Finally, after the Supreme Court of Minnesota ruled five to zero in favor of Al Franken, Norm Colman has accepted the ruling of the court.  “I will accept the the court’s decision.”  Coleman also said that he would not pursue any additional legal challenges and has already called and congratulated Al Franken on his win of the United States senate seat.  This will give the Democrats the magic 60 super majority in the Senate.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that Democrat Al Franken be certified as the winner of the state’s long-running Senate race.

The high court rejected a legal challenge from Republican Norm Coleman, whose options for regaining the Senate seat are dwindling.

Justices said Franken is entitled to the election certificate he needs to assume office. With Franken and the usual backing of two independents, Democrats will have a big enough majority to overcome Republican filibusters.

In remarks given in Lynchberg, Virginia, GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell praised George W. Bush for his economic policies and expressed that he hopes to repeat them in Virginia.

“President Bush put in a ten-year tax-cut on everything from the death tax to capital gains tax and it was followed by an unprecedented period of economic recovery and economic growth,” he said. “In fact, it almost overheated the economy through about 2006. So, I think that’s the way you stimulate business. And that’s the kind of governor that I’m going to be to reduce those impediments to entrepreneurship, to let small businesses grow and thrive and create some opportunity.”

One supposes that McDonnell hopes to leave Virginia in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression also.  About those tax cuts, GW used the surplus lest by President Clinton to pay for them.  Had W been fiscally responsible and left them aside for a rainy day perhaps we would not have had to implement two stimulus packages.  No thanks McDonnell, it sounds like under your leadership Virginia will be broke in no time.

Conservatives for Patients Rights [mouthpiece for the insurance industry] is running ads claiming that a “Government-run plan” will force “119 million off their current insurance coverage, leaving no choices in health insurance and government in control of your health care.”    This is categorically misleading.  What the group fails to say and what the author of the study cited in the ads, John Shields of the Lewin Group, explains is that those 119 million Americans will VOLUNTARILY move to the more economical government plan because it is cheaper not because consumers are being forced to switch.   Shields further explains that private insurers will lose 119 million customers because such customers will opt for the much lower priced public plan premiums.  Think about it, if a customer is offered the exact same product for less money why would anyone choose the higher priced product.  However, the company offering the higher priced products will be forced to lower its prices.  A public plan will force the insurance industry to become more competitive and that is exactly what it is afraid of.  

Between 2000  and 2007, U.S. health insurance premiums rose a whopping 98 percent.  Wages rose a mere 23 percent.  In addition, even though premiums rose so drastically, coverage for illnesses decreased dramatically forcing many American families into bankruptcy due to a denial of coverage.  Without viable competition, a few companies in each state will continue to dominate the market sending health care cost to astronomical levels and health care coverage dwindling even further.  Are you a serious illness and coverage denial away from bankruptcy?

Insurance companies must be held accountable and be forced to provide quality services for competitive prices.  If you think the GOP idea of allowing the private insurance industry to reform itself  is the best way to go, I have 75  years of history that suggest otherwise.  The only way to make the insurance industry competitive and make it more accountable  is to offer a government-run option to American consumers.  The Lewin Group ad is clearly an attempt by private insurance companies to stifle competion because the industry knows that a government-run plan is the best way to drive down health care cost and thus will affect the billions in profits they earn off the backs of working and middle class Americans.  Call your Congressman here and your Senator here.

Gov. Mark Sanford arrived in the Hartsville-Jackson International Airport Wednesday morning, having wrapped up a seven-day visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina, he said. Sanford said he had not been hiking along the Appalachian Trail, as his staff said in a Tuesday statement to the media. Sanford’s whereabouts had been unknown since Thursday, and the mystery surrounding his absence fueled speculation about where he had been and who’s in charge in his absence. His emergence Wednesday ended the mystery. Sanford, in an exclusive interview with The State Media Company, said he decided at the last minute to go to the South American country to recharge after a difficult legislative session in which he battled with lawmakers over how to spend federal stimulus money. Sanford said he had considered hiking on the Appalachian Trail, an activity he said he has enjoyed since he was a high school student. “But I said ‘no’ I wanted to do something exotic,” Sanford said “… It’s a great city.  See article here.

This smells awfully fishy. 

First, the governor of a state takes off to a foreign country for a little R&R without telling his WIFE!  Or his leutenant governor! or his STAFF!!! Without SECURITY!! On FATHER’s DAY!!! 

Second, he just happened to have his PASSPORT with him when he changed his mind about hiking.

UPDATE: Gov. Sanford press conference. 

In a very emotional and unusually candid (for a politician) press conference, Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina admitted to being unfaithful to his wife. Sanford apologized to his wife and boys for letting them down.  He also apologized to his staff and the people of South Carolina.  Sanford choked up when apologizing to his friend Tom Davis.  The Southern Governor admitted that he developed a relationship with a woman in Argentina that he met eight years ago.  The relationship started casually through an exchange of emails.  A year ago it developed into something more than friends.  The relationship was discovered five months ago.  Sanford was not wearing his wedding ring.  He also said that he would be resigning as chairman of the GOP Governors’ Assoc.  A reporter asked if the Governor would resign and received no response. Sanford’s wife did not attend the press conference.

During President Obama’s press conference yesterday quite a few journalist got schooled presidential style on questions ranging from the President’s response on Iraq to the recent smoking bill that he signed this week.  See the details below.

First up, Major Garret of Fox News:

PRESIDENT: Major Garrett? Where’s Major?

QUESTION: Right here, sir.

In your opening remarks, sir, you said about Iran that you were appalled and outraged. What took you so long?

(CROSSTALK)

PRESIDENT: I don’t think that’s accurate. Track what I’ve been saying. Right after the election I said that we had profound concerns about the nature of the election, but that it was not up to us to determine what the outcome was.

As soon as violence broke out — in fact, in anticipation of potential violence — we were very clear in saying that violence was unacceptable, that that was not how governments operate with respect to their people.

So we’ve been entirely consistent, Major, in terms of how we’ve approached this. My role has been to say the United States is not going to be a foil for the Iranian government to try to blame what’s happening on the streets of Tehran on the CIA or on the White House, that this is an issue that is led by and given voice to the frustrations of the Iranian people.

And so we’ve been very consistent the first day, and we’re going to continue to be consistent in saying this is not an issue about the United States, this is about an issue of the Iranian people.

