Democracy For America Chat

Democracy For America will have an online chat with Howard Dean and The Nation's Ari Berman. They will discuss how the Democratic Party needs to rebuild itself to move forward. If you are interested in paticipating in the chat hit the link below.

Sign up to participate in the live online discussion -- Thurs. Nov. 11 at 7:30pm Eastern Time.

The Case Against Neoliberalism

What do all these names have in common?

Dick Gephardt
Chuck Robb
Sam Nunn
Bill Clinton
John Breaux
Dave McCurdy
Joe Lieberman
Evan Bayh
Tom Vilsack
Harold Ford

The answer is all these men served as chair of the Democratic Leadership Council. Ask yourself if you want John Breaux, Harold Ford, Joe Lieberman, Evan Bayh or Dick Gephardt to be deciding the direction of the Democratic Party.

The DLC calls themselves New Democrats. They are too terrified to call themselves neoliberals. The DLC was extremely hawkish about the Iraq war. The DLC attack Howard Dean for being against the Iraq war.

So what does the Bull Moose think of the donkey? In the early primaries, I thought Karl Rove had induced a mass brainwashing of the Democrats as they flocked to Howard Dean. If the Deaniacs had seized the party, the Bush-Rovian dream of realignment might have been realized. Dean was their dream opponent -- a socially liberal, anti-war candidate from Vermont. However, the good centrist sense of the Democratic rank and file prevailed.

The DLC got their wish of John Kerry. How did that work out?

The DLC actively placed corporate interests ahead of unions. Rick MacArthur explained to Amy Goodman what happened in the 90s.

Well, this is the legacy of the Clinton administration, that the Clintons persuaded enough members of the Democratic Party that labor unions were finished. And they were, I think, largely right. Labor unions were finished as an important source of votes and power, or that they could be taken for granted. They were going to vote for the Democrats anyway, because they had no choice, and the place to raise money and to expand influence with the party was in corporate America. And Clinton says to these people, through Terry McAuliffe and all his friends, Gene Sperling, the corporate Democrats who came out of the Democratic Leadership Council, "Look, you can’t argue with results. I got elected president twice, and we almost had fundraising parity with the Republicans in the ’90s."

Current DLC chair Harold Ford has a history of being anti-abortion and against gay marriage. Ford voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment - barring gays from marrying. Ford supported an amendment that forbid gays from adopting in the District of Columbia.

Noted neoliberal economist Lawrence Summers has been a longtime advocate for deregulation. In the Clinton administration, Summers fought the Commodity Futures Trading Commission over financial derivatives. Summers was a champion of the Commodity Futures Modernization Act. The law barred derivatives from being regulated.

President Bill Clinton signed the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. The law abolished the Gless-Steagall Act. The latter separated commercial and investment banks. The neoliberal economics drive for less financial regulation helped create the climate for the Wall Street meltdown of 2008.

A person who as described himself as a New Democrat (code for neoliberal) is Barack Obama. This is why Obama promised to veto any bill that allows Medicare to negotiate prices with drug companies. Obama never backed universal health care or a ban on offshore drilling because he believes corporations should benefit from public policy. Nevermind that the health care bill is riddled with hole that won't lower the cost of health insurance. That was never the point of health care reform. Obama could have given a populist message on how no one who currently has health insurance should not be dropped after he or she gets sick. Obama instead mandated Americans to buy health insurance. If Republicans passed such a proposal progressives would be outraged.

Kendrick Meek Death Watch: Latest News

The Buzz reports former Bill Clinton political advisor Mark Penn is hosting a $4,800-per-person fundraising reception for Charlie Crist.

In other news: Howard Dean made this comment to Rachel Maddow about potential seats Domocrats could pick up for the Senate caucus.

"I was calculating this morning. I think it's possible we might lose only one seat because are going to lose a bunch of seats for incumbents, but we have a chance of picking up five seats, including Louisiana, North Carolina, Kentucky, New Hampshire and whether Kendrick Meek or Charlie Crist wins."

That must make Meek feel like the Democratic Party is putting all their eggs in his basket. Democrats aren't even pretending they aren't backing Meek anymore.

The Lack of Spine in Both Parties

Howard Dean in the Huffington Post takes both parties to task for a lack of political courageousness. Dean cites the Tea Party Federation banishing Mark Williams for his "Letter to Lincoln" blog post.

"Now if the Tea Party, which is not a professional group of politicians have the decency to repudiate the racist fringe in their group," Dean wrote. "Why can't the Republicans."

The question poised by Dean is rhetorical. Dean notes, "(Republicans) will do anything to regain power." Refusing to extend unemployment benefits under the false pretense of fiscal conservatism. The political goal by Republicans was to make unemployed Americans angry at the Democrats.

