Life imitates art. The Washington Post: “McDonnell Changes Topic Amid Thesis Issue.” Sure this isn’t a parody?
We’re getting closer every day: “Lawmakers should scrap the current healthcare bill and start over, Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) said Saturday. Kline, the ranking member on the House Education and Labor Committee, which has partial jurisdiction over healthcare, said the Democratic proposal is too expensive, would cost millions of jobs, and would force Americans out of their current coverage.”
You knew this was coming: “Senate Democrats are signaling that any push by the White House for more troops in Afghanistan probably will run into resistance. Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the U.S. must focus more on building Afghan security forces. That view was endorsed by Sen. Jack Reed, who is also on the committee and spent two days in Afghanistan this past week with Levin, D-Mich.”
She may come to regret her paralysis: “Why is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refusing a growing chorus of calls to drop the hammer on ethics-challenged Charlie Rangel? Because, at the moment, doing nothing creates a lot less trouble for Pelosi than doing anything, current and former House aides tell POLITICO. Stripping the Harlem Democrat of his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee would force Pelosi to make a series of unpalatable decisions about Rangel’s successor that would create a ruckus in the Democratic caucus.”
What a difference 10 months make: “In 2008, Colorado became a symbol of the changing politics in a region once firmly in Republican hands — and also of the grass-roots power and energy fueling Barack Obama’s candidacy. Today, the state embodies the uneasiness spreading throughout Democratic ranks as Obama struggles with major challenges and the 2010 midterm elections approach. . . . Today, Coloradoans appear more downbeat. Anxiety has replaced optimism. The recession has changed habits and attitudes. Obama’s agenda has raised questions among independent voters because of its ambitious scope and potential impact on the deficit. His style has left some original supporters concerned about his toughness.”
From the Los Angeles Times: “After a summer of health care battles and sliding approval ratings for President Obama, the White House is facing a troubling new trend: The voters losing faith in the president are the ones he had worked hardest to attract. New surveys show steep declines in Obama’s approval ratings among whites–including Democrats and independents–who were crucial elements of the diverse coalition that helped elect the country’s first black president.”
