Archive for the ‘Daily News’ Category
Friday, March 12th, 2010
President Barack Obama has now delayed his trip to Asia and backed off his March 18 deadline for House action on Obamacare
The AP has just reported that President Barack Obama is delaying his trip to Asia to focus on passing Obamacare, despite strong claims by the Obama Administration that a House of Representatives vote must occur by March 18. Now, the AP reports that Obama will not leave until March 21, making the March 18 deadline inoperative. The latest reversal of an Obamacare deadline set by Obama or one of his top officials is another in a pattern of false deadlines set by the Administration starting last summer. In a prescient article, CNN points out yesterday that the now-inoperative deadline is one of many set by the Obama Administration:
Washington (CNN) — President Obama has set them — and they’ve repeatedly been missed.
But with Easter recess coming, Obama’s latest deadline to pass health care reform legislation could be his last one.
Over the summer, as the health care reform battle was brewing in Congress and at town hall meetings across the country, the president called on both the House and Senate to pass legislation by the end of August in order for a comprehensive bill to see its way to his desk by the end of the year.
That didn’t happen.
Congressional Democrats and the Obama Administration are now struggling to produce 216 votes in the House of Representatives for Obamacare. The latest procedural trick proposed by Democrats is “Amending a Ghost” by having the House create a “rule” that “assumes” the Senate bill has been passed by the House already, and then have the House members vote on changes to the Senate bill, not the Senate bill itself. Such procedural trickery is “unprecedented” in American history and the next few days will determine whether Democrats will push forward with the “Amending the Ghost” strategy or instead simply have an up or down vote on the Senate bill in the House.
UPDATE: NPR adds some details, including a tweet by Robert Gibbs, White House spokesman:
A “alert” from the Associated Press:
“Obama delaying Asia trip from March 18 to March 21 to work on health care.”
The president’s trip will take him to Indonesia and Australia. We’ll update this news as the story develops.
Update at 9:10 a.m. ET. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs just “tweeted” that:
“The President will delay leaving for Indonesia and Australia – will now leave Sunday – the First Lady and the girls will not be on the trip.”
Sunday must mean March 21.
This news is not exactly a surprise. As The New York Times’ The Caucus blog wrote yesterday, “with President Obama’s health care bill hanging in the balance, the White House is facing intensifying questions about whether Mr. Obama should take his planned trip to Indonesia and Australia next week.”
Technorati Tags: Administration Washington, American History, Ap Reports, Asia Trip, Barack Obama, Care Reform Legislation, Cnn, Congress, Congressional Democrats, delay trip, delays trip to asia, Easter Recess, Few Days, Ghost, Health Care Reform, House Of Representatives, indonesia, March 21, Members Vote, obamacare, Senate Bill, Town Hall Meetings, Trickery, Trip To Asia
Tags: Administration Washington, American History, Ap Reports, Asia Trip, Barack Obama, Care Reform Legislation, Cnn, Congress, Congressional Democrats, delay trip, delays trip to asia, Easter Recess, Few Days, Ghost, Health Care Reform, House Of Representatives, indonesia, March 21, Members Vote, obamacare, Senate Bill, Town Hall Meetings, Trickery, Trip To Asia
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Thursday, March 11th, 2010
Was apparent al-Queda member and former worker at US nuclear power stations Sharif Mobley working in Yemen on a plot to attack US nuclear facilities?
Today’s fast-moving developments regarding apparent American Al-Queda member and former Buena, New Jersey resident Sharif Mobley could add up to another lucky near-miss for America regarding a pending al-Qaida terrorist attack on the homeland. On Christmas 2009, America was blessed by quick-thinking passengers and perhaps a faulty fuse which stopped Nigerian al-Qaida terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab from blowing up Northwest Airlines flight 253 over suburban Detroit. Today, we learn that Somali-American jihadist Sharif Mobley, who has apparently lived in Yemen since late 2008 and was recently detained in a Yemeni security sweep for al-Qaida militants and reportedly killed a Yemeni guard in an escape attempt, worked extensively at several US nuclear power plants from 2002-2008.
Back in 2002, 9/11 mastermind Khaled al-Sheikh Mohammed (“KSM”) was interviewed by Spanish newspaper El Mundo, and KSM had this to say about attacking US nuclear facilities:
The idea came several years later from al-Qaida’s military committee when it decided to refine a previously aborted plan – to fly airliners into 12 major American buildings – “in order to cause the greatest possible number of deaths and deal a huge blow to America on its own soil”, according to Mohammed. “It was decided to abandon nuclear targets for the moment,” Mohammed explained. “I mean for the moment,” he added.
It seems clear from KSM’s comments that an attack on US nuclear facilities has been on the radar for al-Qaida for quite some time and is a long term goal for the terrorist group. Sharif Mobley’s many years (2002-2008) of access to secure portions of US nuclear facilities, even during period of time well after his apparent radicalization (2006 comment to acquaintance and Army veteran Ramon Castro, “Get the hell away from me, you Muslim killer!”), creates the possibility that Mobley was recruited by al-Qaida to travel to Yemen and plan a possible al-Qaida attack on a US nuclear power plant, perhaps one to which Mobley previously had access. The Congressional Research Service has specifically warned of the vulnerability of nuclear power stations to a potential terrorist attack.
