Health Reform Reboot?

After President Obama's State of the Union address Wednesday night, responses from the both sides of the political fence quickly followed. Many were waiting to see if the President would continue strong support for healthcare reform or back away from the issue. While not as urgent a priority as the economy, Obama did vow he would not walk away from the issue of healthcare and encouraged Congress to remain committed (See DM 14477).

Virginia Governor Bob McConnell delivered the official Republican response following the President's address. Concerning Obama's stance on health care reform, McConnell stated, "All Americans agree, we need a healthcare system that is affordable, accessible, and high quality. But most Americans do not want to turn over the best medical care system in the world to the federal government. Republicans in Congress have offered legislation to reform healthcare, without shifting Medicaid costs to the states, without cutting Medicare, and without raising your taxes. We will do that by implementing common sense reforms, like letting families and businesses buy health insurance policies across state lines, and ending frivolous lawsuits against doctors and hospitals that drive up the cost of your healthcare."

On the Democratic Congressional front, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) stated, "President Obama engaged America in a conversation about what has worked, what needs improvement and how we can move forward together.... Jobs are still too few, healthcare is still too scarce and expensive, foreclosures are still too frequent and our energy future is still too treacherous....As the President expressed tonight, we are moving full speed ahead in bringing about the meaningful change that we were sent to Washington to deliver."

In the other chamber of Congress, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) gave an upbeat message, also mentioning a commitment to healthcare reform: "Tonight, President Obama presented a vision to the American people of a stronger union, a new foundation for prosperity, and a thriving middle class. Working together, we will adopt a bold agenda for our economic growth -- founded on good-paying jobs, strong schools, quality, affordable health insurance, and critical investments in small businesses and our clean energy future....Addressing a critical challenge for our economy and millions of households, Congress will pass health insurance reform that lowers costs for American families and small businesses, creates jobs, and ends the insurance companies' worst practices."

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Chair of the crucial Senate Finance Committee, also followed with strong comments: "We will also work with President Obama to pass comprehensive healthcare reform that lifts the burden of skyrocketing healthcare costs off of American families, businesses and our federal deficits. Healthcare costs are growing far faster than our economy and, as a result, slowing our economic recovery. When a strong bill that lowers healthcare costs becomes law, businesses will be better able to hire and invest, families will be better able to protect their savings and the federal deficit will shrink. Health reform helps fulfill the promise to get our economy back on track. Health reform also represents a critical component in our effort to combat a decade of ballooning federal debt. Health reform will cut the deficit by more than $100 billion in the first ten years and by hundreds of billions more in the decade that follows. Reducing the federal debt is critical to a strong and vibrant economy, and we stand with President Obama in our shared commitment to tackle this challenge head on."

Others on the Republican side had high marks for some other messages in the President's economic outlook and his style, but were still uniformly against the current healthcare reform plan. House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) was critical of how Obama addressed the issue: "...the number one issue that has been in the public debate has been healthcare....So, it took 45 minutes approximately for the President to reach that discussion and there was absolutely no nod to the voters of Massachusetts, Virginia or New Jersey. No recognition that his plan is very unpopular and all he said was, it is my fault for not explaining what I'm doing better because my way is right and Congress, you better act. Now, that is not the way to lead when you've got a country that's so dissatisfied."

Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) had his own suggestions for how reform should be approached. "On health care, the American people think we need to get back to the basics and start over," he said. "I think we ought to do a step-by-step approach. For example, we know by allowing insurance to be sold across state lines and forming risk pools across state lines that we can open accessibility to affordable health care for almost a third of the uninsured. We know that a third of the uninsured are really eligible for Medicare, Medicaid or SCHIP but they're not enrolled. The government ought to have an enrollment system so when they show up at healthcare facilities the coverage is there....I would rather start with a step-by-step approach that deals with the things we know we can do rather than a comprehensive and pervasive overhaul of a system that ends up destroying what 86 percent of Americans have, all for the 14 percent who don't."

Finally, the American Medical Association, which has with some reservations supported the healthcare reform legislation stated: "The AMA applauds President Obama for his ongoing commitment to health system reform and we second his call to 'Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people.' Every American will benefit from health insurance market reforms that eliminate unfair business practices like denials for pre-existing medical conditions. It is a tragedy that millions of Americans live sicker and die younger solely because they lack health coverage -- every American should have affordable, high-quality health coverage. The pressures on our healthcare system have not abated; people are losing their health coverage along with their jobs and the rising cost of premiums is putting pressure on employers and familie

Source:dotmed.com/

Stock selloff accelerates

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A stock selloff gained speed Thursday as investors dumped technology and other large cap stocks amid weaker economic reports, a stronger dollar and continued jitters in the aftermath of last week's selloff.