Dean continues to hammer his point about Democrats needing a spine transplant.

The second lesson is harder. Stand up for what you believe in. I admire Nancy Pelosi because she is tough, gets things done, and doesn't take crap from the right wing or any one else.

The Obama administration panicked when Andrew Breitbart put the heavily edited videotape of Shirley Sherrod on the internet. Cheryl Cook, an undersecretary at the Department of Agriculture forced Sherrod to resign from the USDA. Cook told Sherrod she was "going to be on Glenn Beck tonight." The Obama administration fired Sherrod and Van Jones because of their fear of Glenn Beck. Can anyone imagine the White House firing an appointee because of what was said by Jane Hamsher, Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann or Arianna Huffington? Hamsher and Huffington want Geithner gone. White House senior adviser David Alexrod said Obama will not fire Geithner because "they have a man-crush on each other."

Obama had a private meeting with Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes. Obama could not even be bothered to attend this years Netroots Nation conference to speak to his base. This isn't to suggest Obama is a Republican. Obama is a politically reactionary politician who is fearful of media and corporate power.

Quote of the Day

"Let’s just be blunt about this … I think Fox News did something that was absolutely racist… They’ve been pushing a theme of black racism, this phony Black Panther crap, and this business… and Sotomayor and all this other stuff… The Republican party has got to stop appealing to its racist fringe… "

Howard Dean, on the Fox News coverage of Shirley Sherrod.

Fox News' Christ Wallace attempts to defend his networks coverage of the Sherrod story. Dean correctly points out that it does not matter whether or not Fox News aired the Sherrod video after she was fired. Dean said Fox News should have properly fact-checked the video. Newt Gingrich wisely stays out of the Wallace and Dean debate.

Funniest Story of the Day

The Huffington Post reports that the news story about Howard Dean supporting a Charlie Crist independent run is bogus. I have a hard time seeing Dean commit political suicide by endorsing Crist. The story was leaked by Orlando Republican Scott Peelen.

The official version is in the green room of Morning Joe, Dean joked to Crist that he would write a campaign check for a Crist independent run.

Howard Dean Stumps For Alan Grayson

Howard Dean filmed a Youtube video for Rep. Alan Grayson. The blog Crooks and Liars is running an online campaign to raise money for Grayson. You can donate to Grayson's campaign at Congressman With Guts.

Quote of the Day

"Real health-care reform is supposed to eliminate discrimination based on preexisting conditions. But the legislation allows insurance companies to charge older Americans up to three times as much as younger Americans, pricing them out of coverage. The bill was supposed to give Americans choices about what kind of system they wanted to enroll in. Instead, it fines Americans if they do not sign up with an insurance company, which may take up to 30 percent of your premium dollars and spend it on CEO salaries -- in the range of $20 million a year -- and on return on equity for the company's shareholders. Few Americans will see any benefit until 2014, by which time premiums are likely to have doubled. In short, the winners in this bill are insurance companies; the American taxpayer is about to be fleeced with a bailout in a situation that dwarfs even what happened at AIG."

Howard Dean, in a Washington Post op-ed

Heat On Blanche Lincoln

Howard Dean floats the idea of Democrats running a primary opponent against Sen. Blanche Lincoln. She loudly said she plans on filibustering the health care bill. Another good reason for Democrats to run a primary opponent is to keep the seat. Lincoln's polling numbers are bad.

SCHULTZ: What do you say to progressive groups that want to put a progressive candidate up against Blanche Lincoln in a primary down in Arkansas? Is that a fool’s errand? Does that have merit, in your opinion?

DEAN: I think it does. The Democrats are pretty progressives. We’ve done some polling in Arkansas, Democracy for America, which I consult for. The majority of people in Arkansas and especially the majority of Democrats, want a public option.

...

SCHULTZ: Blanche Lincoln is polling behind. There are nine possible candidates on the Republican side in Arkansas. Blanche Lincoln is behind every single one of them in a poll. Wouldn’t it be good money spent on the part of the Democrats to go in there and get somebody who’s really going to do something about health care reform? Wouldn’t that be a good dollar to spend?

DEAN: Well, you know, there are some people talking about running in the primary down there. I’ve heard the lieutenant governor is thinking about running. And he’s just organized a whole series of huge clinics, free clinics. You know, that could happen.

Look, you have to stick with your base. If you don’t stick with your base, you can’t win elections. That’s what happened in Virginia and New Jersey this year, is the core people that got Barack Obama elected to the presidency didn’t show up for the gubernatorial candidates.