While the full extent of Mobley’s prior work experience is unclear, it appears that for six years (2002-2008), he “carried supplies and did maintenance work at the plants on Artificial Island in Lower Alloways Creek, and worked at other plants in the region as well.” As such, Mobley very likely had substantial knowledge of the physical layout of several US nuclear facilities and perhaps some information on security at those facilities. It is possible that Mobley may have been working with al-Qaida on a plan in which Mobley would return to the United States, regain his work position which allowed access to US nuclear power stations, and use that access to facilitate an attack by al-Qaida on a US nuclear power plant. Perhaps Mobley’s prior work history at nuclear installations and al-Qaida’s clearly stated goal to launch an attack on a US nuclear installation is simply a coincidence. Regardless, in coming days, we can expect politicians to begin asking these types of questions and for a full review of the entirety of US investigations and intelligence, if any, that existed on Mobley before the public exposure of his detainment in Yemen. This November 2009 interview of former CIA operations officer Charles S. Faddis demonstrates both the desirability of nuclear power plants to terrorists as a target and the potentially unimaginable damage from a successful terror attack:
Q. In relation to the previous question, and given that the 9/11 attack was carried within the U.S. territory, would you agree that a terrorist attack using WMD might be more likely to occur by disrupting/destroying facilities inside the U.S. (such as nuclear power plants), rather than through an action carried from abroad?
I think that our enemies have shown that they are clever, adaptable and brutal. They are very good at finding ways to avoid our defenses and security measures and turn our perceived strengths against us. If a terrorist group can seize and meltdown a nuclear power plant on U.S. soil, it can avoid all of the technological hurdles inherent in building a nuclear weapon. A nuclear reactor will not explode like an atomic bomb, but the radiation produced by a meltdown could kill tens of thousands and render huge areas uninhabitable for generations. We need to pay considerably more attention to the security of our nuclear power plants in the United States and substantially enhance their defenses.
UPDATE: Hotair links over, thanks for the link, re the speculation of Mobley’s possible role in AQIY. Ed makes an interesting point about Mobley’s intel value to AQIY:
But did AQ intend to attack nuclear power plants in the US with Mobley as its point person? Fox News reports that their sources in “law enforcement” don’t see a link between his work before leaving the country and whatever AQ had in mind when it sent him back. It could just be coincidental, as a trip toYemen to study Islam and Arabic would almost certainly have raised red flags in a recertification process. Mobley may have been more valuable in supplying intel on security procedures rather than as a terrorist attacker.
Undoubtedly, AQ sees nuclear-power plants as a highly desirable target, despite their occasional enviro-freak posturing. The fact is that we don’t have enough facts to say one way or the other, and speculation isn’t the same as fact. He could just as easily been considered a potential assassin based on his access to political campaigns. At the least, though, this should be considered a serious leak for nuclear security, and stations should adjust their protocols accordingly.
Technorati Tags: Airliners, Al Qaida, Al Queda, al-qaida attack, al-qaida in yemen, American Buildings, american terrorist, aqiy, attack on nuclear power station, Escape Attempt, Farouk, Jihadist, Ksm, Long Term Goal, Military Committee, Mobley, Northwest Airlines, Northwest Airlines Flight, nuclear, Nuclear Facilities, Nuclear Power Plants, Nuclear Power Station, Nuclear Power Stations, Nuclear Targets, Qaida Militants, Security Sweep, sharif mobley, Sheikh Mohammed, Suburban Detroit, Terrorist Group, Umar, Yemen
Tags: Airliners, Al Qaida, Al Queda, al-qaida attack, al-qaida in yemen, American Buildings, american terrorist, aqiy, attack on nuclear power station, Escape Attempt, Farouk, Jihadist, Ksm, Long Term Goal, Military Committee, Mobley, Northwest Airlines, Northwest Airlines Flight, nuclear, Nuclear Facilities, Nuclear Power Plants, Nuclear Power Station, Nuclear Power Stations, Nuclear Targets, Qaida Militants, Security Sweep, sharif mobley, Sheikh Mohammed, Suburban Detroit, Terrorist Group, Umar, Yemen
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Thursday, March 11th, 2010
Apparent American Jihadist Sharif Mobley's Work History from 2002-2008 at US Nuclear Power Plants Has Increased Concerns over a Possible Planned Attack
The Associated Press has just reported that apparent American Jihadist Sharif Mobley, who federal and Yemeni authorities have confirmed today was detained by Yemen for suspicion of Al-Queda membership and subsequently killed at least one Yemeni in an escape attempt, is a longtime holder of extremist religious views. The AP reports on comments from an acquaintance of the 26-year-old Buena, New Jersey resident Sharif Mobley:
BUENA, N.J. — He was raised in New Jersey, where he was on the high school wrestling team and earned a black belt in karate. Nearly a decade later, Sharif Mobley is under arrest in Yemen, suspected of being an al-Qaida member and accused of killing a guard in an attempt to break out of a hospital.
While some acquaintances were startled by the news out of the Middle East on Thursday, a former classmate said that Mobley had strong religious views in high school, often trying to convert friends to Islam, and became increasingly radical, especially after they graduated in 2002.
Roman Castro, 25, who did a tour with the Army in Iraq, said the last time he saw Mobley, about four years ago, Mobley yelled, “Get the hell away from me, you Muslim killer!”
The FBI, the State Department and other authorities said they were trying to gather information about Mobley. But the allegations appeared to illustrate a phenomenon U.S. intelligence officials have warning about: American Muslims becoming radicalized and joining terrorist movements overseas.
Mobley, a 26-year-old natural-born U.S. citizen, was identified by Yemeni officials as a Somali-American. A former neighbor said he moved to Yemen about two years ago, supposedly to learn Arabic and study Islam.
Authorities say he was rounded up in an al-Qaida sweep and shot two guards in a Yemeni hospital during an escape attempt. His parents say he is innocent.
Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, pictured above, is facing trial soon for killing a US Army soldier in Little Rock, Arkansas after visiting Yemen
If Mr. Castro’s account is accurate, it will be interesting to see what information, if any, the FBI or State Department or CIA or National Counterterrorism Task Force (“NCTC”) had previously gathered on Mr. Mobley and whether Mobley was on any of the many watch lists America learned about in the aftermath of the Christmas Day attempted bombing. Furthermore, this apparent instance of homegrown Islamic extremism could be compared to “Jihad Jane” or Mr. Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, who also is an American citizen who also traveled to Yemen in search of Jihad. Mr. Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad is the domestic terrorist who killed a US Army soldier and seriously wounded another back in June of 2009 at a Little Rock, Arkansas US Army recruiting center. We can only hope that no more American jihadists are lurking in Yemen or America or elsewhere waiting to strike. At the time of the Little Rock shooting, Stratfor, a news site for intelligence professionals, speculated on the role of the politics on the FBI’s tracking of radicalized Americans:
However, politics have proved obstructive to all facets of counterterrorism policy. And politics may have been at play in the Muhammad case as well as in other cases involving Black Muslim converts. Several weeks ago, STRATFOR heard from sources that the FBI and other law enforcement organizations had been ordered to “back off” of counterterrorism investigations into the activities of Black Muslim converts. At this point, it is unclear to us if that guidance was given by the White House or the Department of Justice, or if it was promulgated by the agencies themselves, anticipating the wishes of President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder.
As STRATFOR has previously noted, the FBI has a culture that is very conservative and risk-averse. Many FBI supervisors are reluctant to authorize investigations that they believe may have negative blow-back on their career advancement. In light of this institutional culture, and the order to be careful in investigations relating to Black Muslim converts, it would not be at all surprising to us if a supervisor refused to authorize a full-field investigation of Muhammad that would have included surveillance of his activities. Though in practical terms, even if a full-field investigation had been authorized, due to the caution being exercised in cases related to Black Muslim converts, the case would most likely have been micromanaged to the point of inaction by the special agent in charge of the office involved or by FBI headquarters.
Considering the similarities in the cases of Sharif Mobley and Little Rock killer Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, it will be interesting to review the history and progress of American investigations of Mobley, if any, that occurred prior to the public disclosure of Mobley’s activities in Yemen. Finally, Mobley’s history as an activist Democrat in New Jersey who worked on former Governor Jim Corzine’s turnout drive in 2005 (as reported first by the NY Daily News) is sure to liven up the political discussion of today’s news.
UPDATE: More details are surfacing regarding Sharif Mobley’s background, including this troubling information that Mobley worked at US nuclear power plants from 2002 until 2008, when Mobley apparently headed off for Yemen. Considering the attractiveness of nuclear power plants to terrorists, this new information about Mobley’s ties to US nuclear power plants could increase speculation about a possible Mobley role in a planned Al-Queda attack on US nuclear power stations:
A spokesman for a group of nuclear power plants in New Jersey says a U.S. man charged in Yemen with being a member of al-Qaida had previously worked at the plants.
PSEG Nuclear spokesman Joe Delmar says Sharif Mobley worked as a laborer for several contractors at its three plants on Artificial Island in Lower Alloways Creek from 2002 to 2008 carrying supplies and doing maintenance work.
Delmar says he satisfied federal background checks as recently as 2008.
He says that the 26-year-old Mobley also worked at other plants in the region. Delmar says the plant is cooperating with authorities.
Nuclear reactors remain a tempting target for terrorists, requiring ever vigilant security measures.
Technorati Tags: Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, Acquaintance, Acquaintances, Al Qaida, Al Queda, american jihadist, American Muslims, Ap Reports, arrest, Associated Press, Barack Obama, Black Belt, black muslim converts, black muslims, Classmate, Counterterrorism, domestic terrorism, Domestic Terrorist, Escape Attempt, Extremist, Extremist Views, Fbi, High School Wrestling Team, holder, Intelligence Officials, Jihadist, Landisville, Learne, Little Rock Arkansas, longtime extremist, Mecca, Mobley, Mr Castro, Mujahid, Nctc, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Power Plants, nuclear worker, Pilgrimages, Regional High School, Religious Views, Roman Catholic, Sharif, sharif mobley, shooting, Somali, stratfor, Study Islam, terror attack, Terrorism, Terrorist, Us Army Soldier, Work History, Yemen, yemeni, Yemeni Authorities, Yemeni Officials, yemeni security
Tags: Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, Acquaintance, Acquaintances, Al Qaida, Al Queda, american jihadist, American Muslims, Ap Reports, arrest, Associated Press, Barack Obama, Black Belt, black muslim converts, black muslims, Classmate, Counterterrorism, domestic terrorism, Domestic Terrorist, Escape Attempt, Extremist, Extremist Views, Fbi, High School Wrestling Team, holder, Intelligence Officials, Jihadist, Landisville, Learne, Little Rock Arkansas, longtime extremist, Mecca, Mobley, Mr Castro, Mujahid, Nctc, nuclear, nuclear power, Nuclear Power Plants, nuclear worker, Pilgrimages, Regional High School, Religious Views, Roman Catholic, Sharif, sharif mobley, shooting, Somali, stratfor, Study Islam, terror attack, Terrorism, Terrorist, Us Army Soldier, Work History, Yemen, yemeni, Yemeni Authorities, Yemeni Officials, yemeni security
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Thursday, March 11th, 2010
Gallup reports today that President Obama's job approval has fallen to an all-time low of 46% amongst all adult Americans
President Barack Obama received more bad news today regarding his sagging popularity with the American people, as for the first time Obama’s job approval amongst all adults, as measured by Gallup’s polling, fell to just 46% today. It appears that the American public’s approval of President Obama declines at times of intense focus on health care reform. As you can see from the chart below, Obama’s approval has been steadily declining since his Inauguration and has now reached the low of his Presidency:
With the next week or so being the final days before the all-important House of Representatives vote on Obamacare, Obama’s sliding approval numbers are sure to draw the attention of wavering House Democrats as they decide whether to side with the President and vote for his signature, yet widely unpopular, health care initiative or risk the President’s wrath by voting down Obamacare just days from now.