The market wariness overshadowed Ford Motor's first profit in 4 years and President Obama's announcement of a push for jobs.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A stock selloff gained speed Thursday as investors dumped technology and other large cap stocks amid weaker economic reports, a stronger dollar and continued jitters in the aftermath of last week's selloff.

The market wariness overshadowed Ford Motor's first profit in 4 years and President Obama's announcement of a push for jobs.

Source:CNNMoney.com

State of the Union: Obama's national security rhetoric bogs him down

President Obama faced a tough task in the State of the Union speech, presiding as he does over a still-stagnant economy and domestic political discord. So it is not surprising, and even appropriate, that foreign policy would not be a main theme. But even so, it was noteworthy just how little attention he devoted to national security issues. And the comments he did make -- which felt crammed in towards the end -- focused more on the goals of drawing down our troop deployments than on victory in Afghanistan and Iraq. He introduced the national security section by rhetorically targeting his own critics, with a defensive-sounding plea to "put aside schoolyard taunts about who's tough." Which he followed in the next paragraph by noting the hundreds of al Qaeda members that in the last year "have been captured or killed -- far more than in 2008." The elimination of the threat from hundreds of al Qaeda terrorists and supporters is a laudable achievement; why cheapen it with what sounds like, well, a taunting comparison to his predecessor?

In sum, this State of the Union comes from a president still struggling to reconcile his lofty campaign hopes with the hard realities of governing, and the pressing demands of domestic politics with his inescapable responsibilities as commander in chief.

Source:shadow.foreignpolicy.com/

Obama Treads Lightly On Health In State Of The Union

President Obama used his State of the Union address to urge lawmakers not to abandon the sinking ship of their health care overhaul bills, noting in perhaps the speech's biggest understatement that "by now it should be fairly obvious that I didn't take on health care because it was good politics."

He didn't offer a prescription on how to get legislation moving, and even now, after months of work, said that he was willing to reopen the discussion to accommodate better ideas on how to remake the nation's health system.

Want to talk about it? Join NPR's White House correspondent Scott Horsley and me for a Web chat on the president's speech and the prospects for health overhaul Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern by clicking here.

Obama's speech came as Democrats in the House and Senate remained at loggerheads about how to proceed in the wake of last week's loss of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy's Massachusetts seat to Republican Scott Brown. That stripped Democrats of their 60th vote in the Senate and, with it, the ability to fend off GOP filibusters.

The House could pass the Senate version of the bill and President Obama could sign it. But House Democrats hate many provisions in it, starting with a controversial tax on high-cost insurance plans.

The House might be able to pass the Senate bill, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday, if the Senate promised to pass changes under a process known as budget reconciliation. That is a fast-track procedure that bars filibusters and requires a simple majority to pass. But more than half a dozen Senate Democrats have already said they object to using reconciliation.

Enter President Obama, who urged lawmakers not to give up. "By the time I'm finished speaking tonight, more Americans will have lost their health insurance," he said. "Millions will lose it this year. Our deficit will grow. Premiums will go up. I will not walk away from these Americans, and neither should the people in this chamber." The president did not say how lawmakers should proceed, but he did appear to back away from earlier hints that Congress might want to scale back the bills.

"As temperatures cool, I want everyone to take another look at the plan we've proposed," he said. "There's a reason why many doctors, nurses, and health care experts who know our system best consider this approach a vast improvement over the status quo."

But he also left room for other possibilities, saying if anyone "has a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors, and stop insurance company abuses, let me know."

The White House posted health excerpts from Obama's speech here. For what it's worth, only about 6 percent of the address (about 450 words of the more than 7,000 in the speech) was devoted to health care.

Source:npr.org/

The State of Our Union Is Long

Last night's speech -- clocking in at 70 minutes -- is the longest speech the president has given since becoming a national political figure in 2004.

President Obama made sure to convey to struggling Americans that he understands their anxieties. For them, he said, “change has not come fast enough. Some are frustrated; some are angry. They don't understand why it seems like bad behavior on Wall Street is rewarded, but hard work on Main Street isn't; or why Washington has been unable or unwilling to solve any of our problems. They're tired of the partisanship and the shouting and the pettiness. They know we can't afford it. Not now.”

At a time when most Americans think the nation is on the wrong track, he president couched his assertion that the state of the union is strong in this way: “Despite our hardships, our union is strong. We do not give up. We do not quit. We do not allow fear or division to break our spirit.”

