Senate Judiciary Committee Considers Lifting Antitrust Exemption for Health Insurers »

As the debate over health care reform rages on, there’s been almost no attention to the fact that health and medical malpractice insurance companies since 1945 have been exempt from the federal antitrust laws aimed at keeping every other private market competitive. The McCarran-Ferguson Act has allowed insurance companies to dominate markets and reap enormous [...]

Poll: Maine Anti-Gay Marriage Measure Facing Defeat »

Buried in this poll on Maine political attitudes is a question on the Nov. 3 same-sex marriage referendum that does not auger well for gay marriage opponents. Question 1, which would roll back legal gay marriage in the state, is trailing 52-43. Catholic voters support the measure, but only by a seven-point margin. Last month, [...]

Consumer Advocates Fear Missed Opportunity for Bank Reform »

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) (WDCpix)

As a House committee begins tackling major financial regulatory reform, consumer advocates find themselves shaking their heads over why something that should have been a slam dunk — reining in the financial industry in the wake of the subprime crisis — has turned into a hard-fought battle [...]

Wexler, and the Mideast Think Tank He’s Joining, on Wexler »

See if you find this explanation more plausible now that the Center for Mideast Peace and Economic Cooperation places this picture on its Website:

From the Center’s official announcement of Rep. Robert Wexler’s (D-Fla.) hire as its new president:
“This is a great day for the Center and for those who work to achieve Middle East peace. [...]

Anti-’Czar’ Legislation Loses Democratic Co-Sponsor »

I’ve been tracking the progress of Rep. Jack Kingston’s (R-Ga.) Czar Accountability and Reform (CZAR) Act of 2009, the legislation that would kill the salaries of Obama appointees not confirmed by the Senate. As of today, Kingston has found 116 co-sponsors, including Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the party’s whip, and Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), the [...]

Lindsey Graham vs. the Base »

Ben Szobody’s story on a brittle town hall meeting between Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and some libertarian constituents is a must-read:
The 75-minute forum filled several sections of Furman University’s Timmons Arena and attracted demonstrators, critics with handheld cameras, shouts of “traitor” and “Sotomayor” – and a smattering of supporters. … One man told Graham he [...]

Gordon Brown Doesn’t Want to Restrict the Afghanistan Mission »

He may not survive the upcoming U.K. election, but Prime Minister Gordon Brown gave a speech today in Parliament arguing against any strategy for Afghanistan that doesn’t prop up Afghan governing capacity:
Our objective is clear and focused; to prevent al Qaeda launching attacks on our streets and threatening legitimate government in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But [...]

Pat Buchanan: ‘The Affirmative Action Nobel’ »

The conservative commentator, who regularly gets away with statements that would get less popular pundits banned from the airwaves, doesn’t pull punches in his column on the Nobel Peace Prize:

In case anyone missed the point, Buchanan argues that the prize committee “reinforced the impression that Obama is someone who is forever being given prizes — [...]

Lunchtime Links »

Snowe gets a nice reward for her “yea” vote.
Here’s what she’s likely to ask for.
Dole and other pro-health reform Republicans stand to profit from their stance.
Christie continues to slip in the polls — and Daggett’s to blame.
Why does everyone assume Petraeus is a Republican? Maybe because he is.
For the White House and the insurance industry, [...]

Not to Be Upstaged by Snowe … »

That other Maine Republican, Sen. Susan Collins, released a statement this morning commending the decision of her Maine colleague to cross the aisle yesterday in support of the Senate Finance Committee’s health reform bill.
Due, in large measure, to the efforts of Senator Olympia Snowe, who has worked tirelessly, the legislation passed by the Senate Finance [...]

Geithner Aides Reaped Millions from Banks »

Bloomberg: “Some of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s closest aides, none of whom faced Senate confirmation, earned millions of dollars a year working for Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Citigroup Inc. and other Wall Street firms, according to financial disclosure forms.”
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Can Daggett Win in New Jersey? »

First Read notes that “11 years ago, almost to the day, a new poll came out in the Minnesota governor’s race showing third party candidate, Jesse Ventura, sitting at 15%. At the time, just like here in New Jersey, all the buzz in Minnesota was about how Skip Humphrey and Norm Coleman were beating each [...]

Schumer Pushes for Public Option »

In an interview with MSNBC, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said it’s up to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to decide if there will be a public option in the Senate’s health care reform bill.
Said Schumer: “Leader Reid has the option of putting it in the final bill. If he puts it in the final [...]

Bush Books Coming Next Year »

“For Republicans looking forward to the first Bush-free election in a decade, the book publishing schedule is the bearer of bad news: Between New Year’s Day and next November, as many as five Bush administration officials — including the former president himself — will rehash history in hardback,” Politico reports.
The authors of the books include [...]