What we’ve also been consistent about is saying that there are some universal principles, including freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, making sure that governments are not using coercion and violence and repression in terms of how they interact with peaceful demonstrators. And we have been speaking out very clearly about that fact.

QUESTION: Are Iranian diplomats still welcome at the embassy on Fourth of July, sir?

PRESIDENT: Well, I think as you’re aware, Major, we don’t have formal diplomatic relations with…

POOWWW!

Next up, Chip Reid of CBS:

PRESIDENT: Chip?

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

Following up on Major’s question, some Republicans on Capitol Hill, John McCain and Lindsey Graham, for example, have said that up to this point your response on Iran has been timid and weak.

Today it sounded a lot stronger. It sounded like the kind of speech John McCain has been urging you to give, saying that those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history, referring to an iron fist in Iran, deplore, appalled, outraged.

Were you influenced at all by John McCain and Lindsey Graham accusing you of being timid and weak?

PRESIDENT: What do you think?

(LAUGHTER)

Look, the — you know, I think John McCain has genuine passion about many of these international issues. And, you know, I think that all of us share a belief that we want justice to prevail.

But only I’m the president of the United States. And I’ve got responsibilities in making certain that we are continually advancing our national security interests and that we are not used as a tool to be exploited by other countries.

I mean, you guys must have seen the reports. They’ve got some of the comments that I’ve made being mistranslated in Iran, suggesting that I’m telling rioters to go out and riot some more. There are reports suggesting that the CIA is behind all this. All of which patently false. But it gives you a sense of the narrative that the Iranian government would love to play into.

So the — you know, members of Congress, they’ve got their constitutional duties, and I’m sure they will carry them out in the way that they think is appropriate. I’m president of the United States, and I’ll carry out my duties as I think are appropriate.

BAAMMM!

Here comes Chuck Todd of MSNBC:

PRESIDENT: Chuck Todd?

QUESTION: Mr. President, I want to follow up on Iran. You have avoided, twice, spelling out consequences. You’ve hinted that there would be from the international community, if they continue to violate — and you said “violate these norms.” You seemed to hint that there — there are human rights violations taking place.

PRESIDENT: I’m not hinting. I think that when a young woman gets shot on the street when she gets out of her car, that’s a problem.

QUESTION: Then why won’t you spell out the consequences that the Iranian people…

PRESIDENT: Because I think that we don’t know yet how this thing is going to play out. I know everybody here is on a 24-hour news cycle. I’m not.     [appropriate deafening silence after a slam then moving on] OK?

QUESTION: Shouldn’t — I mean, shouldn’t the world…

(CROSSTALK)

PRESIDENT: I answered — I answered…

QUESTION: … present regime know that there are consequences?

PRESIDENT: I answered your question, which is that we don’t yet know how this is going to play out. OK?

SOOOOCK!

Next, a health care question:

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

Two of the key players in the insurance industry, America’s Health Insurance Plans and Blue Cross/Blue Shield, sent a letter to the Senate this morning saying that a government health insurance plan would, quote, “dismantle,” end quote, private insurers.

QUESTION: Why are they wrong?

[snip]

PRESIDENT: Why would it drive private insurance out of business? If — if private — if private insurers say that the marketplace provides the best quality health care; if they tell us that they’re offering a good deal, then why is it that the government, which they say can’t run anything, suddenly is going to drive them out of business? That’s not logical. 

Now, the — I think that there’s going to be some healthy debates in Congress about the shape that this takes. I think there can be some legitimate concerns on the part of private insurers that if any public plan is simply being subsidized by taxpayers endlessly that over time they can’t compete with the government just printing money, so there are going to be some I think legitimate debates to be had about how this private plan takes shape.

But just conceptually, the notion that all these insurance companies who say they’re giving consumers the best possible deal, if they can’t compete against a public plan as one option, with consumers making the decision what’s the best deal, that defies logic, which is why I think you’ve seen in the polling data overwhelming support for a public plan.

Finally, Margaret from McClatchy News

PRESIDENT: Margaret from McClatchy? Where’s Margaret? There you go.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.  As a former smoker, I understand the frustration and the fear that comes with quitting. But with the new law that you signed yesterday regulating the tobacco industry, I’d like to ask you a few questions. How many cigarettes a day…

PRESIDENT: A few questions?

QUESTION: Well…

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: … how many cigarettes a day do you now smoke? Do you smoke alone or in the presence of other people? And do you believe the new law should help you to quit? If so, why?

PRESIDENT: Well, the — first of all, the new law that was put in place is not about me. It’s about the next generation of kids coming up. So I think it’s fair, Margaret, to just say that you just think it’s neat to ask me about my smoking as opposed to it being relevant to my new law.

But that’s fine. I understand. It’s an interesting human — it’s an interesting human interest story.

Look, I’ve said before that as a former smoker I constantly struggle with it. Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes? Yes. The — am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No. I don’t do it in front of my kids. I don’t do it in front of my family. And, you know, I would say that I am 95 percent cured. But there are times where…

(LAUGHTER)

There are times where I mess up. And I mean, I’ve said this before. I get this question about once every month or so. And, you know, I don’t know what to tell you, other than the fact that, you know, like folks who go to A.A., you know, once you’ve gone down this path, then, you know, it’s something you continually struggle with, which is precisely why the legislation we signed was so important, because what we don’t want is kids going down that path in the first place.

And the President’s work is done.  Main stream media obliterated in the final round.

The polls indicate that 76% of the population including Republicans, Democrats and Independents want a public health care option in the health care reform legislation currently being debated in Congress.  Something like 86% of Democrats want a public option.  If a public option is not included in the health care reform legislation then we can pretty much go back to business as usual with the insurance companies.  The insurance industry will continue to monopolize the health care industry and the price of health care will continue to rise due to lack of competition.  People will will continue to go bankrupt due to excessive health care cost that insurance companies refuse to cover.  Offering a government program will provide the much needed competition to the insurance industry thereby lowering prices of health care overall.  A public option will also provide access to those who currently do not have it.  A public option looks like this:

Available to all of us: A strong public health insurance option should be available to anyone who chooses to participate. If you like your current plan, you can keep it; if you want to participate in the public health insurance plan, you can choose that.

A national plan with real bargaining clout: In order to truly control costs and compete with private health insurance plans, a strong public health insurance option must be available nationwide.

Ready on day one: Every day we wait on real reform, health care costs continue to rise. A strong public health insurance option with a broad network of providers right out of the gate is key to building a competitive program that will help control costs.

