Gossip from Capital Hill (Political Humor)

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The Week That Was

You know, we saw this coming. The man behind a pizza chain is skyrocketing in the polls. Who in America doesn’t love a slice of heaven, especially in today’s economy? Rick Perry, once a Tea Party saint, is just an afterthought (a carefully scripted speech won’t save you now!). Pro-healthcare reformer Mitt Romney received a big endorsement from Christie this week. He’s slick working behind the scenes. Now everyone is saying Mittens is the inevitable nominee.Let’s move on to some other noteworthy campaign news. Joe the Plumber, the attention-seeking spectacle during the 2008 campaign, filed paperwork to run in Ohio‘s 9th Congressional District, in which he does not live. Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher has already set up a no-frills campaign website ready to accept your Tea Party bucks. It’s a pity “Joe” forgot to do a little research so that he might arrive at the conclusion that he has little chance in a heavily-Democratic district. Oh, and the REAL plumbers don’t think highly of him. Zing. Is this Tea Party grifting movement a trend? You should read Vanity Fair’s piece on Elizabeth Warren. With Scott Brown’s recent stumbles, it’s looking better by the day for the rising Democratic star. House Republicans are attacking a woman’s right to choose, again. There’s nothing new about that. GOP-sponsored legislation would amend the Affordable Care Act to prevent federal funding for use in abortions or plans that provide abortion coverage. Members, some of their staff, and a kitten kaboodle of anti-abortion groups were on hand yesterday for some live ultrasounds in the Capitol Visitors Center. Cute. The House passed another piece of anti-abortion legislation, the Protect Life Act, but it’s unlikely the Senate will follow up. Senate Republicans and a handful of Democrats (shame on them!) shot down President Obama’s jobs package. Barry’s going to work with Democrats to pass smaller bits of legislation. Thankfully, Congress awarded the President a victory this week when it gave the green light to trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea. All of this is tiring poor Bill Daley. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is losing patience with the Occupy Wall Street people. The billionaire mayor made a personal appearance (how thoughtful of him) and told them to clean up their act. If you haven’t already heard, America’s #1 pimp, James O’Keefe, who’s still serving out three years of probation, joined the festivities on Wall Street. Sources say his appearance was not related to his Fox News is serious biz narcissistic craving for attention or his credit card debt. Meanwhile, conservative “activist” Victoria Jackson also made a laughable appearance. Who, you say? Well, the media says she starred on SNL, so we guess she’s famous or something. CNN hack Erick Erickson brought up the rear with a real doozy, and Teabaggers are rightly fumed about being compared to these hippies. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with diversity. Finally, what does FDR have to say about Occupy Wall Street? OWS should be happy about this news: Former Galleon Group hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam was sentenced to 11 years in prison for pocketing millions from insider trading. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara called Rajaratnam’s sentencing a wake up call for Wall Street. Haha. We bet Mittens would call this occasion “Believing in America.” So, about that Iran assassination plot… The FBI charged two men, one a naturalized U.S. citizen and the other a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, with conspiracy to murder a foreign official (the Saudi Ambassador to the United States), among other things. Obama said the Iran government will “pay a price” for its alleged involvement in the plot in the form of sanctions and isolation from the international community. But, hold your horses, because a few anonymous insiders say there’s little evidence of Iran’s top leadership having knowledge of the plot. Deja vu?

Are You Not Entertained?

A Reddit poster asked if a single U.S. Marine Infantry Unit could defeat Rome during the rule of Augustus. That time-traveling piece of fiction warranted the attention of Warner Bros., which purchased the idea from two-time Jeopardy champion James Irwin. Not bad for a single posting on the interwebs.Avatar leads the pack of the most pirated films of all time with 21 million questionable downloads. We are absolutely certain that NONE of our TR readers are part of this statistic. Never let anyone say you can’t have enough butter! Hey, y’all! Regardless of what you think about her cooking, Paula Deen was named the hottest female TV chef by Maxim. Sadly, you won’t find Paula’s cuisine gracing the Obama family dinner table (but maybe ours?). World War Z is still on schedule, according to producers. Brad Pitt’s latest film encountered a hiccup after Hungarian authorities seized one hundred weapons brought in via Budapest Ferenc Liszt Airport. Not exactly the blockbuster they were looking forward to shoot. Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane says the series, currently in its seventh season, deserves a shot at the silver screen. He’s also interested in bringing Star Trek back to television.

Interweb Tomfoolery

There must be something in the sauce. A Florida Taco Bell fell victim to a drunk Matthew Falkner, who passed out at the drive-thru window. When police asked for ID, Falkner took out a taco. He was arrested with nearly three times the legal blood alcohol level. Genius.The Wall Street Journal is looking good, with it’s excellent iPhone 4S conspiracy opinionated spin of Occupy Wall Street. Which is why were asking: Is a copy of the WSJ really worth a penny? Research in Motion’s CEO is apologizing this for a severe three-day BlackBerry outage that affected users around the globe, and, according to CNN, on Mars. Ben & Jerry’s has a particularly independent streak of creating new flavors – although their last creation upset the wing-nuts. Here’s your chance to create the flavor of your dreams. Starbucks is moving quickly into the juice bar business. The coffee giant predicts the world’s coffee supply will run dry several decades from now. So much for sustainability.

