Politics with Marc Ambinder

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Sep 6 2009, 1:46 pm by Marc Ambinder

The Sunday Shows In Five Or Fewer Sentences

Not too much news today...

1. Here's the real headline: couched in a warning to President Obama, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) offered his support today for a "trigger" to a public health insurance plan, bolstering the White House's attempts to corral Midwestern Democratic senators ahead of the president's Wednesday night address. Speaking on CNN's State of the Union with John King, Nelson said that he could support a "true trigger, one that would only apply if there isn't the kind of competition in the business that we believe there would be." Nelson is as azure-colored and scruffy as a Blue Dog Democrat can get in the Senate, and he has been hostile to a public option of any type. But today, he's essentially given the president permission to write a mechanism into the health bill that would require the "market" to become more competitive over time, lest it be overtaken by a government-subsidized plan. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said she was open to a trigger.

2. David Axelrod, the president's senior adviser, offered no specifics and very little insight into the president's comments on Wednesday. He repeated the basic administration formulation on the public option -- the president wants to ensure competition and quality and likes a public plan but won't veto a bill without it -- only to have the press write another "White House Backs Down on Public Option" story, which prompted Axelrod to insist to the Associated Press that the White House had not changed its position. Robert Gibbs, the president's press secretary, suggested that the speech on Wednesday would be light on veto threats and heavy on get 'er dun.

3. On Van Jones, a variety of administration officials offered a tepid defense of the former adviser for green jobs and said that President Obama did not fire Jones and had not paid much attention to the Beckiverse (Glenniverse?)'s crusade to oust him.

4. Rudy Giuliani told NBC's David Gregory that he was still considering a run for governor of New York.

5. Various commentators expressed unease and bewilderment at the thought that a presidential address to school children is controversial.

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Comments (5)

jennis psycho

And just think, if you or any of your colleagues could have torn yourselves out of Obama's posterior and spent five minutes googling Van Jones and learned on his Communist/Truther past, you could have had your very own breaking news story.

It might have made you unpopular in certain circles, but maybe something to consider when looking at some of Obama's other questionable czars/appointees?

Roger (Replying to: jennis psycho)

I am glad you have torn yourself out of Glenn Beck's posterior and graced us with your wonderful comments. I think this says 2 things: 1) There is some degree of accountability in this administration and people will be held accountable for things they say even it was 4 years ago.
2) There is no accountability or shame in Christian right wing that masquerades itself as the Republican party, Fox Network and the rest of the crew...Public officials go on sexual escapades while lying to their constituents, set up boys only fraternities to figure out how to spread christianity while protecting their jobs, spread lies about stupid things like the birthers but they will never resign or apologize because they are shameless, hypocritical blowhards with no conscience, compassion or rational thinking.

Pineview1997

1. Meh. Obama ran on the promise of a significantly more progressive America than 68 year old Nelson and his tiny, insular Nebraska represent. I think we can get a better bill. If it takes a trigger to get it to conference where better Democrats can then strip it out, so be it.

2. Weak.

3. Good riddance. At least we have yet another example of when Dems say batsh*t crazy stuff they get kicked off the island. Were he a Republican and said something equally preposterous, like say Hitler didn't want war, he'd be the celebrated guest of an entire cable news network.

4. Rudy. Please run. Pretty please.

5. At least we finally found a boundary for the nutjob opinions that the media is willing to mainstream.

CCComment

I caught a little bit of Fox News Sunday and I just have to say that it has been interesting to watch Howard Dean speak clearly, articulately, and convincingly on behalf of the Obama Administration. He was just really, really good. He made a clear, concise case for the public option, effectively handled Newt Gingrich's arguments, and expressed confidence in the president. He was far more effective than John Podesta who often sat silent after Newt Gingrich made the same baseless arguments we have been hearing from the Right. Dean jumped right in and corrected Gingrich's nonsense and did so respectfully and effectively. Dean knows how to drive the conversation instead of just answering it.

I really don't understand why the DC Democrats seem to write Dean off. And I couldn't help but think that this was the guy the White House DIDN'T want to lead HHS. What a shame.

Becky

I completely agree. Dean is one of our best resources. I heard Rahm and Dean have bad blood between them so Dean wasn't picked. Dean is 100X more valuable to the party than Rahm. I wish they would bury the axe. As a team they'd be great!