Quote: "A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges". - Benjamin Franklin.
"Brunch with Bernie" with Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent of Vermont. Sign up for his newsletter on his site. Greed on Wall Street, banks' bonuses, bailouts. He wants something like a return of the Glass Steagall Act, but don't hold your breath. Earlier this week he testified before the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), they can regulate speculation, made the pitch that the price of gas and oil soared despite supply being higher and demand lower, but there was speculation. He and Ron Paul are working together on legislation calling for accountability, GAO transparency report, at the Fed. He asked Bernanke who got the money but he said he could not say. Good support in House and Senate. Bernanke is running round the country in response. Conflicts of interest of people at the Fed. Bernanke is up for reelection.
Health care debate. He spoke at a rally yesterday, Dennis Kucinich and Obama's physician were there. Health care should be comprehensive, cost-effective, universal and only through a single payer. The money being spent. Single payer will not win, they are fighting for a strong public option. After the recess they will focus on the next election, and have done nothing for LBGT, for example Don't Ask Don't Tell. Bernie likes Obama, he is prepared to bring crises up for discussion, not ignore or bury them. He shares the concern that Obama is moving away from the base who elected him; unions. Card check was pushed back because of health care, they will get to it. Investigations - we will see some. but tightrope, there are people more concerned about lost jobs, health care, kids in Iraq. Congressional audit of the Fed - if they refuse, will we cut off their access to funds?
Republicans aren't interested in single payer, they are more interested in protecting the companies, whatever their rhetoric. They will do everything they can to oppose single payer or public option. They do not want to give Obama victory. The banks paid out more in bonuses than they got in profits. Cash for clunkers was meant for the average person, cost only $1bn, less than the bonuses. Dairy farmers, family-based agriculture. We need to get our priorities straight. We need also to look at $700b pa defense budget, Iraq, Afghanistan. The letter Thom read on the show yesterday from a former US adviser saying to get out.
There is a lot of confusion with health care, with 3 House committees, the Obama administration and 2 Senate committees. Some are saying it will be 2013 or 2018 before single payer would be in effect, if we got it at all. Replace public option with nuclear option? People are dying. Complicated story. It does not take 60 votes, but 50. 60 are needed to stop Republican filibusters. Bernie thinks all Democrats and maybe some Republicans should stop filibusters. According to the Institute of Medicine, over 18,00 Americans die because they don't go to doctors every year. Senator Kennedy is ill so they are down to 59, need at least one Republican. Budget reconciliation is an approach, but it carries with it a lot of rules, they would need to chop up the bill. He put a hold on the chair of the CFTC for months, to get him to understand. Gensler is trying to move in the right direction, scheduled the hearings. The $700b military budget includes Iraq, Afghanistan. All the US military bases. He appreciates primary care physicians. He is working on debt forgiveness for medical students. Progressive Democrats of America, Physicians for a National Health Program. Rallies are having an impact on Washington. Bank Bonus Tab: $33 Billion" By Susanne Craig And Deborah Solomon.
Article: "
Bumper Music: Good as Gone, Little Big Town (video).
Bumper Music: Let's Work Together, Canned Heat.
Article: U.S. Adviser’s Blunt Memo on Iraq: Time ‘to Go Home’ By Michael R. Gordon.
"NEWS UNDER THE RADAR"
Guest: Christy Harvey, Director of Strategic Communications at the Center for American Progress, and co-producer of MicCheckradio.org. Palin found another thing to quit? Or was she uninvited? She was on the futures calendar for an Aug 8 speech. last night she said she was shocked people thought she was doing it - she is not going. Clear Channel turned her down for a radio show? She is OK at speeches, but not talking to people, like Couric. It made sense that CPAC would invite her, but not a fundraiser. Nancy Reagan is unhappy with Republicans, particularly the crazies. The blue dog pack is doing well. Not happy with initial compromise. New statistics, they are getting 25% more donations from health care groups than other Democrats, and as much as Republicans. They should wear the pins of their major donors.
More information about KBR. Death of Americans in Iraq. Soldiers electrocuted. New report this week, the new IG report blames them and the army for not overseeing the work. Meme in corporate right wing media and some progressive, the longer we go, the more Americans dislike the idea of a public option. A new New York Times/CBS survey indicates the opposite. People didn't know what a public option is, the more they learn, the more they like it. Thom suggested a one-line "all American citizens from birth to death are entitled to full access to Medicare".
Article: "Palin won't visit SoCal's Reagan Library" (AP).
Article: "Industry is generous to influential bloc: Blue Dogs, key brokers in shaping health bills, see surge in contributions". By Dan Eggen.
Article: "IG blames system failure in soldier's death". By Kimberly Hefling.
Bumper Music: "A Thing Called Love", Jewel Aken.
Article: Honey Oozes From Walls Of Home.
The GOP did not want this 4 years because of the economy, war, that's why they dragged in McCain and Palin? Two Santa Claus theory. The Republican Party spent half what the Democrats spent.