UPDATE: Ed at Hotair notes that the Congressional Democratic leadership has canceled all committee hearings and is meeting behind closed doors regarding Obamacare. Perhaps today’s Gallup numbers are a topic of discussion:
Faced with caucus members who aren’t responding to the normal arm-twisting, Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer abruptly canceled scheduled committee hearings to call the party leadership into closed-door conference to plot strategy and tactics. That left Fox News with no one to discuss the events except Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)
….
Pelosi has insisted that she has the votes to pass it, but the sudden dive behind closed doors suggests otherwise. If they had the votes, they’d produce the bill and schedule the roll-call vote.
Technorati Tags: 46%, Adult Americans, Adults, Bad News, Barack Obama, Caption, Caucus Members, Closed Doors, Committee Hearings, Democratic Leadership, Focus On Health, Fox News, Gallup, Health Care Initiative, Health Care Reform, House Democrats, House Of Representatives, Inauguration, Intense Focus, Job Approval, Michele Bachmann, Nancy Pelosi, News Today, obamacare, Party Leadership, Popularity, Presidency, Risk, Roll Call Vote, Signature, Steny Hoyer, Strategy And Tactics, vote, Wrath
Tags: 46%, Adult Americans, Adults, Bad News, Barack Obama, Caption, Caucus Members, Closed Doors, Committee Hearings, Democratic Leadership, Focus On Health, Fox News, Gallup, Health Care Initiative, Health Care Reform, House Democrats, House Of Representatives, Inauguration, Intense Focus, Job Approval, Michele Bachmann, Nancy Pelosi, News Today, obamacare, Party Leadership, Popularity, Presidency, Risk, Roll Call Vote, Signature, Steny Hoyer, Strategy And Tactics, vote, Wrath
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Thursday, March 11th, 2010
NBC and AP report that Sharif Mobley, pictured above, was detained by Yemeni authorities for terror activities and subsequently engaged in a shootout at a local hospital while trying to escape
Coming on the heels of the release of details of the arrest of Pennsylvania woman Colleen LaRose, or “Jihad Jane”, yesterday, NBC reports today that federal authorities have confirmed that another American jihadist, Sharif Mobley, was detained in Yemen recently and engaged in a shootout with Yemeni authorities guarding him while trying to escape from a local hospital:
BUENA BOROUGH–Federal sources have confirmed that a man from Buena is in custody in the Middle East, and they say he’s believed to be an Al-Qaeda militant who’s accused of going on a deadly rampage.
“We don’t know nothing, we’re trying to hear something,” said Charles Mobley. Those were the only words he would share on camera about his son, 26 year-old Sharif Mobley. Federal sources have confirmed the 2002 Buena Regional High School graduate is currently in custody in the Middle East, suspected of being an Al-Qaeda militant.
“I remember him from high school,” said Dawn Bass, “he was just outgoing, he wanted to be, like the center of attention. He was a nice kid.”
Which is why those who knew him are shocked to learn that reports from the Middle East say Mobley was recently arrested with several others in Yemen, for allegedly plotting attack for Al-Qaeda. But that’s not all, according to those reports, Mobley, who was apparently hospitalized in Yemen’s capital for an unknown reason, allegedly killed a police guard and seriously wounded another over the weekend, in a failed attempt to escape. “It’s shocking,” said Bass, “I wouldn’t expect anybody that I graduated with to do something like that.”
Mobley’s mother didn’t want to speak on camera, but told us that the accusations are completely false and that her son is not a terrorist. “I haven’t talked to him or seen him in a couple of years,” said Bass, “anything can happen, people change so quickly, and this world, it’s just a crazy place anymore. It’s really scary.”
Mobley’s mother who spoke to us inside her Buena home says the last time she spoke to her son, it was late January, and he was in Yemen. While she does confirm that they were recently visited by the FBI, she says her son is an excellent person who’s never been in trouble and is a good Muslim.
Officially, the FBI will not comment on the case, but sources say federal investigators have an interest in Mobley and are waiting for more information to come out of Yemen.
Yesterday's disclosure of the arrest of "Jihad Jane" (pictured above) was followed up today with confirmation from federal authorities that New Jersey man Sharif Mobley has been detained in Yemen
The AP, citing Yemeni authorities, provides details of Mobley’s initial arrest and subsequent escape attempt:
A member of the Yemeni intelligence service confirmed Thursday that the man, originally described in statements as foreign, was a Somali-American. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
He was originally arrested as part of an earlier sweep against al-Qaida, according to other security officials, and was in prison on charges of membership of the group. He complained of being ill and was admitted to the hospital, where was held under heavy guard while he was treated for around a week until his escape attempt, said a member of the security forces.
Officials say he snatched a gun from one security guard and shot him, then made his way down from his fifth-floor room to the ground floor. Witnesses say he then got into a shootout with hospital security guards, who pinned him down until a unit of the anti-terrorism police apprehended him.