Though he made several pleas for bipartisan cooperation, the president could not hide his irritation with a GOP he sees as partisan and obstructionist. After listing tax cuts that we part of last year’s Recovery Act – “We cut taxes for small businesses. We cut taxes for first-time homebuyers. We cut taxes for parents trying to care for their children. We cut taxes for 8 million Americans paying for college” – he noted that Republicans in the chamber weren’t clapping.

“I thought I'd get some applause on that one,” he joked.

At another point, discussing how his proposed freeze on government spending “won't take effect until next year when the economy is stronger,” Republicans laughed, scoffing.

“That's how budgeting works,” the president ad-libbed, an edge in his voice.

He made clear his top priority. “I want a jobs bill on my desk without delay,” he said, though he also touched on energy, financial regulatory reform, education, exports, and lobbying and earmark reform.

Of health care reform – which has consumed so much time and political capital – the president made a push but offered no clear direction. Joking that “by now it should be fairly obvious that I didn't take on health care because it was good politics,” the president acknowledged about the health care bill that “the longer it was debated, the more skeptical people became. I take my share of the blame for not explaining it more clearly to the American people. And I know that with all the lobbying and horse-trading, the process left most Americans wondering, ‘What's in it for me?’”

“As temperatures cool, I want everyone to take another look at the plan we've proposed,” he said. “If anyone from either party has a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors, and stop insurance company abuses, let me know. Let me know. Let me know. I'm eager to see it. “

The president tried to re-claim the mantle of change. “I campaigned on the promise of change –- ‘Change we can believe in,’ the slogan went,” he said. “And right now, I know there are many Americans who aren't sure if they still believe we can change –- or that I can deliver it. But remember this –- I never suggested that change would be easy, or that I could do it alone.”

Source:blogs.abcnews.com/

Obama's state of the union: live blog

Barack Obama addresses Congress. Photograph: Tim Sloan/EPA

8.30pm eastern time: Just a week ago the voters of Massachusetts delivered a massive jolt to the US political world when they elected a Republican in what was regarded as a rock-solid Democratic senate seat. Now Barack Obama faces Congress and the nation with his first state of the union address. We'll be following the speech and rounding up the immediate media reaction – feel free to leave your comments below.

So what should we expect? The White House has released a set of quotes from the president's speech, and you can read them here. In an earlier briefing call to journalists this afternoon, it was made plain that jobs, jobs, jobs would be the focus of a big chunk of Obama's speech.

8.40pm: The usual scenes of congressional people milling about. Oh look, there's Joe Wilson. Looking very pleased with himself - the pressure is on him to follow up "You lie!" with something more exciting tonight. Tough one for him.

8.50pm: Tonight I'll be live blogging using an Apple iPad so apologies if things go awry. I need to download all the new apps.

8.55pm: We're being told that the speech will run 70 minutes long, which is on the long side really. Harry Truman used to just mail his over, and George Washington would just show up and say "Everything's great, whatever," because he hated going up to Congress. I paraphrase.

8.58pm: The Guardian's international editor IMs to inform us that Michelle Obama's dress is "lovely". It's purple, the colour of the Suffragettes.

9.00pm: Michelle Obama's guests up in the gallery include the two police officers who were on the scene at Fort Hood: Kimberly Munley and Mark Todd.

9.05pm: The live bloggers at Wonkette note: "Did you hear that Hillary can't make it because she has important diplomatic meetings? This should fill a full nine days of cable news coverage about 'Hillary 2012: hmm just asking hmm?'"

9.06pm: Here we go: "Madam Speaker, the President of the United States."

9.07pm: See, some people still like him. Mainly Democrats. But there's a special big Obama hug for Tim Geithner - who needs it after the day he's had denying he did anything wrong over the AIG bailout.

Obama's gone with the striped red tie again.

9.10pm: Last fashion round-up: Nancy Pelosi in lilac and big beads, Joe Biden with that fancy French cuff thing he likes so much, and a purple tie with a club stripe. Right, serious stuff from now on.

9.12pm: Times, it seems are tough:

One year ago, I took office amid two wars, an economy rocked by severe recession, a financial system on the verge of collapse, and a government deeply in debt. Experts from across the political spectrum warned that if we did not act, we might face a second depression. So we acted – immediately and aggressively. And one year later, the worst of the storm has passed. But the devastation remains.

The TV feed cuts to Tim Geithner, a man possibly contemplating unemployment in a personal sense.

9.15pm: Over on Twitter, it has been noted that high-def TV makes all the really old senators look even really older. Not Obama though.

9.18pm: As popular as a root canal....

