March 25, 2015

Obama 'Ready To Sign' Boehner-Pelosi Deal To Overhaul Medicare

Source: TPM

WASHINGTON — A major deal struck between House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to overhaul Medicare appeared to win President Barack Obama's endorsement on Wednesday.

"As we speak Congress is working to fix the Medicare-physician payment system. I've got my pen ready to sign a good bipartisan bill, which would be really exciting," he said in a speech about Obamacare at the White House. "I love when Congress passes bipartisan bills that I can sign. It's always very encouraging."

The presidential endorsement could sway enough Senate Democrats, who have emerged as a potential obstacle, to support the agreement.

"We're just looking at it now," Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said moments before Obama's remarks Wednesday. "We'll see where we come out."

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Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/obama-backs-medicare-deal

March 25, 2015

Obama Ribs GOP: Obamacare Didn't Bring 'Death Panels, Doom'

Source: TPM

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama ribbed Republican efforts to undermine Obamacare and their failure to offer a serious alternative on Wednesday from the White House.

"I mean we have been promised a lot of things these past five years that didn't turn out to be the case —death panels, doom, a serious alternative from Republicans in Congress," Obama said, smirking during a speech highlighting the fifth anniversary of his signature healthcare law. "The budget they introduced last week would literally double the number of uninsured in America."

Obama's comments came a week after Republicans introduced a new House budget that gutted most of Obamacare but did not offer an alternative. Obama conceded part of the reasons Republicans hadn't yet offered an alternative plan was because healthcare policy isn't easy.

"And in their defense, there are two reasons why coming up with an alternative has proven to be difficult," Obama said. "First, it's because the Affordable Care Act pretty much was their plan before I adopted it!"

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/obama-obamacare-gop-doom

March 25, 2015

Cruz Criticizes Wife's Firm, Goldman Sachs, Over 'Crony Capitalism'

Presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Tuesday evening criticized the "crony capitalism" at Goldman Sachs, where his wife is employed.

Bloomberg News' Mark Halperin asked Cruz whether Goldman Sachs has a positive or negative impact in the U.S.

"Like any institution, there's some of both," Cruz responded. "Goldman is one of the biggest banks on Wall Street, and my criticism with Washington is they engage in crony capitalism. They give favors to Wall Street and big business and that's why I've been an outspoken opponent of crony capitalism, taking on leaders in both parties."

Cruz said that Goldman Sachs has gotten bigger since Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Act, and criticized the bank for seeking special treatment from the government.

more
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ted-cruz-criticism-goldman-sachs-wife

March 25, 2015

Megyn Kelly To Ted Cruz: ‘What Have You Actually Accomplished?’

Megyn Kelly To Cruz: You Can't Just Be Someone 'Who Stops Things'

Fox News host Megyn Kelly on Tuesday night grilled Sen. Ted Cruz (R) on his record in the Senate now that he has officially launched his presidential campaign.

"On your time in the Senate — this is what some of your critics point to — they say, yes you led the fight on certain issues, but what have you actually accomplished?" Kelly asked Cruz on "The Kelly File."

"What we’ve accomplished over and over again, in many instances, is stopping bad things from happening," Cruz responded.

Cruz said that he helped stop gun control legislation from passing in the Senate following the Newtown shooting.

more + video of interview
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/megyn-kelly-ted-cruz-president

March 25, 2015

O'Reilly Doesn't Believe Beck Quit The GOP: 'You Live In Fantasyland'

Conservative media icon Glenn Beck may have declared himself "out of the Republican Party" last week, but Fox News host Bill O'Reilly made it clear Tuesday night that he doesn't buy it.

"I don't believe you're leaving the Republican Party," O'Reilly said while interviewing Beck on "The O'Reilly Factor." He cited Beck's support of the first declared Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).

"Oh, my gosh, I would vote for Ted Cruz!" Beck said. "But that is different from the party."

"I think he's running as a Republican, Beck," O'Reilly said. "Did anybody break that to you?"

O'Reilly clarified that while he would give money to Cruz, who he described as a "principled Republican," he would not donate to the Republican Party.

Later in the segment, Beck revealed that his ideal presidential match-up would involve progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) running against Cruz. Warren would "actually say what she means and mean what she says," Beck said. "Let America decide."

more + video
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/bill-oreilly-glenn-beck-gop

March 25, 2015

Fox Guest: Liberal Myths Are Making Spring Break Dangerous For Women

Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday night dove back into the world of scantily-clad, booze-fueled college students on spring break.

Already armed with the knowledge of how to use a beer bong, Hannity discussed the debauchery his crew caught on tape this year with a panel that included Gavin McInnes, a former Vice co-founder who's written such articles as "Transphobia is perfectly natural" and "When is it ever OK to hit a woman?" for the website Thought Catalog.

McInnes argued that liberals who promote gender equality have made women who choose to go on spring break "more vulnerable."