Today’s confirmation of American Jihadist and Buena, New Jersey resident Sharif Mobley’s arrest and subsequent deadly escape attempt continues a troubling trend of American citizens becoming involved in Jihadist activities both here in the United States and abroad over the past year or so.
UPDATE: the NY Daily News adds an interesting detail to Mobley’s story – apparently Mobley was paid by the campaign of former Governor Jon Corzine (D-NJ) in 2005 to assist Corzine in his turnout drive:
Campaign finance records show Mobley received $75 as an election day worker for Gov. Jon Corzine’s campaign in 2005.
Technorati Tags: 2005, 75, 75 dollars, Accusations, Al Qaeda, Ap Report, buena, Buena Regional High School, Center Of Attention, Colleen, corzine, Democrats, Disclosure, Escape Attempt, Federal Authorities, Federal Sources, Jersey Man, Jihad, Jihadist, Larose, Local Hospital, Mobley, NBC, new jersey, Pennsylvania Woman, Police Guard, Quot, Rampage, Regional High School, School Graduate, Sharif, sharif mobley pic, Terror Activities, turnout, worker, Yemen Capital, Yemeni Authorities
Tags: 2005, 75, 75 dollars, Accusations, Al Qaeda, Ap Report, buena, Buena Regional High School, Center Of Attention, Colleen, corzine, Democrats, Disclosure, Escape Attempt, Federal Authorities, Federal Sources, Jersey Man, Jihad, Jihadist, Larose, Local Hospital, Mobley, NBC, new jersey, Pennsylvania Woman, Police Guard, Quot, Rampage, Regional High School, School Graduate, Sharif, sharif mobley pic, Terror Activities, turnout, worker, Yemen Capital, Yemeni Authorities
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Thursday, March 11th, 2010
Democratic Congressional Leaders and the Obama Administration cut a final, closed door deal last night on the legislative language of Obamacare
House and Senate Congressional Democrats, and representatives of the Obama Administration, met late into the night on Wednesday behind closed doors in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office and apparently have come up with yet another, and final, Democratic version of Obamacare, to be read to the House Democratic Caucus today, reports the AP about a hour ago:
WASHINGTON – A final agreement nearly in hand, President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders are about to embark on one last sales job that will determine the outcome of the president’s signature health care overhaul.
It will come down to a phenomenal effort by congressional leaders and the White House to win over skittish lawmakers after a year of incendiary debate, even as Obama keeps up campaign-style appearances designed to fire up public support.
A closed-door meeting in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office Wednesday evening moved congressional leaders and administration officials close to agreement on such issues as additional subsidies to help lower-income families purchase health insurance and more aid for states under the Medicaid program for low-income Americans.
Democrats still need to see a final cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office — and want to ensure it stays around $950 billion over 10 years — but they made plans to begin to read the bill to rank-and-file Democrats at a caucus meeting Thursday.
“We’re going to get started,” Pelosi, D-Calif., said after her meeting with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and other key officials. Some unanswered questions remain, Pelosi said, “but we’re hoping that we’ll get those answered over the course of the reading. It’s not much.”
It should be noted, as it was not by the AP, that this final dickering and deal making between Democrats done behind closed doors last night was without any transparency, punctuating a process of over a year of such backroom, closed door negotiations between Democrats regarding Obamacare. The AP apparently sees this backroom dealing and efforts to twist arms of reluctant House Democrats as “a phenomenal effort”, essentially playing the role of Obama Administration cheerleader instead of objective news organization.
Regardless, it appears that in the next week or so the House of Representatives will hold a vote on Obamacare, and between now and then the House Democrats who have refused to agree will likely be submitted to extreme pressure, in unison, from Speaker Pelosi, progressive interest groups, the establishment media and the Obama Administration. Retired Democratic Rep. Eric Massa provided a preview of sorts by describing the strongarming efforts of Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel over a prior vote, with Massa relating that a naked Emanuel charged Massa in the showers of the Congressional gym and screamed about Massa’s voting preferences while jabbing Massa in the chest with his finger.
While a repetition of Rahm’s nude finger jam is unlikely, as the days count down to the House vote, deals with individual House Democrats will be attempted, with promises of favors on other legislation or of increased campaign support or Administration jobs and threats of retribution for voting against Obamacare sure to intensify in the lead up to the House vote. As for President Obama himself, he plans on continuing the campaign speeches in various parts of the county to demand the passage of Obamacare now, as he exclaimed to the Missouri crowd yesterday, “[t]he time for talk is over. It’s time to vote. It’s time to vote. Tired of talking about it.” The Obama Administration apparently disapproved of the inclusion of Obama’s claim that he is “tired of talking about it” in the AP’s article, as it was almost immediately removed from the AP feed after this morning’s publication.
Considering that after Obama shouted these words in Missouri, Democrats continued to feverishly engage in closed door “talk” over the actual legislative language of Obamacare, only reaching a deal late last night, yesterday’s presidential demand for the “debate” or “talk” regarding health care reform to be “over” is somewhat jarring, especially considering the President made similar comments last week and at various times since July 2009. Apparently closed-door, backroom negotiations between Democrats, such as the final private deal-making last night, is acceptable “talk” for President Obama regarding health care reform, but “talk” consisting of actual substantive negotiations with the GOP or any public, transparent negotiations over the language of the bill between Democrats is verboten. Sadly, the text agreed to last night amongst Democrats will be withheld from the public for the next few days as sweetheart provisions are inserted to buy the needed House Democratic votes.
