Politico’s Marin Cogan and James Hohmann try and “truth-squad” Rep. Paul Ryan’s claims at the February 25th Blair House health summit writing:

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) claimed that under the Democrats’ plan, millions of seniors will lose their Medicare Advantage plans.

Not quite.

According to health policy experts, it’s fair to say that if the Democrats have their way, the benefits provided by Medicare Advantage will be reduced — which means that a number of seniors might choose not to enroll in the program in the future. That doesn’t mean people are going to “lose” their plans, exactly — just that fewer

… Continue Reading

Covering the health summit for Politico, Carrie Budoff Brown asserts under the headline “The big bipartisan lie” on February 25th:

If President Barack Obama really wanted to show he’s serious about winning over Republicans on health care reform, he could offer up some key concessions at Thursday’s summit, like caps on malpractice awards or allowing insurers to sell across state lines.

And if Republicans wanted to reciprocate, they could at least acknowledge the congressional scorekeepers are right — the Democratic plans cut the deficit in the long term and rein in health care costs.

But Brown has her facts wrong. … Continue Reading

The February 18th Los Angeles Times reports that U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer is seeking re-election. Under the bland title “U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer files papers to run for reelection,” Seema Mehta explains, “The Democrat faces a tough battle amid an anti-incumbent backlash.”

Is what Sen. Boxer really faces an “anti-incumbent” backlash? Hardly. The Politico describes the current political terrain as seen by the famed (and non-partisan) Charlie Cook. The Politico reports:

Highlighting the GOP’s continued momentum, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report made ratings changes in 25 House races Thursday, all of which favor Republican candidates….

The respected political publication now rates

… Continue Reading

When Washington Post reporter Alec MacGillis tries to explain complex issues in a neutral voice, somehow the results always favor the Left.

In an August 16th guide to the health-care debate, MacGillis wrote, “Fixing [the system] could be very simple: a single-payer system. To the dismay of many liberals, President Obama and congressional Democrats think it’s more realistic to build on what’s already there, which is why legislation overhauling it comes in the form of 1,000-page tomes.” No substantive criticisms of single payer were offered anywhere in the piece.

On Sunday February 21st Post MacGillis purported to expose “five … Continue Reading

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll claims that a large majority of Americans in both parties oppose the Supreme Court’s recent Citizens United ruling that loosened some of the rules in campaign finance law. The February 17th Dan Eggen WaPo story reports that “Eight in 10 poll respondents say they oppose the high court’s Jan. 21 decision to allow unfettered corporate political spending, with 65 percent ‘strongly’ opposed. Nearly as many backed congressional action to curb the ruling, with 72 percent in favor of reinstating limits.”

But a quick look at the actual poll questions shows that the Post

… Continue Reading

In a February 16, 2010 article entitled “Party Gridlock in Washington Feeds Fear of a Debt Crisis”, New York Times reporter Jackie Calmes erroneously suggests that Congress’ lack of ability to address the national debt is due to “(t)he unwillingness of the two parties to compromise.”

While it is true that Republicans have hardly been in the mood to work with Democrats to pass major legislation, that position has been precisely because every measure brought forward by Democrats, from health care “reform” to cap-and-trade to “jobs” bills will add to

… Continue Reading

Writing in the February 17th Los Angeles Times, Jim Tankersley and Michael Muskal report:

Seeking common ground with Republicans on energy and climate issues, President Obama on Tuesday pledged $8 billion in loan guarantees needed to build the first U.S. nuclear reactors in nearly three decades.

Industry groups and Republican leaders praised the announcement, which has been expected for months, but some environmentalists and free-market think tanks protested.

It is welcome that Tankersley and Muskal note that free-market think tanks have reservations about the loan guarantees, but when detailing those objections this is all LAT readers get:

Free-market groups complained that the

… Continue Reading

The February 13th Washington Post has an article by Walter Pincus titled: “Under Plan, Intelligence Agencies Would Be Consulted Before Reading of Rights.” But is not until the third paragraph that Pincus informs readers that the “plan now under review in the White House” involves “new procedures.” But this begs the question: what were the old procedures? Pincus never says.

Instead, Pincus goes on to report: “Republican lawmakers have criticized the administration for not consulting the heads of U.S. intelligence agencies before FBI agents read the 23-year-old Abdulmutallab his Miranda rights. ”

But did the Administration consult with the heads of … Continue Reading

Josh Gerstein and Kasie Hunt’s February 10th Politico article, GOP, White House go to war over terrorism does a fair job clipping from press releases sent between the White House and Congressional Republicans, but completely fails to get at the core reasons why Obama administration Deputy National Security Adviser for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John Brennan has lost all credibility with Capitol Hill GOPers.

Hunt and Gerstein do report that Republicans are partially upset because “Brennan said that those who make politically motivated criticism over national security ‘only serve the goals of Al Qaeda.’” But that is just the beginning … Continue Reading

In the February 8th New York Times, under the headline Bills Stalled, Hospitals Fear Rising Unpaid Care, Reed Abelson reports:

President Obama says he aims to keep trying. But what happens if the health care legislation cannot be revived, and tens of millions of uninsured Americans continue without coverage?

For the nation’s hospitals, at least, the cost of doing nothing in Washington translates into tens of billions of dollars each year in medical bills that go unpaid by patients with little or no insurance.

Abelson then goes on to report that “The number of people without insurance in this country could increase … Continue Reading

Reporting on President Barack Obama 2011 budget for McClatchy Newspapers, James Rosen writes on January 31st:

With women’s advocacy groups voicing growing unease with administration policy, President Barack Obama will propose a $3.8 trillion budget on Monday that would exempt programs for women and girls from spending restrictions he’s proposed for other programs.

The budget unveiled Monday would exempt those programs from the freeze.

Among the programs targeted at women are $8.1 billion in food aid for low-income pregnant women, infants and children up to 5 years old and $3.9 billion for child care and Head Start meals.

What Rosen fails to report … Continue Reading

The banner over Roger’s, a Senior Congressional Correspondent at POLITICO, front-page piece for February 1, 2010 reads, “War Squeeze Obama Budget,” puts an erroneous political spin on the news surrounding the release of the President’s proposed federal budget. It may not be David Rogers’ fault. Editors pick headlines. Still, article’s skews the truth about proposed federal spending for the upcoming year.

Suggesting that defense spending on war-related costs for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq are the principle factors driving a growing federal budget and exploding national debt … Continue Reading

Reporting on new criticisms from China of US “protectionism,” Reuters reporter Chris Buckley states:

China has accused the United States of straining their vast economic relationship through a slew of anti-dumping measures, adding to growing tensions between the two global powers….

The warning reflected the increasingly testy trade relations between China and the United States.

Buckley demonstrates a basic misunderstanding of how trade remedies (i.e., anti-dumping, countervailing duty or safeguards) cases are initiated and decided in the United States.  Under US law, an anti-dumping investigation results from a petition filed by a private firm (or firms) and/or its union pursuant to commercial … Continue Reading