Article: Two Santa Clauses or How The Republican Party Has Conned America for Thirty Years by Thom Hartmann, January 26, 2009.
Bumper Music: Shake It Up, The Cars.
HOW CAN WE GET OUT FROM UNDER THE THUMB OF THE FED AND TAKE BACK CONTROL OF OUR MONEY?
Guest: Congressman Ron Paul tells us how. Campaign for Liberty. "Bernanke explains Fed’s new openness. Because Bernanke is up for reappointment in February, or because Ron Paul is after them? They have so much power, no transparency. He and Bernie are co-operating introducing bills. We need pressure on leadership. Call. Obama might veto? Bernanke running around. Populists on the right and the left. Sometimes money becomes the dominant issue, it breaks down. The House just appropriated $2b for more cash for clunkers.
Article: "Bernanke explains Fed’s new openness". By Edward Luce.
Article: "Fed Audit Supported By 75% Of Americans: Survey".
Conyers' saying what was the point of reading the bill was taken out of context. Tom Coburn, C street, proposed bill, and only Chris Dodd of the democrats voted for it: if a public option, then all members of Congress must take it.
Commodities Futures Act, Phil Gramm negotiated energy out - the Enron loophole. Private security for army bases makes no sense. Health care, we need an expert panel from around the world, publicly presenting their programs, rather than reinventing the wheel. None have been discussed.
Bumper Music: Hold Your Head High, Heartless Bastards (video).
Upcoming Events: Thom's book tour for "Threshold":
July 30th - Seattle, WA - Town Hall.
Aug 4th - San Francisco, CA - World Affairs Council.
Aug 5th - Santa Monica, CA - Santa Monica Library.
Aug 17th - Minneapolis, MN
Aug 19th - Chicago, IL
Aug 21st - Madison, WI. There will be "Brunch with Bernie" with members of the audience getting to ask the questions.
Upcoming Event: Aug 8th - Seattle, WA AM1090 Presents - "Embracing Change: Moving Forward As The Majority" with Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann, Bill Press, Mike Malloy and Ron Reagan - Tickets are just $22 for Reserved Seating, $32 for Premium Reserved Seating, and $47 for VIP Floor Seating. Tickets go on sale Saturday June 27th @ 10AM. Purchase yours at the ShoWareCenter Box Office, or by phone at 253-856-6999. Doors open at 5pm, the panel discussion runs from 6-9pm. (not to be confused with the July 30th Seattle book signing).
PIGEON ALERT: "Barbara Walters' apartment had an intruder while she was on vacation". by Jamie Rhein.
ANYTHING GOES' FRIDAY
Article: "E-Mails Show Larger White House Role in Prosecutor Firings". By Carrie Johnson.
Article: "Bombshell: Bin Laden worked for US till 9/11". By lukery. Sibel Edmunds.
The percentage of Republicans who believe that Barack Obama was not born in the US: 28%.
Article: "US House pumps 2 bln dollars into 'cash for clunkers'" (AFP).
Article: "Tarp banks award billions in bonuses".
Article: "Shell and Exxon profits tumble" By Ed Crooks and Javier Blas.
Japan industrial output risen for 4th quarter. German unemployment remained broadly stable. The number of new claims for unemployment rose. Michigan unemployment 15.2%.
Initiatives. Repealing the everything but marriage bill. A federal judge barred the Secretary of State from revealing names of people who signed it. People can be tricked into signing.
Health care. Reid does not have 60 solid votes. Kennedy and Byrd are sick, Dodd is going in for prostate surgery. Baucus. How would Kennedy be replaced?
Is Netanyahu crazy enough to attack Iran? The pushback in Iran is helping.
Bumper Music: Kryptonite, 3 Doors Down.
"Cracking The Code". We lost SCHIP because of the name. Call single payer the right to life bill.
Is Obama only a good leader for corporate Democrats? Thom is not ready to write him off yet. If we don't get a decent health care bill Thom will change.
Medicare - be careful expanding it because it needs to improve. Part B only covers 80% of doctor bills.
Book: "The Authoritarians", Bob Altemeyer.
Triple digit oil prices will act instead of tariffs to bring manufacturing back? True for cars, but not iPods. - weight based tariff.
Representative Weiner presenting a single payer amendment today. There is already the Conyers one, you can read HR676 online, Thom has read it. There is a summary of HR676 on Conyer's site. HR3200 health committee bill, a large part is insurance exchange through the government so we are paying them twice, with subsidies.
Bumper Music: What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong. Thanks.
A Canadian on Huffington Post suggested calling it "civilized health care".
Victoria Jones of Talk Radio News. Health care. House committee chair Waxman thinks they are on track to finish today. They all go home today. Subsidies for buying on the individual market, which stinks. We don't have the details. It means subsidies for insurers. Senate. Baucus saying here will not be markup next week, more committed to bipartisan. Cash for clunkers $2b. Afghanistan, the new general may call for new troops. Morning briefing, nothing has gone through, there is a big review under way.