After the AP cheer leads by praising the Democratic effort as “phenomenal“, AP continues to further frame Obama’s health care efforts as a valiant “rescue mission” and finally lays out the shape of the Obamacare endgame to unfold in the days to come:
The current plan is for the House to approve the Senate-passed bill from late last year, despite serious objections to numerous provisions. Both houses then would pass a second bill immediately, making changes in the first measure before both could take effect. The second bill would be debated under rules that bar a filibuster, meaning it could clear by majority vote in the Senate without Democrats needing the 60-vote supermajority now beyond their reach.
Republicans have vowed to do everything they can to thwart the plan, and for the Democrats, some policy questions remain unsettled.
Obama already has moved to eliminate a couple of special deals in the Senate bill that turned off voters when they became public, including extra Medicaid funding for Nebraska — derided by critics as the “Cornhusker kickback.” Late Wednesday the White House said the president was pushing to strip out a number of deals that remain, possibly including a provision sought by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., providing Medicare coverage for residents of Libby, Mont., who suffer from asbestos-related illnesses because of a now-closed mining operation.
Considering that Obama Administration officials were with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid every step of the way when the odious, unethical deals were made to buy the votes of Democratic Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE), Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and others for the prior Christmas Eve vote on Obamacare, AP is certainly taking a lot of artistic license to now claim, as they do above, that Obama “has moved to eliminate a couple of special deals in the Senate bill that turned off voters when they became public”. The AP’s praise of the Obama Administration for removing some of the backroom deals that the White House and Congressional Democrats created in the first place, and removing them only after such unethical deals became public knowledge, again demonstrates the lapdog status of the establishment media towards President Obama and highlights the nearly impossible task facing opponents of Obamacare in the days to come as the entire establishment media and DC establishment move in tandem to push Obamacare over the finish line.
UPDATE: Ed at Hotair notes that several Congressional Democrats from Missouri are declining to participate in President Obama’s health care reform campaign rally there later today. The Washington Times reports:
The Show Me State temporarily became the No-Show State on Wednesday as some prominent Missouri Democrats decided they’d rather be somewhere else when President Obama came to push his massive health care overhaul plan.
Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, the all-but-certain Democratic nominee for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Christopher S. “Kit” Bond, was “already locked in” to meetings in Washington, D.C., on Wall Street financial reforms, said her spokesman, Linden Zakula, who downplayed her absence for Mr. Obama’s visit to St. Charles, just outside St. Louis. …
Rep. Ike Skelton, one of 39 House Democrats who voted against the party’s health care overhaul bill in December, also skipped the presidential stop in his home state. Mr. Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, was taking part in a House floor debate on the future of the war in Afghanistan.
In addition, Rep. Russ Carnahan, a Democrat from St. Louis and Mrs. Carnahan’s brother, skipped the event, even though it was in his home district.
Technorati Tags: Backroom Deal, Campaign Style, Closed Doors, Congressional Budget Office, Congressional Democrats, Congressional Leaders, Democratic Version, House Democratic Caucus, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Legislative Language, Medicaid Program, Nancy Pelosi, Purchase Health Insurance, Rahm Emanuel, Senate Majority Leader, Senate Majority Leader Harry, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Some Unanswered Questions, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, White House Chief Of Staff
Tags: Backroom Deal, Campaign Style, Closed Doors, Congressional Budget Office, Congressional Democrats, Congressional Leaders, Democratic Version, House Democratic Caucus, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Legislative Language, Medicaid Program, Nancy Pelosi, Purchase Health Insurance, Rahm Emanuel, Senate Majority Leader, Senate Majority Leader Harry, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Some Unanswered Questions, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, White House Chief Of Staff
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Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
President Barack Obama's government has run up the largest budget deficit in American history in February of 2010
As shown in a little-noticed release from the Treasury Department today, the Obama Administration has run up the largest budget deficit in American history in February of 2010, a whopping total of $220.9 Billion in just one month. February 2010’s unprecedented total is more than most year-long budget deficits in American history, including 2007’s year-long total of $161 Billion. AP reports in this historic monthly deficit:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government ran up the largest monthly deficit in history in February, keeping the flood of red ink on track to top last year’s record for the full year.
The Treasury Department said Wednesday that the February deficit totaled $220.9 billion, 14 percent higher than the previous record set in February of last year.
The deficit through the first five months of this budget year totals $651.6 billion, 10.5 percent higher than a year ago.
The Obama administration is projecting that the deficit for the 2010 budget year will hit an all-time high of $1.56 trillion, surpassing last year’s $1.4 trillion total. The administration is forecasting that the deficit will remain above $1 trillion in 2011, giving the country thrree straight years of $1 trillion-plus deficits.
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The government’s monthly budget report showed the record $220.9 billion deficit for February reflected outlays of $328.4 billion and revenues of $107.5 billion. The February receipts marked the first time that revenues are up compared with the same month a year ago since April 2008. Revenues had fallen for 21 straight months as the recession cut into both individual and corporate income tax payments.
As President Obama and Congressional Democrats continue with their primary focus on passing Obamacare, considering the attendant increased government spending included therein, February 2010 may not have the record for largest monthly deficit in American history for very long.