A truly public plan: To ensure it’s held to the highest standards of accountability, a public health insurance option must be truly publicly run—accountable and transparent to Congress and to voters.

Please sign this petition drafted by Dr. Howard Dean.   Also, if you believe that a public option is critical to health care reform call your Senators and let them know your opinion.  Especially those constituents of Senator Diane Feinstein who seems to be wavering and attempting to do some back room dealing for her vote for the public option.

UPDATE:

President Obama’s statement on health care today:

The last issue I’d like to address is health care. 

Right now, Congress is debating various health care reform proposals.  This is obviously a complicated issue, but I am very optimistic about the progress they’re making. 

Like energy, this is legislation that will be paid for.  It will not add to our deficits over the next decade.  We will find the money through savings and efficiencies within the health care system – some of which we’ve already announced. 

We will also ensure that the reform we pass brings down the crushing cost of health care.  We simply cannot have a system where we throw good money after bad habits.  We must control the skyrocketing costs that are driving families, businesses, and our government into greater and greater debt. 

There is no doubt that we must preserve what is best about our health care system, and that means allowing Americans who like their doctors and their health care plans to keep them.  But unless we fix what is broken in our current system, everyone’s health care will be in jeopardy.  Unless we act, premiums will climb higher, benefits will erode further, and the rolls of uninsured will swell to include millions more Americans.  Unless we act, one out of every five dollars we earn will be spent on health care within a decade.  And the amount our government spends on Medicare and Medicaid will eventually grow larger than what our government spends on anything else today. 

When it comes to health care, the status quo is unsustainable.  Reform is not a luxury, it is a necessity.  And so I hope that Congress will continue to make significant progress on this issue in the weeks ahead. 

And now, I’d be happy to take your questions.

A Message from the President

As the father of two young girls who have shown such poise, humor, and patience in the unconventional life into which they have been thrust, I mark this Father’s Day—our first in the White House—with a deep sense of gratitude. One of the greatest benefits of being President is that I now live right above the office. I see my girls off to school nearly every morning and have dinner with them nearly every night. It is a welcome change after so many years out on the campaign trail and commuting between Chicago and Capitol Hill.

But I observe this Father’s Day not just as a father grateful to be present in my daughters’ lives but also as a son who grew up without a father in my own life. My father left my family when I was 2 years old, and I knew him mainly from the letters he wrote and the stories my family told. And while I was lucky to have two wonderful grandparents who poured everything they had into helping my mother raise my sister and me, I still felt the weight of his absence throughout my childhood.

As an adult, working as a community organizer and later as a legislator, I would often walk through the streets of Chicago’s South Side and see boys marked by that same absence—boys without supervision or direction or anyone to help them as they struggled to grow into men. I identified with their frustration and disengagement—with their sense of having been let down.  

In many ways, I came to understand the importance of fatherhood through its absence—both in my life and in the lives of others. I came to understand that the hole a man leaves when he abandons his responsibility to his children is one that no government can fill. We can do everything possible to provide good jobs and good schools and safe streets for our kids, but it will never be enough to fully make up the difference. 

That is why we need fathers to step up, to realize that their job does not end at conception; that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise one.  See the remainder of the President’s message here.

The United States Senate officially apologized Thursday for the enslavement and segregation of millions of African-Americans and “the fundamental injustice, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow laws.”  The body passed the resolution sponsored by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa by way of voice vote.  The resolution now goes to the House of Representatives. 

One small point of contention.  The Congressional Black Caucus may not endorse the resolution due to the inclusion of a sentence that reads  ”nothing in this resolution authorizes or supports any claim against the United States; or serves as a settlement of any claim against the United States.”   A few members of the CBC have voiced concerns regarding the inclusion of  such “restrictive” additional language.

One  member of the CBC noted that the 1988 government apology issued to Japanese-Americans held in internment camps during World War II did not have a disclaimer nor did it include any language preventing them from receiving compensation.  Other CBC members said the following:

“Putting in a disclaimer takes away from the meaning of an apology,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. “A number of us are prepared to vote against it in its present form. There are several members of the Progressive Caucus who feel the same way.”

“The language is unacceptable,” said Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., “I’m a reparations man – how else do you repair the damage?”

The Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was clear that Mahmoud Ahmadinajad’s election win is definitive and he will not tolerate any dissent.  He further said the following about the Iranian election results:  “There is 11 million votes difference,” the ayatollah said. “How one can rig 11 million votes?”   He denies any vote rigging.  After every few sentences the crowd chanted “death to England” and ”death to America.”  The opposition leader, Mir Hussein Moussavi, urged his supporters not to attend the prayers so the crowd reportedly consisted of Ahmadinajad supporters as well as Ahmadinajad himself.  The Supreme Leader Khamenei said nothing will change with protests and accepting the illegal terms of a protest would start a dictatorship.  The Ayatollah also said that that he mass protests are unacceptable and must in.  He blamed the uprising on zionist and the western media and denounces enemies for questioning vote.  The leader also said that the opposition politicians are responsible for any violence  that takes place from here out.  He also reiterated that all fraud claims with proof should go through the proper legal channels of the Guardian Council who are an unelected body of 12 clerics and Islamic law experts close to the supreme leader. 

From Al Jazeera

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, has said that the country needs “peace and tranquility” following days of protests over a disputed presidential election.

Delivering a sermon during Friday prayers at Tehran University, Khamenei called on Iranians to keep true to their faith in order not to “go awry”.

“When you have peace of mind and soul you can decide wisely … Today our society is in need of peace and tranquility,” he said.

“Since of the beginning of the Islamic revolution, thirty years ago … various incidents [occurred], some of which could have toppled the establishment, which could have brought turmoil to the nation, as you have seen in other nations.

snip

Khamenei said that “great accomplishment” of the 85 per cent turnout at the polls conveyed the legitimacy of the country’s leadership and “people’s solidarity with their establishment.”
“If people do not feel free they will not attend the voting stations, trusting the Islamic establishment was evident in this vote.”

Khamenei said that foreign media was trying to say that the poll was a fight between inside and outside the establishment, which he denied, saying, “It is only differences of opinion within the establishment.”

“The enemies know that with out confidence there would be low turnout. When there is low turnout then the legitimacy would be in doubt. That is what the enemy wants.”

UPDATE 6/22/09: According to the Associated Press, the Guardian Council has admitted to discrepancies in turnout of the Iranian elections but only a three million vote discrepancy.  See full article here.

