President Barack Obama signs H.R. 3210, Pay Our Military Act, which provides continuing appropriations for pay and allowances for members of the Armed Forces during any period for which interim or full-year appropriations for FY 2014 are not in effect, in the Oval Office, Monday night, Sept. 30, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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This is the face of #Obamacare, this is what the GOP is working to destroy: pic.twitter.com/yJGAkbZFbh
— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) October 1, 2013
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Text of remarks here
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President Obama leaves the podium after speaking on a possible government shutdown and the budget bill
A new chapter in American history begins tomorrow: Obamacare exchanges will open for business: http://t.co/0BPq4SDE9G
— meta (@metaquest) September 30, 2013
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Make a difference: explain #Obamacare to one person today and send them to http://t.co/AgRfdj8VqX *We* are the change we’ve been waiting for
— BWD (@theonlyadult) September 30, 2013
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#Obamacare links: http://t.co/XRD4F3J8b1 http://t.co/i8PKsx6B0d http://t.co/9X6e2g1YBK http://t.co/NjwmBW1VWh http://t.co/73QsQBvSTn
— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) September 30, 2013
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No, NPR, it’s not “Congress.” Repeat after me: It’s not Congress, it’s the Republicans, it’s not Congress, it’s the Republicans…
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) September 30, 2013
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#OBAMACARE doesn’t regulate Your Health Insurance, it regulates Insurance companies that bankrupt you! pic.twitter.com/YNn1PbwA9P #mtp #tcot
— justgratefuldead (@justgrateful) September 29, 2013
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House Rs waste valuable time before #GOPshutdown voting for the 43rd and 44th times to undermine #ACA—and baying at the moon.
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) September 29, 2013
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Absolutely crucial paragraph of truth on the debt ceiling debate from @jonfavs http://t.co/6vK39qIYJW pic.twitter.com/4v6X4ngsNF
— Justin Green (@JGreenDC) September 30, 2013
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History: President Obama, Vice President Biden, and senior staff applaud in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, as the House passes the health care reform bill, March 21, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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Today (all times Eastern):
11:15: President Obama holds a bilateral meeting with PM Netanyahu; VP Biden also attends
12:0: Attorney General Holder Announces Lawsuit against North Carolina (CBS)
12:20: President Obama holds a working lunch with PM Netanyahu; VP Biden also attends
1:0: Jay Carney briefs the press
2:45: VP Biden Speaks at the 4th National J Street Conference
4:45: President Obama holds a Cabinet meeting; VP Biden also attends
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The Week Ahead:
Tuesday: The President will attend meetings at the White House.
Wednesday: The President will deliver remarks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s 36th Annual Awards Gala at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The First Lady will also attend.
Thursday and Friday: The President will attend meetings at the White House.
Saturday: The President will depart on his trip to Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines.
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AP: Govt to Sue North Carolina Over New Voter Law
The Justice Department will sue the state of North Carolina for alleged racial discrimination over tough new voting rules, the latest effort by the Obama administration to fight back against a Supreme Court decision that struck down the most powerful part of the landmark Voting Rights Act and freed southern states from strict federal oversight of their elections.
…. Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to announce the lawsuit against North Carolina at a news conference Monday, according to a person who has been briefed on the department’s plans but is not authorized to speak publicly about the matter and spoke only on condition of anonymity.
Holder will be joined at the news conference by the acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil rights division, Joceyln Samuels, and the three U.S. attorneys from North Carolina…
More here
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YOU’VE GOT TO READ THIS: “Who are these people?” .@politicoroger continues to set himself apart from the rest. http://t.co/XzS5qb80Ee
— KSK(africa) (@lawalazu) September 30, 2013
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Jon Favreau: House Republican Hostage Takers Are Unfit to Govern
They’re threatening an economic shutdown that will cause financial hardship and even ruin for millions of Americans. So let’s call these House Republicans what they are.
…. From budgets and taxes to Syria and Iran, this president has shown that he will negotiate on almost any issue, with anyone, at any time. But he will not — he cannot — negotiate with a roving band of anarchists who say, “Build our oil pipeline or the troops don’t get paid. Give us tax cuts for the rich or seniors don’t get their Social Security checks. Let insurance companies do as they please or the economy gets it.”
That isn’t democracy. That isn’t America. Throughout history, politicians of both parties have been able to argue their agendas fiercely, even nastily, but then accept the Election Day judgment of voters without resorting to extortion that threatens the economic destruction of their own country. A small faction of Republicans who represent an even smaller fraction of Americans has now decided to reject this bipartisan legacy in favor of nihilistic madness…
Full post here
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GOP 2009-2013: 124 Religion Bills 149 Gun Bills 56 Abortion Bills 44 Anti-Obamacare Bills 36 Marriage Bills 0 JOBS Bills #ShutdownTheGOP
— The Baxter Bean (@TheBaxterBean) September 30, 2013
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A gentle reminder: the GOP is shutting down the gov’t because Democrats passed a bill to extend health insurance coverage to 30m Americans
— Michael Cohen (@speechboy71) September 29, 2013
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Michael Tomasky: Republicans Aren’t Hostage-Takers, They’re Political Terrorists
Back in the late 1970s, Richard Pryor had a routine where he gave a rundown on the various factions he’d encountered inside prison. There were the black Muslims, he said. They were fairly rough customers. Then there were the Double-Muslims. The Double-Muslims, he said, “can’t wait to get to Allah, and they wanna take a bunch of muthafukkas with them.”