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Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
The Next Eight Days Will Perhaps Decide Whether Obamacare Passes
After over a year of wrangling, and repeated pronouncements of an “endgame” from President Barack Obama, his senior advisors, and Congressional Democratic leaders at regular intervals from July of 2009 to present, the Obama Administration and Congressional Democratic leadership are settling on a March 18 deadline for House passage of Obamacare. As today’s news sinks in, President Barack Obama is facing a low ebb of job approval in his Presidency so far, with just 48% (one point off all-time low) of registered voters approving in Gallup’s numbers today and just 43% (all-time low) of likely voters approving in today’s Rasmussen polling. Considering this slide in approval as the focus on health care intensifies, the Obama Administration’s desire to have the big House vote sooner rather than later, and come what may, makes sense politically as the White House can then move to a popular jobs focus immediately even in the aftermath of a health care defeat.
As for the pronouncement that the debate is over itself, perhaps this claim should viewed with caution, considering the prior numerous pronouncements. President Obama got into the act on Monday, again declaring that the time for debate over health care is over, while attacking GOP opponents of Obamacare:
Congress “owes the American people a final up or down vote on health care. It’s time to make a decision,” he told an enthusiastic crowd at Arcadia University near Philadelphia. “Stand with me and fight with me. … Let’s seize reform. It’s within our grasp.”
The administration is ramping up its health care push in the coming weeks. The White House has called for legislation to be on the president’s desk at the end of March before the congressional Easter vacation.
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Insurance companies, the president argued, have made a calculation. He cited a recent Goldman Sachs conference call in which an insurance broker told investors that insurers are willing to lose some customers through premium hikes because of an overall lack of competition in the industry.
“They will keep doing this for as long as they can get away with it,” Obama said. “How much higher do premiums have to rise until we do something about it? How many more Americans have to lose their health insurance? How many more businesses have to drop coverage?”
Obama dismissed GOP criticism that his nearly $1 trillion proposal fails to control spiraling medical costs.
“You had 10 years,” Obama said in reference to GOP control of Congress. “What were you doing?”
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Washington is “obsessed with the sport of politics,” he said. “We have debated health care in Washington for more than a year. … When’s the right time? If not now, when? If not us, who?”
Speaking of the “sport of politics”, six months ago, President Obama said almost exactly the same thing while also demonizing opponents:
CINCINNATI – In a combative Labor Day speech, President Barack Obama said the health care debate had gone on too long and accused opponents of spreading “lies” meant to convince Americans that his proposed overhaul would cruelly deny care to the elderly.
The president, speaking at an AFL-CIO picnic, said that “special interests” were determined to “scare the heck out of people.”
“I’ve got a question for all these folks who say, you know, we’re going to pull the plug on Grandma and this is all about illegal immigrants – you’ve heard all the lies,” Obama said. “I’ve got a question for all those folks: What are you going to do? What’s your answer? What’s your solution? And you know what? They don’t have one.”
The president seemed eager to recapture some of the enthusiasm that propelled him during his campaign. A prolonged recession has sapped morale, he said, as have pundits who warn that “this isn’t working and that’s not working.”
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But his overriding message in Cincinnati was that health care discussions needed to end. In making that case, he was rejecting a Republican suggestion that he “reset” health care negotiations and start anew.
Obama said “every debate at some point comes to an end. At some point, it’s time to decide. At some point, it’s time to act.”
In between the twin Obama speeches in March 2010 and September 2009 which demand an end to the health care debate while attacking opponents, the White House orchestrated a health care summit with the GOP, with much fanfare, where Obama and the Democrats spoke for about four hours and the GOP spoke for two hours about areas of agreement on health care reform. Many of the points of agreement were outlined on this site before the summit. At the end of the summit, Obama promised to work with Republicans on those points of agreement for “a months time or a few weeks time or six weeks time” before pushing through a partisan Democratic plan:
Obama says there probably won’t be another summit due to the time it requires, but says “we cannot have another year-long debate about this.”
“The question that I’m going to ask myself and I ask of all of you is, ‘Is there enough serious effort that in a months time or a few weeks time or six weeks time, we could actually decide something?’ And if we can’t, I think we’ve got to go ahead and make some decisions and then that’s what elections are for.”
Just six days after the President’s health care summit, Obama ended any hope of a bipartisan deal by “calling for an ‘up or down vote’ within weeks under rules denying Republicans the ability to kill the bill with mere talk” according to the AP.
With all of the political back and forth behind us, now Americans can focus on what will amount to one of the most important votes in the House of Representatives in American history, set to take place not later than eight days from today. Folks on both sides of the debate, for or against Obamacare, should make their views known to their Congressperson by calling, mailing, emailing or otherwise communicating with their local representatives. Folks who are looking to support Obamacare can look here for numbers of to call and other information. Folks who are looking to oppose Obamacare can look here for numbers to call and other information. We are in a truly historic period over the next week or so and all Americans should pay attention and make their views known.
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Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
President Obama and Congressional Democrats are scrambling to draft yet another version of Obamacare to assist House passage of Obamacare by the White House deadline of March 18, 2010
Fox News is reporting, building on prior AP reporting, that the White House has today increased pressure on Democrats in Congress, especially the House Democrats, putting out word that Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats must either pass Obamacare through the House of Representatives now, before the Easter recess begins on March 18, 2010, or the entire effort at comprehensive health care reform will die.
Over the past few days, the White House has indicated it wants a vote in the House by March 18, and Congressional Democratic leaders like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have resisted agreeing to any deadline. However, with the new, increased pressure today, Congressional Democratic sources say that they are “on the same page” as the White House:
A House Democratic leadership source tells Fox there is something approaching convergence on the White House’s March 18 deadline for a vote on the Senate health care bill.
“Everyone is now on same page,” the leadership source said about the March 18 deadline. “We understand the White House believes that would be optimal timing. But they understand we are not wedding ourselves to any deadlines.”