The admission was made as the main presidential challenger, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, implored supporters to renew street protests in Tehran on Monday and defy the threat of a brutal crackdown by the security forces.

Organisers of the campaign to overturn the result of the June 12 election, which gave Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the incumbent president, a landslide victory said demonstrations must continue after petering out on Sunday.

The campaign called on people to march with black candles or turn on the lights on their cars during an afternoon rally.

The calls came as the Guardian Council, the body charged with reviewing the contested election, said it had concluded an investigation but would not be overturning the result. Its spokesman, Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei, said the number of votes collected in 50 cities was more than the number of eligible voters but the discrepancy was not sufficent to account for Mr Ahmadinejad’s margin of victory.

The Council further reported that there were many towns/counties that showed 130 percent turnout which is obviously impossible.

UPDATE x2: 06/25/09  Ahmadinajad speaks:

Obama said on Tuesday he was “appalled and outraged” by a post-election crackdown and Washington withdrew invitations to Iranian diplomats to attend U.S. Independence Day celebrations on July 4 — stalling efforts to improve ties with Tehran.

“Mr Obama made a mistake to say those things … our question is why he fell into this trap and said things that previously (former U.S. President George W.) Bush used to say,” the semi-official Fars News Agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.

“Do you want to speak with this tone? If that is your stance then what is left to talk about … I hope you avoid interfering in Iran’s affairs and express your regret in a way that the Iranian nation is informed of it,” he said.

UPDATE  x3: 06/25/09  A prediction from Iran scholar Reza Aslan on the Daily Beast:

Reliable sources in Iran are suggesting that a possible compromise to put an end to the violent uprising that has rocked Iran for the past two weeks may be in the works. I have previously reported that the second most powerful man in Iran, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Assembly of Experts (the body with the power to choose and dismiss the Supreme Leader) is in the city of Qom–the country’s religious center–trying to rally enough votes from his fellow Assembly members to remove the current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from power. News out of Iran suggests that he may be succeeding. At the very least, it seems he may have gained enough support from the clerical establishment to force a compromise from Khamenei, one that would entail a run-off election between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his main reformist rival Mir Hossein Mousavi.

The alternative……I can’t even imagine……

DAVID GREGORY: Let’s get right to it on Iran. How does the U.S. deal with an emboldened Iranian President Ahmadinejad?

SENATOR JOHN McCAIN: Well, we lead; we condemn the sham, corrupt election. We do what we have done throughout the Cold War and afterwards, we speak up for the people of Tehran and Iran and all the cities all over that country who have been deprived of one of their fundamental rights. We speak out forcefully, and we make sure that the world knows that America leads — and including increased funding for part of the Farda, Iranian free radio.

Wow…how can someone be so off the mark and out of step with not only the nation but with his constituents. 

House Republicans presented a four-page outline of their health care reform plan Wednesday but said they didn’t know yet how much it would cost, how they would pay for it and how many of the nearly 50 million Americans without insurance would be covered by it.   See article

Dejavu

Being touted as the biggest regulatory overhaul since the Great Depression, President Obama will announce specifics today of his “new foundation” for the financial industry.   The five primary elements of the administration’s plan for regulatory reform are: 

1. Promote Robust Supervision and Regulation of Financial Firms: Tougher oversight of financial institutions through expansion of the role and increasing the powers of the Federal Reserve by giving it greater oversight over financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies.  
2. Establish Comprehensive Regulation of Financial Markets: Increased focus on market infrastructure by regulating previously less regulated  products such as over-the-counter derivatives.  For example, the administration will propose regulations requiring originators of new securities to have “skin in the game” by requiring that such originators hold a continued equity stake in the securities even after the securities are largely sold off. 
3. Protect Consumers and Investors from Financial Abuse: Creating the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) which will be a regulatory agency responsible for protecting consumers who have credit cards, mortgages, or other financial products and will serve as a consumer watchdog.  According to a senior administration official, the new agency will establish “a very clear line of accountability around products that they deem abusive of consumers, or misleading.”  The new Agency will also have the authority to “reform our mortgage laws.”  One such law will require that “consumers receive a single, simple, integrated federal mortgage disclosure.” 
4. Provide the Government with Tools it needs to Manage Financial Crisis:  Giving the administration greater power to dismantle financial firms falling into financial difficulties so as to preempt the kind of systemic problems suffered in the current economic meltdown. 
5. Raise International Regulatory Standards and Improve International Cooperation:  Coordination of financial regulation with governments around the globe so as to synchronize global oversight of financial markets.

“The goal is to integrate the system, make sure that there are not any gaps, and to make sure that we have a updating of the regulatory system that worked back in the 1930s, but doesn’t work with the kinds of financial instruments and the kinds of global capital markets that exist today…..and we’re confident that we’ve struck the right balance.”   -President Obama, Bloomberg Television. 

See the full and official 85-page white paper of regulatory plan here.

UPDATE:  The President’s remarks

12:53 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much.

Since taking office, my administration has mounted what I think has to be acknowledged as an extraordinary response to a historic economic crisis. But even as we take decisive action to repair the damage to our economy, we’re working hard to build a new foundation for sustained economic growth. This will not be easy. We know that this recession is not the result of one failure, but of many. And many of the toughest challenges we face are the product of a cascade of mistakes and missed opportunities which took place over the course of decades.

That’s why, as part of this new foundation, we’re seeking to build an energy economy that creates new jobs and new businesses to free us from our dependence on foreign oil. We want to foster an education system that instills in each generation the capacity to turn ideas into innovations, and innovations into industries and jobs. And as I discussed on Monday at the American Medical Association, we want to reform our health care system so that we can remain healthy and competitive.  Read the rest of this entry »

Transcript

Q    Mr. President, on Iran, does the disputed election results affect — there’s been violence in the street — in any way change your willingness to meet with Mr. Ahmadinejad without preconditions?  And also, do you have anything to say, any message to send to people who are on the streets protesting, who believe their votes were stolen and who are being attacked violently?

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Obviously all of us have been watching the news from Iran.  And I want to start off by being very clear that it is up to Iranians to make decisions about who Iran’s leaders will be; that we respect Iranian sovereignty and want to avoid the United States being the issue inside of Iran, which sometimes the United States can be a handy political football — or discussions with the United States.