Our most urgent task upon taking office was to shore up the same banks that helped cause this crisis. It was not easy to do. And if there's one thing that has unified Democrats and Republicans, it's that we all hated the bank bailout. I hated it. You hated it. It was about as popular as a root canal.

That got a chuckle. Another shot of Tim Geithner, now with fixed grin, possibly because he just had a root canal done.

A fight! has broken out in the comments below. It's this sort of thing that gives the internet a bad name:

PhillipMcKann: President Obama waited an entire 60 seconds before he dusted off the previous administration. He is truly a petulant and pouty child.

MockingbirdGirl: I admire his restraint. I would have slagged off those idiots in the first 10 seconds!

9.24pm: Harry Reid supressing a yawn. Sorry to keep you up Harry.

9.25pm: Those of you who got "jobs" in the SOTU drinking games will be passed out by now:

The House has passed a jobs bill that includes some of these steps. As the first order of business this year, I urge the Senate to do the same. People are out of work. They are hurting. They need our help. And I want a jobs bill on my desk without delay.

A jobs bill, now, goddamit.

9.29pm: Lots of standing ovations so far, although the Republicans appear to have glue on their seats, or possibly many of the older ones are just having a sit-down.

9.31pm: Actually there's a good point here – under Pelosi's leadership the House of Representatives has produced the goods, in terms of passing bills, financial reform, climate change, and so on. It's the Senate, and the filibuster of course, holding things up. Harry Reid, stop yawning.

9.35pm: At last, some tough noises on financial reform:

One place to start is serious financial reform. Look, I am not interested in punishing banks, I'm interested in protecting our economy... The House has already passed financial reform with many of these changes. And the lobbyists are already trying to kill it. Well, we cannot let them win this fight. And if the bill that ends up on my desk does not meet the test of real reform, I will send it back.

9.36pm: Climate change, now things are getting interesting - and some rumbles of discontent from the Joe Wilsons on the Republican benches:

But to create more of these clean energy jobs, we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives. That means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country. It means making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development. It means continued investment in advanced biofuels and clean coal technologies. And yes, it means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America.

The key here (I'm told by our US environmental correspondent Suzanne Goldenberg) is Obama's use of the world "comprehensive" in mentioning an energy and climate bill.

Note too that he mentions building new nuclear plants - and, and this is significant (possibly), "making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development". Offshore drilling? Is that the quid-pro-quo for a climate change bill? To quote Michael Steele: Drill, baby, drill.

9.41pm: On the environment, there were some mutterings at this point:

I know that there are those who disagree with the overwhelming scientific evidence on climate change. But even if you doubt the evidence, providing incentives for energy efficiency and clean energy are the right thing to do for our future – because the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And America must be that nation.

9.43pm: A quick whip through university tuition and education, and now here we are on healthcare reform.

Now let's be clear – I did not choose to tackle this issue to get some legislative victory under my belt. And by now it should be fairly obvious that I didn't take on health care because it was good politics.

You got that right.

9.45pm: The internets here in the US are buzzing with the student tuition items I elided over so quickly ... forgiving students loans after 10 years in public service (however that is defined) is a big deal, and moving to direct loans rather than the subsidised forms of loans through private providers is a very good thing (cf the several million New York Times articles on the subject in recent years), as well as capping loan repayments at 10% of income. At last I can go to Yale Law.

9.49pm: Obama says he's not walking away from healthcare reform:

I take my share of the blame for not explaining it more clearly to the American people. And I know that with all the lobbying and horse-trading, this process left most Americans wondering what's in it for them.

I also know this problem is not going away. By the time I'm finished speaking tonight, more Americans will have lost their health insurance. Millions will lose it this year. Our deficit will grow. Premiums will go up. Patients will be denied the care they need. Small business owners will continue to drop coverage altogether. I will not walk away from these Americans, and neither should the people in this chamber.

9.51pm: It's onto fiscal policy - and is that a boo from the audience? Hmm? Obama looks stern, pauses and says: "Just stating the facts."

9.53pm: So, looking at the detail of what's been said on healthcare - unlike the issue of jobs or climate change, Obama did not say anything about passing the Senate bill. Interesting.

Best Twitter joke so far:

@MyrnaTheMinx Would've been awesome if Joe Wilson had shouted "you're fat!" during that child obesity bit.

10.03pm: Here's the bipartisanship-ness: monthly meetings with Republican and Democrat leaders. "I know you can't wait," quips Obama.