With today’s developments, it now appears that the year-long health care debate finally has a date certain where either Obamacare will pass or it will not, and that deadline appears to March 18, 2010. The next eight days may decide the historical trajectory of the United States, as strict federal control over the entire health care delivery system, 16% of the US Economy, will surely substantially alter the direction of the American economy and political system for decades to come.
Ironically, after over a year of debate over health care reform, and lots of talk regarding cooperation between President Obama/Democratic Congressional Leadership and the GOP on writing the final version of the bill at the health care summit 10 days ago, Democrats continue to scramble behind closed doors to write a final version to the liking of Democrats in Congress. Of course, no Republicans are involved in any way with these last minute drafting efforts by Obama and the Congressional Democratic leadership, despite the clear preference of the American people for such joint drafting to occur. Fox News’s Major Garrett describes the frantic backroom drafting occurring now:
In reality, the White House isn’t budging and the House Democratic leadership is trying. But it can’t vote on the Senate bill until it has a fully drafted and CBO (Congressional Budget Office)-scored bill to “fix” the Senate bill’s imperfections.
But the so-called “fix” bill isn’t ready and there is no expectation CBO will deliver preliminary cost estimates Wednesday. That pushes the schedule back because House Democratic leaders cannot begin the final whip process (counting “yes” and “no” votes) until it has a full “fix” bill with a concrete CBO score on costs, revenues and deficit implications.
In other words, there’s a lot of work left to be done and not much time to finish it. What may well be happening is House Democrats and the White House are agreeing to disagree — on the timing, not the objective.
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Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
Unemployment Rose in 30 States in January 2010
Despite the claims of various politicians in Washington, D.C. that the recession is over and a recovery is well underway, unemployment continues to surge throughout the United States, as shown in the release of detailed information today by the Labor Department regarding the January 2010 jobs situation. While 30 states reported an increase in the unemployment rate, five states reached all-time highs in unemployment rates:
Unemployment rose in most states in January—even breaking records in several states, according to government data released Wednesday.
Joblessness in five states—California (12.5 percent), South Carolina (12.6 percent) , Florida (11.9 percent), Georgia (10.4 percent) and North Carolina (11.1 percent)—hit a record high. The District of Columbia, at 12.0 percent, also reached a record high.
In all, 30 states and the District of Columbia saw their rates increase in January over the previous month. Nine states reported a decrease and 11 states had no change in their unemployment, according to the Labor Department.
One disquieting, and unreported, detail of the extended January 2010 report is that all of the above numbers are “adjusted” figures and actual unemployment is actually higher. Overall, the American job market appears to be “frozen”:
“It shows that the labor market is virtually frozen,” said Nick Colas, chief market strategist at the ConvergEx Group. Although the data is from January, he said that “there has not been any dramatic change in these past six weeks.”
Many economists and other observers have pointed to the uncertainty caused by the push to fundamentally alter the health care delivery system by the Obama Administration and Democrats in Congress as a potential cause of this “frozen” labor market. Business owners and operators, both small and large businesses, are less likely to hire new employees while facing potential higher costs in the near term from a possible employer mandate and associated tax on employers who do not provide health coverage to employees.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has famously claimed, with no discernible substantive basis other than a far left wing think tank report, that passing Obamacare through Congress will “almost immediately” result in a gain of 400,000 jobs in America, with 4 million jobs to be created overall by Obamacare. Even Obama-worshipper and Washington Post writer Charles Lane admits Pelosi’s claim is ludicrous, especially considering the main cost-cutting mechanism, the so-called “cadillac tax”, has been removed until 2018 at earliest, hence postponing any job creation gains from lower health care costs well beyond “almost immediately”:
Here’s my problem, though: For Pelosi’s scenario to pan out, health-care reform must actually produce substantial cost savings. And that is more doubtful now that President Obama has offered a version that postpones the strongest cost-containment provision in the Senate bill — the “Cadillac tax” on high-value insurance plans — until 2018. That’s like postponing it this long. The president did this largely to appease organized labor and their allies in the House Democratic caucus — led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Such claims by Speaker Pelosi are especially odd in light of her statement yesterday that its uncertain what is actually in the bill as she advised reporters that “we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.” Regardless, considering the uncertainty and outright hostility being generated amongst business owners about the Democratic health care reform efforts, it is much more likely that hundreds of thousands of jobs will be created in America if the partisan effort to comprehensively reform health care is officially shelved by President Obama. Providing this certainty to business owners of the future near term cost of hiring an employee, and not increasing such costs and federal regulatory liability as Obamacare would, could be the single greatest thing Washington, D.C. could do to help the American unemployed find a new job.
Indeed, average Americans overwhelmingly agree with this proposition, as recent CNN polling shows 73% want Obama and the Dems to either stop or start over instead of passing the present comprehensive plan and yesterday’s AP polling shows 68% want Obama and the Dems to continue to work with the GOP to make a deal instead of pushing through the present comprehensive plan without GOP support. A full 57% of Americans believe that Obamacare will hurt the economy – just 25% think it will help. It appears to us that the intuition of the American people and the great center of America have correctly determined that the giant new federal bureaucracy and new federal taxes associated with Obamacare would be a drag, if not an anchor, on the efforts of businesses to rebuild their workforces and the economy as a whole to recover.
Perhaps President Obama, Congressional Democratic leaders and the GOP leadership will all decide that the needs of the American people, regarding jobs and the economy, are more important that scoring political points (and “historical” ones for liberals) over health care reform and immediately shelve the present plan and pass centrist health care reform that would both help some uninsured, reduce costs and provide confidence to business owners so that hiring can begin again.
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