"I think this is a perfect example of liberals' cognitive dissonance where they say 'Everything's cool. Hey, it's spring break. People party. Women are the same as men,'" McInnes said. "When you have that stupid lie in your mind you end up making women more vulnerable. These women are not as strong as men."

more
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/gavin-mcinnes-women-are-weak-hannity-spring-break

March 25, 2015

Convention Organizer Threatens To Ditch Indiana Over Anti-Gay Bill

The organizer of what is reportedly the largest convention in Indianapolis is threatening to relocate if Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) signs a controversial religious freedom bill, the Indianapolis Star is reporting.

The bill, which has already passed the state legislature and is expected to be signed by Pence soon, protects business owners from having to serve same-sex couples if they have religious objections.

The convention, Gen Con -- which bills itself as the "largest consumer hobby, fantasy, science fiction and adventure game convention in North America" -- has been held in Indianapolis since 2003. It hosts more than 50,000 attendees, and according to the Star, is Indianapolis' "largest convention in attendance and economic impact."

"Legislation that could allow for refusal of service or discrimination against our attendees will have a direct negative impact on the state's economy, and will factor into our decision-making on hosting the convention in the state of Indiana in future years," Adrian Swartout wrote in the letter to Pence dated Monday.

-snip-

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/gencon-warns-mike-pence-religious-freedom

March 25, 2015

Religious Freedom? Nope, Just Plain Old Discrimination - By Gene Robinson

Conservatives can’t stop gay marriage. But they can stop laws that prevent discrimination. And in Indiana and elsewhere, they’re succeeding.

Religious conservatives have lost their battle over gay marriage. Most will even admit it. The clock is ticking down to April 28, when the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments for and against it—and by the end of June, they will have ruled on the right of every American to a civil marriage to the person of their choosing, regardless of gender. Although a “no gay marriage” ruling is possible, almost no one believes the Supreme Court will rule against the civil right to marriage.

Majority support for gay marriage is to be found in virtually every demographic in society. But the minority who still opposes it does so with vigor and conviction. The Roman Catholic hierarchy (not the people in the pews) and conservative Evangelicals continue to look for ways to express their disdain and condemnation for gay or lesbian couples who want to be married or who have been married. The new strategy is to do state-by-state what has been impossible nationally. With the help of ALEC (the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council), bills are popping up all over the country in state legislatures with what conservatives hope will be their effective (and legal) defense against the rising tide of acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.

Indiana is a good case in point. On Monday, the Indiana House of Representatives passed a bill that would exempt individuals and companies from non-discrimination rulings by the courts—based on their religious beliefs. A similar bill was passed earlier by the Indiana Senate, and once the two are reconciled, Republican Governor Mike Pence has indicated he will sign it. This legislation, like its sister bills in other state legislatures, is based on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) bill passed by the U.S. Congress in 1993. Many states have their own RFRAs, which, like the federal one, prevent any law which substantially burdens a person’s free expression of religion. (This legislation figured heavily into the Hobby Lobby case.)

If this legislation becomes law, anyone who disagrees with any non-discrimination legislation or court rulings would be allowed, based on their religious beliefs, to disregard the provisions of that non-discrimination protection.

more
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/25/no-gays-allowed-now-legal-in-indiana.html

March 25, 2015

Ted Cruz’s Hometown Paper Really Does Not Like Ted Cruz

By Betsy Woodruff

Breitbart News might be charmed and delighted by Sen. Ted Cruz and his family, but the new presidential candidate’s hometown paper is not.

“Ted Cruz has every right, as best we can tell, to run for president, even though he was born in Canada to a Cuban father,” the Houston Chronicle editorial leads off.

“We’re happy he's the first of several potential candidates with Texas ties,” the paper’s editorial board continues. “We're not so happy about his disdain for 30 million Texans he was elected to represent just a couple of years ago.”

It has not always been this way. The Chronicle, which tends to lean left, actually endorsed Cruz in the general election of his 2012 Senate race, dubbing him “one of the shooting stars of the 2012 election season” and praising him for being “thoughtful, energetic, and dynamic.” But the paper withdrew its imprimatur during the partial government shutdown in 2013, saying Cruz had become “part of the problem.” That editorial drew national coverage, and the board then wrote a follow-up blog post clarifying that it wasn’t technically un-endorsing the senator, just very, very annoyed at him.

more
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/03/24/ted_cruz_the_houston_chronicle_is_not_a_fan_of_the_texas_senator.html?

March 24, 2015

Barney Frank On Biden: 'He Can't Keep His Mouth Shut Or His Hands To Himself'

Source: TPM

Former Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) said Tuesday that Vice President Joe Biden could be a great politician, if only he could keep his hands to himself.

"Joe is his own worst enemy," Frank said during an interview on Ora's "PoliticKING with Larry King" show. "He can't keep his mouth shut or his hands to himself."

He said that Biden is "a very bright guy" with "good values." But the vice president's lack of self-discipline keeps getting the best of him, Frank said.

"It's out of good intentions, but I think he's unfortunately diminished people's perceptions of his abilities," he said.

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Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/barney-frank-biden-hands-to-himself

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Video of interview at link to article.