Part of the reason health care reform numbers are so bad in Arkansas is Lincoln and Sen. Mark Pryor have been trashing the public option. It makes sense for Arkansas voters to be against the public option.

Arkansas is the state where health reform advocate President Bill Clinton came from. Obviously, Lincoln and Pryor do not possess Clinton's political skills and charisma. Lincoln wants to be all things to all voters. She becomes indecisive and and lacks leadership skills. Lincoln promised to filibuster healthcare. She allowed the health care bill to reach the floor. Why allow the bill to be debated if she promises to vote against the Senate bill. It pretty pathetic posturing. Voters see through the grandstanding. That is why Lincoln's numbers are down.

Howard Dean Online Chat

Democracy For America is hosting an online debrief and chat with Gov. Howard Dean tomorrow. The focus of the chat will be the Public Option Plus for Americans over 50 plan.

What: Debrief with Governor Dean
Date: Thursday, Oct. 15
Time: 10am Eastern
Where: www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/DebriefOnKos

If you miss the chat, you can watch it at the web address listed above.

Quote of the Day

"The Baucus bill is the worst piece of healthcare legislation I've seen in 30 years. In fact, it's a $60 billion giveaway to the health insurance industry every year. It was written by healthcare lobbyists, so that's not a surprise. It's an outrage."

Howard Dean

Gov. Dean is saying what I have been blogging about Obama has praised Republicans on the Gang of Six and pressured the Progressive Caucus to drop support of the public option. Obama and Baucus share equal blame for this bill.

Pelosi and Reid Say They Have the Votes

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told the President they have the votes to pass a health care bill.

What will be in the bill remains an open question, though after the meeting, Reid told reporters that “we're going to do our very best to have a public option or something like a public option before we finish this work.”

The question is will the bill actually have the public option. If not then will the bill become a corporate giveaway for health insurers. Howard Dean made an eloquent point on the uselessness of a bill without the public option.

"The problem is it won't work. It doesn't add anything. If you're going to do that, just do the insurance reform," said Dean. "There's no point in spending $600 billion and giving it to the insurance industry. We know what they'll do with it. I'm hopeful he'll stick to his guns and we'll have the reform we were promised in the campaign."

Obama Tossing Public Option

Rep. Raul Grijalva confirmed to Talking Points Memo that President Barack Obama is pressing the Progressive Caucus to give up the public option.

And progressive caucus co-chair Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) told Greg Sargent that Obama outright asked the participants how far they're willing to compromise on the public option.

All in all it appears very much as if the President is feeling out how willing House Democrats will be to support a bill that falls short of meeting their earlier demands for a Medicare-like public option available to consumers nation-wide, without any triggers. As I reported earlier today, Obama's set to meet with progressive House leaders Tuesday ahead of his big health care speech before Congress. That's shaping up to be an extremely crucial meeting.

Howard Dean explained how a bill without the public option would be a giveaway to corporate insurance interests.

"The problem is it won't work. It doesn't add anything. If you're going to do that, just do the insurance reform," said Dean. "There's no point in spending $600 billion and giving it to the insurance industry. We know what they'll do with it. I'm hopeful he'll stick to his guns and we'll have the reform we were promised in the campaign."

My fear is a corporate giveaway was always Obama's intent.

Randy Terry Kicked Out of Townhall Meeting

Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry was kicked out of Representative Jim Moran and Howard Dean. Moran gave Terry the chance to have a civil discussion. Terry declined.

Citizen journalists at the event reported that Congressman Moran incited the crowd further when he suggested there were some people in attendance who don't live in his district and had come only to disrupt the meeting. As Salon reports, Moran first singled out the instigator, demanding that Randall leave the town hall, "but then reconsidered, offering him the chance to ask the first question as long as he ended his protest and kept the question short enough that other people would still have their chance."

Terry declined. Instead he was escorted from the building as he continued to accuse Dean of murdering babies.

Terry and followers chanted "You Are A Baby Killer" and "We Won't Pay For Murder." House Republicans and Democrats have gone to pains to omit abortion from HR 3200. In the video, Terry tells a reporter the health care reform bill will fund abortion. Not true. From a pro-choice policy standpoint: I wish abortion was in HR 3200.

Listen to the crowd chant "Kick Them Out" to Terry's party. Terry manages to alienate liberals and conservatives. TErry will never understand being shrill will not help him win.

Joe Scarborough Praises Howard Dean

An interesting tweet from Joe Scarborough.

I don't agree with Howard Dean's approach to HCR but I think he is a GREAT spokesman for Democrats. He's fearless.