Having said all that, I am deeply troubled by the violence that I’ve been seeing on television.  I think that the democratic process — free speech, the ability of people to peacefully dissent — all those are universal values and need to be respected.  And whenever I see violence perpetrated on people who are peacefully dissenting, and whenever the American people see that, I think they’re, rightfully, troubled.

My understanding is, is that the Iranian government says that they are going to look into irregularities that have taken place.  We weren’t on the ground, we did not have observers there, we did not have international observers on hand, so I can’t state definitively one way or another what happened with respect to the election.  But what I can say is that there appears to be a sense on the part of people who were so hopeful and so engaged and so committed to democracy who now feel betrayed.  And I think it’s important that, moving forward, whatever investigations take place are done in a way that is not resulting in bloodshed and is not resulting in people being stifled in expressing their views.

Now, with respect to the United States and our interactions with Iran, I’ve always believed that as odious as I consider some of President Ahmadinejad’s statements, as deep as the differences that exist between the United States and Iran on a range of core issues, that the use of tough, hard-headed diplomacy — diplomacy with no illusions about Iran and the nature of the differences between our two countries — is critical when it comes to pursuing a core set of our national security interests, specifically, making sure that we are not seeing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East triggered by Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon; making sure that Iran is not exporting terrorist activity.  Those are core interests not just to the United States but I think to a peaceful world in general.

We will continue to pursue a tough, direct dialogue between our two countries, and we’ll see where it takes us.  But even as we do so, I think it would be wrong for me to be silent about what we’ve seen on the television over the last few days.  And what I would say to those people who put so much hope and energy and optimism into the political process, I would say to them that the world is watching and inspired by their participation, regardless of what the ultimate outcome of the election was.  And they should know that the world is watching.

And particularly to the youth of Iran, I want them to know that we in the United States do not want to make any decisions for the Iranians, but we do believe that the Iranian people and their voices should be heard and respected.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched in the the streets of Tehran yesterday in opposition to the election results.  The protesters stretched five miles and are expected to be out in full force again today.  Seven people were killed yesterday and many were injured.  The Guardian Council, the body that oversees elections,  announced that it will recount some of the votes but not all of them.  This is viewed by many as simply an attempt to quell the protests instead of conducting any real or legitimate examination into the election results. Mir Hussein Mousavi, the opposition leader, rejects a recount and instead demands a new election.  The opposition leader says that there were 53 million ballots ere published yet only 39 million of those were used.  What happened to the 14 million deficit ballots?   Mousavi says that a recount will not result in any finding of fraud because that it would be same regime doing the recount.

UPDATE 06/16/09:  ”Deep Concerns”

President Obama made the following statements regarding the Iran election in the Rose Garden of the White House today.

“I have said before that I have deep concerns about the election. I think that the world has deep concerns about the election,” Obama said after White House talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak.

“You have seen in Iran some initial reaction from the supreme leader that indicates he understands the Iranian people had deep concerns about the election.”  However, Obama added ”it is not productive, given the history of US-Iranian relations to be seen as meddling — the US president, meddling in Iranian elections.”

The President also said that he wants to avoid Washington becoming a “political football.”

However, the President went on to say, “[w]hen I see violence directed at peaceful protestors, when I see peaceful dissent being suppressed — wherever that takes place — it is a concern to me and it is a concern to the American people,” he said.

“That is not how governments should interact with their people.”

“My hope is that the Iranian people will make the right steps in order for them to be able to express their voices, to express their aspirations.”

President Obama will continue his efforts to forge “hard headed” diplomacy with the Islamic Republic on issues beneficial to United States interests whomever the winner of the disputed election.

The President observed in the overwhelmingly high turnout and vivid election campaign in Iran a “questioning of the kinds of antagonistic postures toward the international community that have taken place in the past.”

“There are people who want to see greater openness and greater debate and want to see greater democracy.

“How that plays out over the next several days and several weeks is something ultimately for the Iranian people to decide.

“But I stand strongly with the universal principle that people’s voices should be heard and not suppressed.”

UPDATE x2   6/19/09 – 3:12pm: President Obama comments on Khamenei’s speech in a new interview with CBS News’ Harry Smith:

“And I’m very concerned based on some of the tenor — and tone of the statements that have been made — that the government of Iran recognize that the world is watching. And how they approach and deal with people who are, through peaceful means, trying to be heard will, I think, send a pretty clear signal to the international community about what Iran is and — and is not.”

UPDATE  x3   6/19/09 – 9:10pm: The President from his speech at tonight’s Radio and Television Correspondents Association Dinner:

“I am here tonight because I appreciate all of the work that you do and the role that you play. You report the news as it happens and you cover history as it is made, with a hand-held camera or a mic or now even a cell phone or a blog. You bring the truth to people and allow people to bring truth to the world. We’re seeing that now as history is unfolding in the sounds and images of broadcasts from Iran over the last week. We have seen professional and citizen journalists act as a voice for those who want to be heard, bearing witness to the universal aspirations of democracy and freedom, often at great risk and sometimes with great sacrifice. They do it because the rest of us need to hear the stories that they tell. In recent years we have seen the same courageous reporting and Iraq and Afghanistan, Congo, every dangerous corner of the world. everywhere, there is a story that needs to be told.”

UPDATE  x4    6/20/06  2:47pm:  President Obama regarding today’s violence in Iran:

The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights.
As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.

Martin Luther King once said – “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” I believe that. The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian peoples’ belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness.

Update  x5: 06/23/2009

President Obama’s Prepared Statement on Iran for today’s press conference:

Today, I want to start by addressing three issues, and then I’ll take your questions. 

First, I’d like to say a few words about the situation in Iran. The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days. I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost.

I have made it clear that the United States respects the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and is not at all interfering in Iran’s affairs. But we must also bear witness to the courage and dignity of the Iranian people, and to a remarkable opening within Iranian society. And we deplore violence against innocent civilians anywhere that it takes place.

The Iranian people are trying to have a debate about their future. Some in the Iranian government are trying to avoid that debate by accusing the United States and others outside of Iran of instigating protests over the elections. These accusations are patently false and absurd. They are an obvious attempt to distract people from what is truly taking place within Iran’s borders. This tired strategy of using old tensions to scapegoat other countries won’t work anymore in Iran. This is not about the United States and the West; this is about the people of Iran, and the future that they – and only they – will choose.