Some better quality sound bites now:

I will not give up on changing the tone of our politics. I know it's an election year. And after last week, it is clear that campaign fever has come even earlier than usual. But we still need to govern. To Democrats, I would remind you that we still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve some problems, not run for the hills. And if the Republican leadership is going to insist that sixty votes in the Senate are required to do any business at all in this town, then the responsibility to govern is now yours as well. Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it's not leadership.

10.06pm: We're an hour in (not long to go), and I have to say this is a pretty good speech. It's not his big barnstorming-style speech, but there's plenty of good stuff in there. What it shows is that Obama is good at capturing a mood, and he can get the tone right, and that's what he's done here.

But not everyone likes it. Toby Harden, the Daily Telegraph's resident swivel-eyed-in-chief, is compelled to tweet with typical restraint and dignity:

@tobyharden Obama: "IT'S BUSH'S FAULT! I am not interested in re-litigating the past. IT'S BUSH'S FAULT!"

10.12pm: Haiti gets a mention. And Guinea, for a change:

As we have for over sixty years, America takes these actions because our destiny is connected to those beyond our shores. But we also do it because it is right. That is why, as we meet here tonight, over 10,000 Americans are working with many nations to help the people of Haiti recover and rebuild. That is why we stand with the girl who yearns to go to school in Afghanistan; we support the human rights of the women marching through the streets of Iran; and we advocate for the young man denied a job by corruption in Guinea. For America must always stand on the side of freedom and human dignity.

10.15pm: And finally we get to Don't Ask, Don't Tell - something that was being heavily pushed by the White House earlier today:

This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are.

Now this is a slight step up, "I will work with Congress" being an advance of sorts from merely calling on Congress to repeal DADT. How much of one, we'll have to wait and see, but he's committing to action by the presidency, at least.

10.18pm: After the Don't Ask, Don't Tell comment, cameras cut to the joint chiefs of staff in the audience. Stony faced. Robert Gates, the defence secretary, applauds.

10.20pm: Not a lot of foreign policy talk, and probably the briefest mentions of Iraq and Afghanistan in a SOTU for many years. Now we're getting into the peroration, and there's some good stuff in there too, tackling directly the "change" knock that gets thrown at him:

I campaigned on the promise of change – change we can believe in, the slogan went. And right now, I know there are many Americans who aren't sure if they still believe we can change – or at least, that I can deliver it.

But remember this – I never suggested that change would be easy, or that I can do it alone. Democracy in a nation of three hundred million people can be noisy and messy and complicated. And when you try to do big things and make big changes, it stirs passions and controversy. That's just how it is.

10.23pm: Powerful ending there, I'm tempted to say Reaganesque even in style.

Our administration has had some political setbacks this year, and some of them were deserved. But I wake up every day knowing that they are nothing compared to the setbacks that families all across this country have faced this year. And what keeps me going – what keeps me fighting – is that despite all these setbacks, that spirit of determination and optimism – that fundamental decency that has always been at the core of the American people – lives on.

Non-Americans may cringe slightly at this point:

It lives on in the 8-year old boy in Louisiana, who just sent me his allowance and asked if I would give it to the people of Haiti. And it lives on in all the Americans who've dropped everything to go some place they've never been and pull people they've never known from rubble, prompting chants of "USA! USA! USA!" when another life was saved.

There then followed a strong moment when Obama looked straight at the camera, addressing the viewing public rather than Congress: "The spirit that has sustained this nation for more than two centuries lives on in you, its people."

Then comes the nod to Reagan:

We have finished a difficult year. We have come through a difficult decade. But a new year has come. A new decade stretches before us. We don't quit. I don't quit. Let's seize this moment – to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and to strengthen our union once more.

10.32pm: And that's it, handshakes all round. The Republicans kept pretty quiet this time, but the post-match analysis is talking about a Supreme Court justice, Samuel Alito, reacting when the president mentioned the recent court ruling lifting the bar on corporate campaign spending.

Here's what Obama said:

Last week, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests – including foreign corporations – to spend without limit in our elections. Well I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities.

Alito, appointed by George Bush, was seen to shake his head and say: "No that's not right." The TV highlights tape will reveal more, but if so that's quite something, for a Supreme Court justice to make a public gesture like that.

10.36pm: Now it's the newly elected Republican of Virginia, Bob McDonnell, looking presidential and doing the response. Here's hoping he does a better job than Bobby Jindel did last time. He kicks off with a gag about how his sons told him to get it over with in 10 minutes because they want to go and watch television. I blame the parents.

Anyway, Bob needs more auto-cue coaching. It looks as if it has stage directions ("clench fist") written in there. Still, he gets in a Bible quote and has a nice dimple, so we can all look forward to Sarah Palin trouncing him in the 2012 Republican primaries.