The neoliberal Obama administration would never allow the progressive Dean to be a health care spokesman. The Obama health care message is mush. Dean's voice is clear, concise and strong. Scarborough is a die hard Republican but respects a good politician giving straight talk. The Obama people thought (get ready to laugh) Tom Daschle was going to be their neoliberal Dean. Nevermind, Daschle works for the anti-health care reform UnitedHealth Group.

Sommer has retained such influential outsiders as Tom Daschle, the former Democratic Senate Leader who now works for the large law and lobbying firm Alston & Bird. Daschle, a liberal from South Dakota, dropped out of the running to be Obama's Secretary of Health & Human Services after disclosures that he failed to pay taxes on perks given to him by a private client. He advised UnitedHealth in 2007 and 2008 and resumed that role this year. Daschle personally advocates a government-run competitor to private insurers. But he sells his expertise to UnitedHealth, which opposes any such public insurance plan. Among the services Daschle offers are tips on the personalities and policy proclivities of members of Congress he has known for decades.

Conceding that he doesn't always agree with his client, Daschle says: "They just want a description of the lay of the land, an assessment of circumstances as they appear to be as health reform unfolds." He says he leaves direct contacts with members of Congress to others at his firm.

I find at hard to believe Obama wanted to appoint Daschle to create real change.

Update: Keith Olbermann reports on Obama meeting with UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Hemsley twice to discuss health care reform. Why is Obama meeting with a CEO of a company sued for Racketeering. UnitedHealth have settled many cases out of court.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Howard Dean and Chris Van Hollen on the Public Option

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Howard Dean guest hosted for Keith Olbermann. Dean described the Max Baucus compromise bill as "watered down." DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen discussed the public option with Dean.

DEAN: Chris, I know the House is doing a great job on this. But why haven’t we seen — why haven’t we seen Democrats in the Senate take a stronger bargaining position with the Republicans? Why give away something as fundamental as health care reform as the public option?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, you’re absolutely right, Howard. We’ve got to have a public option in the plan that we send to the president’s desk. We’re all still hoping that the Senate Finance Committee bill will have a public option.

If they don’t, we’re going to press hard. This has got to be in the bill that we send to the president’s desk. We’ve got to create more choice for consumers and more competition for the insurance companies.

I don’t think anyone was surprised to learn that the insurance companies are fighting this. These are the same companies that have seen their profits go through the roof over the last seven years. In fact, if you look at just the top 10 insurance companies, their profits have gone up about 430 percent over the last seven years, while everyone’s income stayed flat and while their premiums were going through the roof.

So, we’ve got to have a public option to create that competition and to give Americans more choice.

DEAN: Some Democrats are saying that there needs to be compromise on the public option in order to get the bill passed. But 72 percent of Americans say they want the choice of a public option. Does that mean that what the American people want is already dead in the Senate?

VAN HOLLEN: No. I certainly hope not. It’s certainly not dead with respect to the bill that we’ll send to the president’s desk.

The American people are exactly right. If you want more choice, you want to bring down premiums, you need that competition. There are parts of the country where the private insurance companies have huge monopoly lock over the markets. We need to provide that competition. As the president said, we need to start keeping these insurance companies honest.

You know you’re getting somewhere when you get a lot of resistance. And as you get closer to making this happen, you get more and more fight from the insurance companies, and we have to stick up for the consumers. And it’s pretty clear that the Republicans support the status quo, and there’s a good reason for that, which is their allies, the insurance industry, that has provided huge amounts of campaign contributions, supports the status quo, with respect to not providing for a public option.

Republicans had 8 years and did nothing to reform health care. The Congressional Budget Office found current entitlement spending is unsustainable.



A CBO letter to Republican Rep. David Camp estimated only 9 million people would switch from private health care to the so-called public option.

In 2016, nearly 3 million people who would be covered under an employment-based plan under current law—and who could be covered by that plan under the proposal—would choose instead to obtain coverage in the exchanges because the employer’s offer would
be deemed unaffordable and they would therefore be eligible to receive subsidies through the exchanges. In addition, some part-time employees, who could receive subsidies via an exchange even though they had an employer’s offer of coverage, would choose to do so. All told, we estimate that, in 2016, about 9 million people who would otherwise have had employer coverage would not be enrolled in an employment-based plan under the proposal.

The CBO estmates public health insurance will 10 percent lower than private insurance. What isn't making news is the letter notes hospitals spent $35 billion for uninsured care. The uninsured won't seek medical care until they need to visit an emergency room. From a humanitarian perspective: this is horrible policy. The cost factor will increase with more uninsured people. Hospitals will be forced to pass on the expenses to patients with health insurance. The status quo is increased cost and more uninsured people. Excuse me if private insurance companies aren't my first concern.