The Iranian people can speak for themselves. That is precisely what has happened these last few days. In 2009, no iron fist is strong enough to shut off the world from bearing witness to the peaceful pursuit of justice. Despite the Iranian government’s efforts to expel journalists and isolate itself, powerful images and poignant words have made their way to us through cell phones and computers, and so we have watched what the Iranian people are doing.

This is what we have witnessed. We have seen the timeless dignity of tens of thousands Iranians marching in silence. We have seen people of all ages risk everything to insist that their votes are counted and their voices heard. Above all, we have seen courageous women stand up to brutality and threats, and we have experienced the searing image of a woman bleeding to death on the streets. While this loss is raw and painful, we also know this: those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history.

As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people have a universal right to assembly and free speech. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect those rights, and heed the will of its own people. It must govern through consent, not coercion. That is what Iran’s own people are calling for, and the Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government.

UPDATE  x6:  06/25/09  President Obama’s comment at joint press conference with Chancellor Merkel of Germany

The chancellor and I discussed the tragic situation in Iran. Today we speak with one voice. The rights of the Iranian people to assemble, to speak freely, to have their voices heard, those are universal aspirations. And their bravery in the face of brutality is a testament to their enduring pursuit of justice.

The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous. And despite the government’s efforts to keep the world from bearing witness to that violence, we see it and we condemn it.

As I’ve said before, the Iranian people will be the ultimate judge of their government’s actions. But if the Iranian government desires the respect of the international community, then it must respect the rights and heed the will of its people.

The Iranian government also has other responsibilities. Working with Germany, our other European partners, as well as Russia and China, we’re working to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capacity and unleashing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. We will encourage Iran to take a path that respects international norms and leads to greater security and prosperity for the Iranian people.

Questons from reporters:

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. President. A couple weeks ago on Iran, you suggested that there were few differences with Mr. Mousavi and President Ahmadinejad. I’m wondering if the ensuing time since you made those comments have changed your view on that.

And will you apologize for interfering in Iranian affairs, as President Ahmadinejad suggested you should? Or does he need to apologize for saying that you were, quote, “someone like President Bush”?

And, Chancellor Merkel…

OBAMA: Well, Jeff, how many questions are you getting in here, brother?

LAUGHTER)

I think you got two in, and we want to make sure we give some other folks a chance.

Well, first of all, what I said originally was that, given the structure of the Iranian government and that power resided ultimately with Khamenei, the supreme leader, and given that there weren’t at that point significant differences on the core national security interests that we initially had talked about diplomatically — i.e., nuclear weapons development in Iran, the exportation of terrorist activity — that we could not automatically assume that there would be a huge shift on those particular national security issues, depending on who won that election.

I think what’s absolutely clear is over the course of subsequent days that Mousavi has shown to have captured the imagination or the spirit of forces within Iran that were interested in opening up and that he has become a — a representative of many of those people who are on the streets and who have displayed extraordinary bravery and extraordinary courage.

I continue to believe that ultimately it’s up to the Iranian people to make decisions about who their leaders are going to be. But as I said this week and I’ve said previously, a government that treats its own citizens with that kind of ruthlessness and violence and that cannot deal with peaceful protesters who are trying to have their voices heard in an equally peaceful way I think has moved outside of universal norms, international norms that are important to uphold. And Chancellor Merkel and I share a — share the belief that what’s happened in Iran is unacceptable when it comes to violence against its own citizens. And we call on the Iranian government to uphold those international principles.

What was the second part of your question there, Jeff?

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. I was wondering if you had any thoughts to his call for you to apologize or if he should apologize for calling you someone like President Bush.

OBAMA: Yes, I don’t think — I don’t take Mr. Ahmadinejad’s statements seriously about apologies, particularly given the fact that the United States has gone out of its way not to interfere with the election process in Iran.

And I’m really not concerned about Mr. Ahmadinejad apologizing to me. I would suggest that Mr. Ahmadinejad think carefully about the obligations he owes to his own people. And he might want to consider looking at the families of those who’ve been beaten or shot or detained. And, you know, that’s where I think Mr. Ahmadinejad and others need to answer their questions.

OBAMA: Don Gagne (ph)?

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President, Chancellor. A question for each of you.

On Iran, does — do the events of the past few weeks — and even of the past couple of days — indefinitely stall your ability to have any kind of meaningful dialogue with them on the nuclear issue? And, frankly, are you just losing precious time on that issue?

OBAMA: Well, on the Iranian issue, I think that we are still waiting to see how the situation in Iran plays out. Obviously, I continue to be deeply disturbed by reports of violence that are taking place there.

I continue to call on the Iranian government to deal with people who are peacefully protesting, wanting their voices to be heard, in a way that respects international principles.

There is no doubt that any direct dialogue or diplomacy with Iran is going to be affected by the events of the last several weeks. And we don’t yet know how any potential dialogue will have been affected until we see what’s happened inside of Iran.

I will tell you — and this was the point that I was making earlier in response to Jeff’s question — we have a continuing set of national security interests that are going to have to be dealt with, because the clock is ticking. Iran is developing a nuclear capacity at a fairly rapid clip; they have been doing so for quite some time. Iran’s possession of nuclear weapons would trigger an arms race in the Middle East that would be bad not just for U.S. security. It would be bad for the security of the entire region, including, by the way, Iranian security.

OBAMA: And so, even as we clearly speak out in a unified voice in opposition to the violence that’s taken place in Iran, we have to also be steady in recognizing that the prospect of Iran with a nuclear weapon is a big problem and that we’ve got to work in concert with the international community to try to prevent that from happening.

So my expectation would be — and we did discuss this — that you’re going to continue to see some multilateral discussions with Iran. There is a structure that exists, the P5-plus-one talks that include Russia and China. There are going to be discussions that continue on the international stage and around Iranians’ — Iran’s nuclear program.

I think the direct dialogue between the United States and Iran and how that proceeds, I think we’re going to have to see how that plays itself out in the days and weeks ahead.