10.45pm: So now it's time to catch some Fox News reaction - America's most trusted news channel. Let's see some fair and balanced. And what's this? A man in a suit saying something nice about Obama. Who is this? Someone named Mike Leavitt. Google tells me he's a former governor of Utah and HHS secretary under Bush.

Enough of that: Roger Wicker, Republican senator from Ole Miss, is on and he kicks off by talking about Obama's "left-wing base". Phew. Anyway, Obama shouldn't bother about healthcare and get on with jobs. Plus, Obama should stop going on about the Bush years. "He's been president now for more than a year," says Senator Wicker. Yep, a year and one week.

10.59pm: For some reason Fox News is interviewing a bunch of fund managers. One guy reeled off a list of things he wanted, including: "Coal is and forever will be the best source of energy." Well ok.

Ah, it's because I'm on the Fox Business Channel. Is that thing still going? I should have wondered why the stock prices were scrolling on the bottom of the screen.

11.02pm: That's better, over on Fox News Sean Hannity is there, and also says Obama has to stop blaming everything on Bush. "Will it ever end, bashing Bush?" Sean has John McCain on, who hilariously describes this as "BIOB" - Blame It On Bush. Except McCain says BOIB, which would be Blame On It Bush.

11.10pm: Curse you DirectTV, I need to change channel to PBS for Charlie Rose and it's very difficult.

Hang on - it's Sarah Palin on Fox. PBS can wait.

11.19pm: Sarah Palin did not like what she saw. She tells Sean Hannity: "There was a lot of lecturing going on tonight versus inspiring the American people."

Specifically:

He not understanding that we don't want to chill out a little bit on his healthcare plans, we want to kill it because it's a government takeover.

Interesting use of "chill out" there.

11.24pm: Fox News plays the tape of Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito reacting to Obama's comments, and yes: he clearly shakes his head and mouths "Not true." This, says Sarah Palin, is the president "embarrassing our Supreme Court and not respecting our Supreme Court justice", although she also notes that only one of the two men could be right. Which is fair.

11.32pm: The final word on the Alito reaction comes from Linda Greenhouse, the ex-NYT reporter who covered the court brilliantly for many years:

Justice Alito shook his head as if to rebut the president's characterization of the Citizens United decision, and seemed to mouth the words "not true." Indeed, Mr. Obama's description of the holding of the case was imprecise. He said the court had "reversed a century of law."

11.35pm: OK, let's wrap this thing up. So, a long speech, quite humble in tone, given the number of times Obama admitted to various failings. There were quite a few specifics and a tone of determination, especially in passing a new jobs bill and financial regulation, but how long that lasts in the cold grasp of the Senate remains to be seen.

There was a surprising amount of attention given to climate change and surprisingly little on foreign policy – a direct result of the domestic focus. The specifics included the spending freeze, student loans and the chance of progress on gays serving in the military, and an attempt to see the broad spectrum of domestic issues through the prism of the economy and job creation – the single issue on which his presidency will stand or fall in the next two years. On healthcare there was less than met the eye, a desire to pass reform but no clear path to do so – possibly because that is in a state of flux. But if nothing else, this address will have succeeded if it stops his fellow Democrats "running for the hills", in his words, at the first sound of gunfire.

The best line? "We don't quit. I don't quit."

Well, I quit. Thank you and good night.

Source:guardian.co.uk/

Obama: Bring Troops Home, Support Veterans

President Obama’s first State of the Union address last night concluded with Obama noting the administration’s “largest increase in investments for veterans in decades — last year.” Obama did not directly address the infamous ‘culture of denial’ our veterans endure at the U.S. Dept of Veterans Affairs, but he did commit to a specific policy in Iraq and Afghanistan “so … our troops can begin to come home.”

Below are Obama remarks pertaining directly to veterans affairs from his address.

… And in Afghanistan, we’re increasing our troops and training Afghan security forces so they can begin to take the lead in July of 2011, and our troops can begin to come home. (Applause.) We will reward good governance, work to reduce corruption, and support the rights of all Afghans — men and women alike. (Applause.) We’re joined by allies and partners who have increased their own commitments, and who will come together tomorrow in London to reaffirm our common purpose. There will be difficult days ahead. But I am absolutely confident we will succeed.

As we take the fight to al Qaeda, we are responsibly leaving Iraq to its people. As a candidate, I promised that I would end this war, and that is what I am doing as President. We will have all of our combat troops out of Iraq by the end of this August. (Applause.) We will support the Iraqi government — we will support the Iraqi government as they hold elections, and we will continue to partner with the Iraqi people to promote regional peace and prosperity. But make no mistake: This war is ending, and all of our troops are coming home. (Applause.)

