Good evening and welcome to the Daily Strike. Remember how I told you about all the stuff going on this week in politics? Turns out none of it happened today, so we'll make it a quick a entry and save our energy to cover the health care mark up and U.N. General Assembly.
BAUCUS: The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Max Baucus (D-MT), has decided to change his version of the health care bill before hearings begin tomorrow. This seems to be a twofold effort:
1. It is an olive branch to wary Democrats to make them at least somewhat enthusiastic about the bill.
2. It saves time by incorporating some of the 584 proposed amendments already proposed.
Among the changes Baucus has made are increased subsidies to lower and middle-class individuals and decreased penalties to those who don't buy health insurance. These changes will cost about $28 billion. This money will come out of the projected surplus the bill will produce by 2019. Hopefully, this is just a jumping off point for further amendments that will make the bill more affordable for the middle-class. We will have full coverage of the hearings tomorrow, though in the tradition of the United States Senate, I wouldn't be shocked if tomorrow's hearing consisted only of opening statements.
OBAMA'S DAY, AWKWARD!!: The President spent the day in the Empire state, which made for some awkward moments. Over the weekend, White House staff indicated that the President put in a call to New York Governor David Paterson and asked him not to run for reelection next year. Paterson is about as popular as a root canal right now, and Obama is afraid (justifyably) that Paterson will be a drag on the rest of the Democratic ticket (including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand) in 2010. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is said to be mulling a run in the Democratic primary, and would absolutely crush Paterson and any possible Republican challenger (save possibly Pataki or Giuliani). Anyways, Paterson met President Obama's plane today as he landed in Albany, just days after Obama told him to leave the race. That must have been a pretty awkward meeting. Both Paterson and Cuomo were present as Obama gave remarks on the economy at Hudson Valley Community College. The President talked about government initiatives in education and energy that will lead to innovation and economic growth.
The President finished his day by doing a taping of Dave Letterman in New York City.
CONGRESS: No votes today in either chamber. The House and Senate return to legislative business tomorrow.
That's it for us tonight! Leave some comments for this entry or for our Weekly Strike!
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