Governor Palin has been traversing the various media outlets expressing her “outrage” that David Letterman made an objectionable joke about her 14-year-old daughter.  Letterman has defended the joke by saying that he was referring to Palin’s 19-year-old daughter who recently gave birth.  We certainly don’t condone Letterman’s comments and believe that they were quite offensive regardless of which daughter the late night comedian was referring to including the joke referring to Gov. Palin “slutty flight attendant” make-up.  Sorry, not my type of humor.  However, it was apparent from the context of the joke that Letterman was referring to Palin’s older daughter.  The older daughter that has put herself out there as a public spokesperson for abstinence.  When you step into the spotlight you must be prepared for public comment on your persona regardless of the form such comment takes.  This rule applies to all public figures.  So because Palin’s older daughter chose to inject herself into the media limelight regardless of the perceived worthiness or unworthiness of her cause she must accept the negatives that come along with it.  As for Gov. Palin’s distorted interpretation of the joke, the Alaskan governor used Letterman’s comments as a way to put herself back on the political radar.  Palin took the comedian’s comments and ratcheted them up to unrecognizable status by accusing Letterman of making the comments about her 14-year-old daughter as well as insinuating that 65-year-old Letterman could not be trusted with the teenager.

For the record, below are similar and far worst  jokes made by Jay Leno, Conan Obrien, and Saturday Night Live.

Gov. Palin announced over the weekend that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is five months pregnant. And you thought John Edwards was in trouble before! Now he has really done it. — “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” 9/2/08

“Saturday night, Sarah Palin is going to drop the first puck at the Philadelphia Flyers’ hockey game. Then Palin will spend the rest of the game trying to keep the hockey players out of her daughter’s penalty box.” –Conan O’Brien [Palin appeared at the Philadelphia Flyers game with 13-year-old and 6-year-old daughters]

“It’s true, John McCain’s running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, has revealed that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant. Palin said, ‘We should never have introduced her to John Edwards.’” –Conan O’Brien

“What about the husband?” asked a mock Times reporter. “You know he’s doing those daughters. I mean, come on. It’s Alaska!” —Saturday Night Live skitin September 08.  Palin appeared on the show one month later in October 2008.  SEE TRANSCRIPT HERE.

I guess it was not politically expedient or convenient for Palin to be offended by Obrien’s, Leno’s or the Saturday Night Live jokes.  After all she had an opportunity to appear on LIVE FROM NEW YORK, IT’s SATURDAY NIGHT for goodness sake.

My question is why didn’t someone tell me that Denzel Washington was sitting right next to my section????

Spewing the constant hate and incendiary rhetoric may have finally resulted in consequences for right wing conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh.  It is being reported by a listener of  WOSO radio that Limbaugh was recently dropped from the only English speaking AM radio station in Puerto Rico.  Such action was allegedly taken after Limbaugh called President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who is Puerto Rican,  a “racist” and comparing her to David Duke the former head of the Klu Klux Klan.  ProgressPolitics tried to confirm the story with WOSO but could not get a straight answer.  When we asked WOSO if Rush Limbaugh had been dropped we were told “it’s not that simple.”  Lets hope its true. 

Limbaugh along with Ann Coulter and other right wing conservatives have attacked Judge Sotomayor based on comments, taken out of context, that she made during a speech a few years ago.  Of course Limbaugh spews such invective vile only to boost his own ratings and profile.  Lets hope this time it backfired and Limbaugh’s outrageous demogoguery has hit him where it hurts…..in his pocket.  This may be the one instance where he unwittingly did the exact opposite of what he intended which is to rile up his fellow conservatives, shock the main stream media into giving him more publicity thereby increasing his listeners equaling mo money for Mr. Limbaugh.  This time, however, supposedly after receiving many viewer complaints concerning Limbaugh’s comments about the Second Circuit Appelate judge, WOSO radio station was forced to drop Limbaugh from their AM line-up and by AM line-up we mean drop Limbaugh altogether.   Because WOSO refused to confirm or deny the action it may be backtracking.   We also checked the station’s lineup and Limbaugh’s show is still listed.  We can dream.  WOSO is known for its conservative politics and always backs the Republican party here in United States.  Apparently Limbaugh’s ability to control the GOP reaches all the way to a local radio station in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

For context, Limbaugh’s exact statement about Judge Sotomayor:

“Here you have a racist – you might want to soften that, and you might want to say a reverse racist,” Limbaugh said of that comment.

“And the [liberals] of course say that minorities cannot be racists because they don’t have the power to implement their racism,” he continued. “Well, those days are gone because reverse racists certainly do have the power to implement their power. Obama is the greatest living example of a reverse racist, and now he’s appointed one.”

Really, Rush Limbaugh accusing Judge Sotomayor of racism…..that is rich!  It amazes me that a man who couldn’t manage to graduate college has the temerity to offer a gender/race-based “analysis” of Judge Sotomayor’s qualifications and ability to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.  As I said….RICH!

Judge Sonia Sotomayor is expected to be confirmed and rightly appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States but it is heartening to see that Limbaugh may be suffering as a result of his ignorant, hateful, and imbecilic words and actions.   We can only hope that in light of the current climate hate radio is nearing the end of its shelf life.

A few days after many members of the House including the Speaker stated that there must be a public option in the health care reform bill currently up for consideration by the House and the Senate the American Medical Association issues a statement saying that it does not support any legislation that increases the role of government in the provision of health services.  The group made Congress aware that it would resist any plan that comes with a public option. The group has been in stalwart opposition against health care reform for the last 70 years.  In fact, it has been posited that it was the AMA that coined the phrase “socialized medicine.”  This recent development comes days before President Obama plans to address the group on Monday.  Some facts:  currently one out of every four Americans go without needed health care due to the high additional cost imposed by insurance companies; a public option would provide competition for the insurance companies thereby getting rid of the stranglehold that one or two insurance companies have on a particular market in many areas around the country.  Apparently for the AMA the Hippocratic oath stands for profit before patient.  See the AMA statement below.

As the health care debate heats up, the American Medical Association is letting Congress know that it will oppose creation of a government-sponsored insurance plan, which President Obama and many other Democrats see as an essential element of legislation to remake the health care system.

The opposition, which comes as Mr. Obama prepares to address the powerful doctors’ group on Monday in Chicago, could be a major hurdle for advocates of a public insurance plan. The A.M.A., with about 250,000 members, is America’s largest physician organization.

While committed to the goal of affordable health insurance for all, the association had said in a general statement of principles that health services should be “provided through private markets, as they are currently.” It is now reacting, for the first time, to specific legislative proposals being drafted by Congress.

Another statement by the AMA:

But in comments submitted to the Senate Finance Committee, the American Medical Association said: “The A.M.A. does not believe that creating a public health insurance option for non-disabled individuals under age 65 is the best way to expand health insurance coverage and lower costs. The introduction of a new public plan threatens to restrict patient choice by driving out private insurers, which currently provide coverage for nearly 70 percent of Americans.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wrote an op-ed addressing the dire need for reform.  Below is an excerpt from the piece but you can read it in its entirety here.