Out on the Town

We are praying that the weather people get this weekend right. Sunny and warm is in the forecast. Watch the competition at DC Blues Society’s Battle of the Bands Enjoy some of the finest cuisine at the Taste of Georgetown Art, performance and music at the Smithsonian’s After Hours Learn more about Egyptian culture at Egypt Fest Rustico Restuarant’s Oktobeerfest is this Saturday Also, don’t miss out on Mid-Atlantic Craft Brew Fest The Center for Green Urbanism opening reception‘s them this year is water Fall Family Day in the White House Neighborhood The previously postponed MLK, Jr. Memorial dedication is this Sunday Week’O'Bacon (yum) at 3 Bar and Grill Esperanza Spalding performs at the Warner Theater

Scorecard

People laughed at the thought of Herman Cain winning the GOP nomination. They might still be right. As a professed outsider, Mr. Cain says he’ll be forced to bring on-board D.C. insiders for all the backroom deals. He’s confusing the Tea Party crowd now. Come on, Sarah, time to jump back in!

Related articles

• Protect Life Act Passes House: Congress Passes Controversial Anti-Abortion Bill (huffingtonpost.com)
• Right to Life Slams Obama on Veto Threat on Protect Life Act (deaconjohnspace.wordpress.com)
• ‘Joe the Plumber’ planning to run for US Congress (telegraph.co.uk)
• Protect Life Act Passes House: House Passes Controversial Anti-Abortion Bill (jhaines6.wordpress.com)
• Former House Speaker San Fran Nan: “You Must Want Women to ‘Die on the Floor” (ferrellgummit.wordpress.com)
• Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber, files papers for Ohio Congress run (100gf.wordpress.com)
• House Debates Bill Restricting Abortions (thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Joe the Plumber files papers to run for Congress – USA Today (news.google.com)
• Human Rights Watch: US: House Bill Would Permit Hospitals to Let Women in Need of Care, Die (huffingtonpost.com)
• Protect Life Act passes in House – Catholic Culture (news.google.com)

White House Daily Snapshot

The First Lady and Bo Surprise White House VisitorsOn January 21, 2009, the President and First Lady entered the White House and signaled their commitment to creating a more open and accessible White House by surprising guests attending public tours. Two years later, approximately 1.5 million visitors have walked through the gates of the people’s house. Mrs. Obama is marking the second year by continuing this tradition today – taking some time to greet visitors as they come in for public tours for the third time. Watch live starting at 10:45 a.m. EST. Photo of the Day President Barack Obama and President Hu Jintao of China wave to children attending the ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Jan. 19, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson) In Case You Missed It Here are some of the top stories from the White House blog. President Obama Welcomes President Hu of China to the White House At the Arrival Ceremony for the China State Visit, President Obama welcomes President Hu of China and calls for more productive cooperation between the two nations. Editorial Boards Across the Country Agree: Repealing the Affordable Care Act is a Bad Idea Editorial boards and columnists in newspapers across the nation weigh in on why repealing the health reforms in the Affordable Care Act doesn’t make sense for the country. White House White Board: The Costs of Repealing Health Reform Stephanie Cutter, an Assistant to the President who has been working on implementing the health reform law, takes to the White House White Board to explain what repealing it would mean for family premium costs and American jobs. Today’s Schedule All times are Eastern Standard Time (EST). 9:30 AM: The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing 10:00 AM: The President meets with senior advisors 10:30 AM: The President receives the Economic Daily Briefing 10:45 AM: The First Lady & Bo Surprise Tours 12:00 PM: The Vice President delivers remarks at a tribute in honor of the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration   (audio only) 1:00 PM: Briefing by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs 1:45 PM: The President meets with the Vice President 2:25 PM: The President and the Vice President meet with a bipartisan group of Mayors to discuss jobs and the economy 7:00 PM: The President delivers remarks at the 50th Anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s Inauguration   (audio only) 8:00 PM: Beijing Blogger Video Telephone Conference   Indicates events that will be live streamed on WhiteHouse.gov/live. Get Updates Sign Up for the Daily Snapshot  Stay Connected         Facebook    Twitter    YouTube    Flickr    iTunes               This email was sent to stevendouglas@cellhire.com Manage Subscriptions for stevendouglas@cellhire.com Sign Up for Updates from the White House Unsubscribe stevendouglas@cellhire.com | Privacy Policy Please do not reply to this email. Contact the White House     The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111

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Letter from the White House

 