Tonight, all of our men and women in uniform — in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and around the world –- they have to know that we — that they have our respect, our gratitude, our full support. And just as they must have the resources they need in war, we all have a responsibility to support them when they come home. (Applause.) That’s why we made the largest increase in investments for veterans in decades — last year. (Applause.) That’s why we’re building a 21st century VA. And that’s why Michelle has joined with Jill Biden to forge a national commitment to support military families. (Applause.) …

Source:veteranstoday.com/

Obama Pushes $10,000 College Tax Credit and Student Debt Relief

President Barack Obama touted education among his top priorities in his first State of the Union address, proposing a $10,000 higher-education tax credit for families and debt forgiveness for people who have been repaying their college loans for at least 20 years.

Obama urged the U.S. Senate to join the House in overhauling the federal student-loan system, saying such a move would end “unwarranted taxpayer subsidies” to banks and help revitalize community colleges. He also supported an update of No Child Left Behind, the Bush administration education effort.

Obama said the cost of the higher-education initiatives would be offset by money saved from his plan to provide all new federal loans directly to students, instead of through private lenders led by the Reston, Virginia-based SLM Corp., known as Sallie Mae. While some Republican lawmakers have opposed this plan saying it may raise college costs, the Congressional Budget Office said it may save the government $80 billion in 10 years.

“In the 21st century, the best anti-poverty program around is a world-class education,” Obama said in yesterday’s speech. “No one should go broke because they chose to go to college.”

Obama, who plans to send Congress his budget request for fiscal 2011 next week, said he’ll propose the $10,000 tax credit for families paying for four years of college, and more money for Pell Grants that help low-income students afford college. He also called for an expansion of an income-based student-loan repayment program the Education Department started in July.

“Let’s tell another 1 million students that when they graduate, they will be required to pay only 10 percent of their income on student loans, and all of their debt will be forgiven after 20 years -- and forgiven after 10 years if they choose a career in public service,” Obama said.

Student Loan Savings

The plan to provide federal college loans directly, approved by the House in September, aims to protect student loans from turmoil in financial markets and end federal payments that Obama says are wasteful. It would discontinue the 43-year- old Federal Family Education Loan Program that subsidizes and guarantees loans made by private lenders.

Starting in July, all new federal loans would be provided through a separate program, created in 1993, that lets the Education Department lend directly to students.

Representative John Kline of Minnesota, the top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee, said such a plan may create new expenses for students.

“Making the federal government responsible for a larger share of student debt is likely to do nothing more than exacerbate high college costs,” Kline said yesterday in an e- mailed statement.

Education Budget

Obama’s budget plan, set to be released Feb. 1, includes a $3 billion raise in discretionary education funds next year, shielding federal school programs from his proposed freeze on some domestic spending, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said yesterday. That’s about 6 percent more than this year’s $47 billion discretionary budget for education programs other than Pell Grants, Education Department spokeswoman Sandra Abrevaya said yesterday in an e-mail.

The $3 billion contains Obama’s proposed $1.35 billion expansion of the Race to the Top competitive grant program, which rewards states that make the most progress in raising academic standards, boosting teacher quality, tracking student gains and improving failing schools.

That program, which will award $4.35 billion in stimulus grants to states this year, has “broken through the stalemate between left and right” on how to improve the nation’s public schools, Obama said.

‘Reward Success’

“Instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success,” Obama said. “Instead of funding the status quo, we only invest in reform - reform that raises student achievement, inspires students to excel in math and science, and turns around failing schools that steal the future of too many young Americans.”

The budget proposal would allow another $1 billion in K-12 education spending, for a total of $4 billion, if lawmakers reauthorize No Child Left Behind this year, Duncan said.

The 2002 law, enacted under President George W. Bush, requires states to measure student achievement through standardized tests.

While states can set their own standards to determine what constitutes an adequate education, they can lose some federal funds if they don’t show yearly progress toward those goals.

Obama and Duncan have said the law prompted many states to weaken their academic standards and led schools to devote too much time to standardized test preparation. They want states to agree on a common set of tougher, nationwide standards. They also want to give states more flexibility in meeting those standards than they now have under No Child Left Behind.

“In this country, the success of our children cannot depend more on where they live than on their potential,” Obama said.

Source:bloomberg.com/

State of the Union speech: chastened Barack Obama appeals for unity

required him to verge at times into the unfamiliar territory of humility, as he showed that the lessons of a bruising first year had been absorbed.