We need reform that will improve the quality of care and give doctors the best medical research to help them make the most effective, patient-centered treatment decisions, not just the most costly.

We need reform that eliminates the barriers that leave millions of Americans on the outside of the doctor’s office looking in. We must ensure Americans are not denied coverage by insurance companies because of a pre-existing medical condition, and we must provide insurance security for Americans who lose or want to switch their jobs.

Our reforms will not force patients to make changes they don’t want or need. The president has consistently said that if a family likes the coverage they have, they should keep it. With that in mind, we intend to build on — and strengthen — the existing employer-based system and lower costs for all.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones for their tremendous loss.  The following statement was released by the U.S. Holocaust Museum:

Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns died heroically in the line of duty today. There are no words to express our grief and shock over these events. He served on the Museum’s security staff for six years. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Johns’ family.

We have made the decision to close the Museum tomorrow in honor of Officer Johns, and our flags will be flown at half mast in his memory.

White House response:

The President and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar offer condolences.

President Obama:

I am shocked and saddened by today’s shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. This outrageous act reminds us that we must remain vigilant against anti-Semitism and prejudice in all its forms. No American institution is more important to this effort than the Holocaust Museum, and no act of violence will diminish our determination to honor those who were lost by building a more peaceful and tolerant world.

Today, we have lost a courageous security guard who stood watch at this place of solemn remembrance. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends in this painful time.

Secretary Salazar:

Today, we witnessed an act of violence and hatred in one of our world’s most sacred sites of remembrance.  This horrible crime took the life of Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns, whose courage in the line of duty saved lives and protected the hallowed halls of the Holocaust Museum.  Americans’ thoughts and prayers tonight are with Officer Johns’ family.

We are also reminded of the great sacrifices our law enforcement officials, including security guards and the Park Police who protect the National Mall, make every day on our behalf.  This tragic act of violence only reaffirms the lessons of peace and human dignity that the Holocaust Museum teaches.

A memorial fund has been set up by the American Jewish Committee, Washington DC chapter for the Johns family.  The following statement was released by the AJC.  See full statement here.

The American Jewish Committee’s Washington, D.C. chapter has set up a memorial fund to benefit the family of Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns, who was killed Wednesday at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The organization said it will soon have a place on its Web site where one can contribute, but those who want to donate immediately should send checks made out to the American Jewish Committee, with “Holocaust Museum Memorial Fund” in the memo line, to:

American Jewish Committee, Washington Chapter

C/O Melanie Maron

1156 15th Street, NW, Suite 1201

Washington DC 20005

One hundred percent of the contribution will go to the Johns family.

The road to health care reform begins with the Affordable Health Choices Act legislation that, though Sen. Ted Kennedy’s brain child, was drafted in large part by Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut because Sen. Kennedy, the Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP), is currently battling brain cancer and has been absent from the Senate floor for a couple of months.  Sen. Kennedy has been working diligently on the bill however from his home in Massachussetts.

The HELP committee released the following brief summary of the bill:

A Quick Summary of the Affordable Health Choices Act

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP), today released The Affordable Health Choices Act, legislation that aims to reduce health care costs, protect individuals’ choices of doctors, hospitals and insurance plans and guarantee, quality and affordable health care for all Americans.

The Affordable Health Choices Act includes the following five major elements:

CHOICE: An important foundation of The Affordable Health Choices Act is the following principle: If you like the coverage you have now, you keep it. But if you don’t have health insurance or don’t like the insurance you have, our bill will give you new, more affordable options.

COST REDUCTION: The Affordable Health Choices Act will reduce health care costs through stronger prevention, better quality of care and use of information technology. It will also root out fraud and abuse and reduce unnecessary procedures.

PREVENTION: The best way to treat a disease is to prevent it from ever striking, which is exactly why The Affordable Health Choices Act will give citizens the information they need to take charge of their own health. The bill will make information widely available in medical settings, schools and communities. It will also promote early screening for heart disease, cancer and depression and give citizens more information on healthy nutrition and the dangers of smoking.

HEALTH SYSTEM MODERNIZATION: The Affordable Health Choices Act will take strong steps to see that America has a 21st-century workforce for a modern and responsive healthcare system. America must make sound investments in training the doctors, nurses, and other health professionals who will serve the needs of patients in the years to come. It will make sure that patients’ care is better coordinated so they see the right doctors, nurses and other health practitioners to address their individual health needs.

LONG TERM CARE AND SERVICES: The Affordable Health Choices Act will also make it possible for the elderly and disabled to live at home and function independently. It will help them afford to put ramps in their homes, pay someone to check in on them regularly, or any of an array of supports that will enable them to stay in their communities instead of in nursing homes.

Read the entire 615 page bill here

The following caution was also released by the HELP committee:

“On the legislation we’ll introduce later today, there are some gaps in it and done so intentionally,” said Dodd at a press conference earlier Tuesday. “There are no gaps in our determination, in my determination and that of my colleagues to have a public option, to have something done with the pay or play and deal with the follow on biologics. But I left those areas open for discussion, not because they’re open for some sort of decision about whether or not we ought to move in that direction. But I want my Republican colleagues to know, I want their ideas, I want to hear what they have to say. This is a bill, it’s an opening step.”

With 67% of precincts reporting and the numbers measuring up as follows:

Governor – 67% reporting

Deeds – 50% [96,466 votes]
McAuliffe – 26% [50,549 votes]
Moran – 24% [46,281 votes]

Lt. Governor – 66% reporting

Wagner – 74% [129,888 votes]
Signer – 22% [38,033 votes]
Bowerbank – 5% [7,978 votes]

We’re going to call it for Creigh Deeds and Jody Wagner the new Democratic Governor and Leutenant governor nominees for the Commonwealth.  Democrats get ready to fall in line for the fight against GOP Governor and Lieutenant governor nominees Robert (Bob) McDonnell and Bill Bolling.  Deeds is McDonnell’s worst nightmare given his conservative blue dog bent.  McDonnell had his sight set on running against “carpetbagger” Terry McAuliffe.  Congratulations  Mr. Deeds for a well won victory.

So here is the Virginia Democratic line-up for November 2009:

Governor: Creigh Deeds          Lieutenant Governor: Jody Wagner          Attorney General: Steve Shannon