Less Voters Are Republicans

A new Gallup poll shows 53 percent identify themselves as Americans. 39 percent consider themselves Republicans. The Republican Party brand has been strinking for years. The increasing unpopularity of George W. Bush and the succes of Democrats in registering voters has contributed the the GOP slide.




Credit must be given to former DNC Chairman Howard Dean's 50 State Strategy. Democrats aren't going to win every red state or district. However, the 50 State Strategy can increase Democratic voter registration, help down ticket candidates and pull off wins in traditionally Republican states. Obama was able to win Virginia and Indiana. Obama could have pulled off a win in Arizona. Word is Obama felt confident he was going to win the election and did not feel the need to embarrass McCain. Obama did not campaign in Arizona. The McCain Phoenix office lacked volunteers and was poorly managed.

Arizona GOP Executive Director, Sean McCaffrey said that the state party spent a hefty sum of money putting in phone systems and building a call center in the Phoenix GOP headquarters. The technology that the Arizona GOP is using is expensive, but it is also old school. Arizona Republicans are relying heavily on expensive automated telephone systems (robocalls), while Democrats have an army of volunteers armed to the teeth with laptops and cell phones.

In September, when the Barack Obama campaign opened its main office in the heart of downtown Phoenix, an estimated 1,000 cheering volunteers showed up. Arizona's Obama for America Communications Director, Dave Cieslak, says,

If enthusiasm is a measure, it shows a deep and thorough level of support. It's stunning! Offices are filled daily with volunteers -- answering questions, getting ready for community events. Phoenix volunteers have taken on an incredible amount of work, as well as working full time jobs.

Arizona was Obama's for the taking. The 50 State Strategy works.

Republicans have kept support with Churchgoers and strongly-leaning conservatives. This represents the base. Did is the same base that attends tea parties and scares the daylights out of swing voters.


Gallup did telephone interviews with 7,139 national adults. The ages were 18 and older. The margin of error is 1 percent.

Obama & Dean Using Netroots

President Barack Obama is using is vast netroots coalition to mobilize support for his budget. Obama is asking supporters to call Congress and to canvass your neighborhood.



Howard Dean founded Democracy for America. The PAC changed the way political campaigns are run. Dean is using DFA to drum up support for Obama's health care plan.

DFA has a petition to voice support for universal health care.

Howard Dean Pitches Obama's Health Care Plan

Howard Dean went on Hardball to discuss Barack Obama's health care proposal. There is no official bill. Tom Daschle was to be Obama's health care point man. Daschle's nomination went down in flames. Daschle failed to pay $128,000 in taxes. On Daschle's nomination: Obama admitted, "I screwed up."

Obama's campaign health care proposal lacks specifics. Obama will have the health care industry join the nineties by keeping patient files computerized. Another issue that needs to be addressed is more competition amongst pharmacal companies to lower the price of medicine. Bush promised, in 2004, to end the ban against pharmacal drugs from Canada. Matt Yglesias notes Bush never ended the ban. Wal-Mart lowered prescription drugs prices by buying in bulk. Bush made it law the federal government could not negotiate by buying in bulk.

The Medicare prescription drug law specifically bans the federal government from negotiating bulk discounts on drugs even though the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs saves 50 percent and more off the list price of drugs it purchases for veterans as a result of bulk purchasing. Therefore, a larger share of the $400 million earmarked over the next ten years for the Medicare drug program will pay for overpriced drugs and drug company profits.

What is good enough for Wal-Mart is not good enough for the free market advocate Bush.

The Obama plan sounds a lot like the John Kerry 2004 plan. Kerry pitched lowering health care costs and giving health care recipients a choice of health care provider. The Kerry plan would be similar to health care coverage members of Congress receive.

KERRY: The fact is that my health-care plan, America, is very simple. It gives you the choice. I don't force you to do anything. It's not a government plan. The government doesn't require you to do anything. You choose your doctor. You choose your plan. If you don't want to take the offer of the plan that I want to put forward, you don't have do. You can keep what you have today, keep a high deductible, keep high premiums, keep a high co-pay, keep low benefits. Here's what I do: We take over Medicaid children from the states so that every child in America is covered. And in exchange, if the states want to-they're not forced to, they can choose to-they cover individuals up to 300 percent of poverty. It's their choice.

My problem with Obama is his lack of health care policy details. Obama is urging quick action on health care. With Obama's approval ratings, the time is now. It would help if Obama actually had a health care point man.

Democratic Leadership Backs Obama

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and DNC Chairman Howard Dean held a press conference to support Barack Obama.