"Our administration has had some political setbacks this year, and some of them were deserved," he admitted. On the deadlocked health care bill, he said: "I take my share of the blame for not explaining it more clearly to the American people." But admitting his own mistakes was combined with forceful demands for his audience of Congressmen to put doing the people's work above their own interests.

"We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions. So let's show the American people that we can do it together," he said, in one of many entreaties for both parties to set politicking aside.

He warned Democrats scared after the loss of a Senate seat in liberal Massachusetts not to "run for the hills" and urged Republicans not to "say no to everything".

These occasions can be rowdy. When he spoke to a joint session of Congress in September a Republican congressman called him a liar. At one point a member of the audience tried to interrupt the president but was briskly removed from the chamber.

But you could have heard the proverbial pin drop when the president dwelt on why Americans had lost faith in business, the media and the government. This is clearly a subject that bothers those whose behaviour is a major source of the problem.

"I campaigned on the promise of change – change we can believe in, the slogan went," said Mr Obama. "And right now, I know there are many Americans who aren't sure if they still believe we can change – or at least, that I can deliver it," he said.

After last night, there probably will be more Americans ready to accept that he can live up to his promises. But as the public has shown at the ballot box, their patience will not last long.

Source:telegraph.co.uk

Obama will invest billions in high-speed rail projects

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's State of the Union shout-out for high-speed rail will pump more than $8 billion into dozens of states that include California, Washington, North Carolina and Florida.

Smaller awards also will be made for improvements to existing rail lines. Overall, 31 states will receive funding.

California is one of the big winners, receiving $2.25 billion to help build a high-speed rail system, as well as additional money for other rail projects.

The grants include $1.1 billion for a Chicago-to-St. Louis corridor, $1.25 billion for a Tampa-to-Orlando, Fla., corridor, $244 million for a Chicago-to-Detroit corridor and $810 million for work between Madison, Wis., and Milwaukee. In Ohio, $400 million will pay for work between Cleveland and Cincinnati.

Washington and North Carolina are getting roughly half a billion dollars each, and Florida will hear its good news directly from Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday.

"When the president and vice president show up to make a joint funding announcement, it's a significant announcement," Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., said in an interview Wednesday afternoon.

Castor, who'll be flying to Florida with Obama on Air Force One, said White House senior political adviser David Axelrod had advised her that the president's appearance at the University of Tampa would include the delivery of high-speed rail money.

All told, 13 major corridors will receive awards Thursday to help develop new high-speed rail infrastructure or to begin a transition to high-speed rail.

North Carolina, for instance, is receiving $520 million for the Raleigh-to-Charlotte corridor. This will be used for track improvements so that trains can travel at up to 90 mph. The money also will pay for station improvements.

Washington state is receiving $590 million to help eliminate bottlenecks in a corridor that connects Portland, Ore., with Seattle. Because of concerns over safety and freight traffic, the trains currently are limited to 79 mph.

"Anybody who travels the I-5 corridor in our state knows that we need to find new, efficient options to get commuters and commerce moving," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. "This funding is the opportunity we've been waiting for to help make these improvements a reality."

Murray, the chairman of the Senate transportation appropriations subcommittee, learned of the funding Wednesday in a phone call from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

California has studied high-speed rail service along four corridors: Los Angeles to Anaheim, Fresno to Bakersfield, Fresno to Merced and San Francisco to San Jose. In addition to the $2.25 billion, the state will receive $99 million for smaller corridors served by conventional trains.

The White House announcement didn't specify where the money must be spent among the California corridors, nor was it immediately apparent how that decision will be made.

"California is far ahead of any other rail corridor in the country," said Democratic Rep. Jim Costa of California, a high-speed rail advocate who spoke to LaHood on Wednesday.

Transportation Department officials were scrambling to organize a California news conference, Costa said.

California had sought roughly $4.7 billion - more than half the amount available nationwide - to help connect Los Angeles and San Francisco with 220 mph trains. State officials never expected to get the full amount.

"Any amount of funding that we get from the stimulus act is a benefit to California and its high-speed rail system," said Jeff Barker, a spokesman for the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

All told, 24 states submitted 45 corridor applications for high-speed rail funding, which was included as part of a $787 billion economic stimulus package that was approved last February.

Transportation Department officials have said that the funding decisions will be "merit-based." Even so, lawmakers have been pressing hard for their preferred routes.

Les Blumenthal and Barbara Barrett in Washington and E.J. Schultz of The Fresno Bee's Sacramento bureau contributed to this article.)

Source:miamiherald.com/