Racial Undertones, Union Alleges," The Huffington Post, November 4, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85103&id=&t=10

Sen. Graham Says White House Asked Him To Withhold Comment On Gitmo, For Now

2009-11-13T18:55:52Z

Sen. Lindsey Graham, not known for holding back criticism of the White House, said today that he has "very strong feelings" about Guantanamo Bay detainees but will hold them in until President Obama returns from his trip to Asia.

Graham (R-SC) just issued this statement responding to the administration's announcement to transfer Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Gitmo detainees to be tried in New York.

"The decision on the proper venue to try Guantanamo detainees, particularly the 9/11 conspirators, is one of the most important decisions we will ever make in the War on Terror. I have had and continue to have very strong feelings on this subject. Those feelings are well-known as evidenced by our debate on the floor of the Senate last week. "I have been asked by the White House to withhold comment about today's Guantanamo decision until I can meet face-to-face with the President after he returns from Asia. As our Commander in Chief, I will honor his request. I look forward to discussing this issue further."

Meanwhile, Obama's 2008 rival and Graham close friend Sen. John McCain said he was disappointed by the decision.

McCain's statement:

"I am extremely disappointed with the Obama Administration's decision to try in U.S. civilian courts the Al-Qaeda terrorists who planned, supported, and conducted the September 11th attacks. These terrorists are not common criminals. They are war criminals, who committed acts of war against our citizens and those of dozens of other nations.

"Terrorists who have declared war against our country should be treated as war criminals and tried for their crimes through military tribunals. In a letter sent to Congress just last week, hundreds of families of victims of the September 11th attacks urged the Administration to try these terrorists in military tribunals, and I fully respect and agree with their position. I have worked tirelessly with my colleagues in Congress and with the Obama Administration to make our military tribunals system better able to dispense justice efficiently and fairly while protecting secure information."

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) was similarly harsh.

TPMDC was on a call this afternoon with senior officials from the Justice and Defense departments. They didn't commit to a date for closing Gitmo, but repeatedly said they were "making good progress" toward its shut down.