	Good afternoon, Today the House of Representatives plans to vote on repealing the Affordable Care Act, landmark health reform legislation that President Obama signed into law last March. My White House colleague Stephanie Cutter explains the harmful effect repeal would have on the nation’s economy – and your own pocketbook – in our latest White House White Board video: President Obama is willing to work with Democrats and Republicans to improve the Affordable Care Act, but we can’t afford to go backward. It’s fair for all of us to ask, “What does health reform mean to me?” – particularly if you already have insurance you like. Without the health care law, we would return to the days when insurance companies could deny, limit or cap your care.  Insurance companies could continue to place lifetime limits on coverage even if you need it, increase premiums without any accountability or recourse for consumers, and deny children health care due to pre-existing conditions.   Under the law, families will pay less for their insurance premiums than they would if the law is repealed. An insurance company that tries to implement an unreasonable premium increase will be forced to publicly justify it.  And your premium dollars will go further thanks to a provision of the law that requires insurance companies to spend at least 80 percent of your premium dollars on your health care, rather than executive compensation and advertising. Health reform is about much more than protecting American consumers – it also boosts the American economy, lowering costs and creating jobs.   And since the health care law was passed last year, our economy has created over 1 million private sector jobs and has grown at an average annual rate of 2.7 percent.  There’s a lot more work to be done, but repealing the Affordable Care Act would be a step backward for our economy. In fact, Harvard economist David Cutler estimates repeal would cost us between 250,000-400,000 jobs per year, which means millions of new jobs lost over the next decade.   As conversations about health reform bubble up in news shows and at water coolers over the coming days, I hope you’ll find this information helpful.  Everyday we’re working hard to implement this important legislation, and we will certainly keep you updated with our progress. Sincerely,   Nancy-Ann DeParle Director of the White House Office of Health Reform

Related Articles

• White House White Board: The Costs of Repealing Health Reform (whitehouse.gov)
• Tuesday Talks: Health Care Reform Implementation with Nancy-Ann DeParle (whitehouse.gov)
• What You Missed: Tuesday Talk with Nancy-Ann DeParle (whitehouse.gov)
• Affordable Care Act: Increasing Certainty for American Businesses, Economic Growth (whitehouse.gov)
• Voices of Health Reform: Cathy’s Story (whitehouse.gov)
• Robert Creamer: Why the Insurance “Mandate” is a Bogus Issue (huffingtonpost.com)
• “What does health care reform mean for Kentuckians with pre-existing conditions?” and related posts (barefootandprogressive.blogspot.com)
• GOP hiding true costs of repeal (politico.com)
• Call Speaker Boehner out on repeal (ynative77.wordpress.com)
• Sec. Kathleen Sebelius: Health Care Repeal Will Raise Costs for Families (huffingtonpost.com)

Tax Cuts Kicking In

Your Weekly Address: Tax Cuts Kicking In The President touts the new benefits coming from the tax cut compromise for any business large or small, tens of millions of workers and families, and the economy itself. Watch the video. Weekly Wrap Up Quote: “We will not rest until we have fully recovered from this recession and we have reached that brighter day,” said President Obama during his visit to Thompson Creek Manufacturing in Landover, Maryland to see an example of a company that is beginning to thrive, and to hear what role his Administration’s actions have had. Watch the video. See the latest jobs chart. New Chief of Staff: President Obama explains why Bill Daley is the right person to take the reins. Watch the video. Repealing the Affordable Care Act: A look at how repealing the Act would hurt the economy. Read the post. And what it would cost families, seniors, small businesses, states… Read the post. West Wing Week: Resolutions: The first family returns to Washington, the President signs over 30 bills into law, and West Wing staff share their New Year’s resolutions. Watch the video. Notable Number: 5. President Obama signs 5 bills into law that will protect environmental and public health, and help rebuild our economy on a stronger foundation. Read the post. The Employment Situation: Austan Goolsbee, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, explains the jobs numbers. Read the post. Top 10 of 2010: As we start a new year, we bring you the White House blog’s top ten most popular posts and the most viewed videos from the White House YouTube channel. The Future of @PressSec: Press Secretary Robert Gibbs answers the flood of questions that came in on what he’s doing next. Watch the video. Welcoming Holly Petraeus: Elizabeth Warren of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announces that Holly Petraeus will take on a new role at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Read the post. On Twitter: @RayLahood: Yes– Han Solo, Indiana Jones can really fly those things! Thanks for using fame to boost #aviation. http://bit.ly/fcYJKm White House Internship: The White House welcomes over 100 interns into 18 different departments across the Administration. Don’t miss your chance to apply. Learn more. Get Updates Sign Up for the Daily Snapshot  Stay Connected         Facebook    Twitter    YouTube    Flickr    iTunes           The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111

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• Obama Touts Benefits of the Tax Cuts Compromise in the New Year (blogs.abcnews.com)
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• Austan Goolsbee: Not Raising The Debt Ceiling Would Be “Catastrophic” And “Insanity” (mediaite.com)
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