Pryor obviously wasn’t talking about today’s Republicans, but he was describing them better than they’ve been described anywhere. They know they’re going to bear the brunt of the blame if the government shuts down. At least some of them do, the ones who have the ability to think beyond the boundaries of their districts. And the thing is, they don’t care. As long as they can drag Obama and the Democrats down with them, dropping in the polls is fine by them. And that’s why we’re in this situation. We have here people who are participating in the democratic process, and who respect certain of its rules and practices because they know they must to attain legitimacy in the eyes of the public and the media, but who at the end of the day — and the end of the day means now — operate and act with the mentality of Pryor’s Double-Muslims; which is to say, the mentality of terrorists.
More here
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This isn’t a game RT @MarkHalperin: Dear Dems: Saying Cruz and House Republicans are absolutists who want a shutdown won’t change the game.
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) September 29, 2013
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NYT Editorial: The House Rushes to a Shutdown
This time, it wasn’t just a few Tea Party hotheads who drove the United States government to the brink of shutting down. Early Sunday morning, all 231 House Republicans (along with 17 Democrats) decided that crippling health care reform was more important than keeping the government’s doors open. It was one of the most irresponsible votes since the last shutdown in 1996.
…. A few hours before midnight is the worst possible time to reignite the culture wars, but House members are too delirious with ideology to care. John Culberson of Texas described his reaction at a meeting of Republican lawmakers: “I said, like 9/11, ‘let’s roll,’ ” as if his partisan antics were somehow on a par with the ultimate sacrifices of ordinary citizens 12 years ago.
The comparison was nauseating, and when the Senate returns on Monday, it needs to reject the entire House package immediately. It may be impossible to prevent a shutdown at this point if the House continues to prefer dueling to governing, but at least the public will clearly see the source of the nation’s wounds.
Full editorial here
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How about you fund the goverment of the most powerful nation in history and then win enough elections to do the other things you want.
— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) September 29, 2013
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Steve Benen: Two chambers, 16 hours, and one deadline
With the deadline for a government shutdown now just 16 hours away, there’s a dirty little secret that hasn’t received as much attention as it deserves: there’s an obvious solution that enjoys the support of the White House, a majority of the Senate, and a majority of the House. It’s not going anywhere, however, because House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is too afraid of the idea.
It came up briefly yesterday on “Meet the Press” when Dee Dee Myers asked Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) a good question. So what’s the endgame, though, congressman?” Myers said. “Are you willing to vote for a continued resolution that comes back [to the House] that does not delay or defund Obamacare?”
“I am not, but I think there’s enough people in the Republican Party who are willing to do that,” the far-right congressman responded.
And there it is: the obvious resolution…
More here
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Rasmussen (!!): Obama’s approval rating climbs to 51%; http://t.co/7VVQW1Kq2q
— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) September 30, 2013
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Steve Benen: How Congress reached this point
Sen. Rand Paul appeared on “Face the Nation” yesterday and made clear that he’s confused about the federal budget process. Noting that the House and Senate have passed competing spending measures intended to keep the government’s lights on, the Republican senator asked, “Why don’t we have a conference committee on this?”
It fell to Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin to patiently try to explain the details Rand Paul must have missed: “We’ve been trying for more than six months to get Republicans to approve a conference committee on the budget.”
I mention this exchange because I imagine there are quite a few Americans wondering how in the world we ended up, once again, with the prospect of an imminent government shutdown. It’s worth taking a moment to remember that this crisis isn’t an accident – congressional Republicans created it on purpose several months ago.
More here
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If Obama was a real leader, he would have prevented us from being nihilistic obstructionist saboteurs. #GOPLogic
— Michael Grunwald (@MikeGrunwald) September 30, 2013
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We’ve Come So Far – No Going Back:
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LOL…Sneaky Pres Obama to offer “Public Option” by another name: “U.S. Plans to Unveil New Insurance Options” http://t.co/rITFPkV9qP
— zizi2 (@zizii2) September 30, 2013
NYT: U.S. Plans to Unveil New Insurance Options
The Obama administration plans on Monday to announce scores of new health insurance options to be offered to consumers around the country by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and the United States Office of Personnel Management, the agency that arranges health benefits for federal employees, according to administration officials.
The options are part of a multistate insurance program that Congress authorized in 2010 to increase options for consumers shopping in the online insurance markets scheduled to open on Tuesday.
Congress conceived multistate plans as an alternative to a pure government-run insurance program — the “public option” championed by liberal Democrats and opposed by Republicans in 2009-10.
“The multistate program will help deliver choice and high-value health plans in the new marketplace, expanding quality, affordable options for uninsured Americans,” an administration official said.
More here
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ThinkProgress: 20 Questions You Have About Obamacare But Are Too Afraid To Ask
1. Will Obamacare end up costing me money?
2. What if I already have health insurance?
3. If I’m keeping my current health insurance, does Obamacare benefit me?
4. Health insurance is so hard to figure out. How can I even tell what’s in my plan?
5. Why did I get a check in the mail from my insurance company?
6. Are dental or vision insurance plans affected by the new law?
7. What are the “exchanges,” and should people like me join them?
8. If I want to sign up for a new government-organized health plan, how can I?
9. Why am I hearing so much about October 1? What does that date mean for me?
10. What if I can’t afford any health coverage?
More here
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CNN Money: Millions eligible for Obamacare subsidies, but most don’t know it
Nearly 26 million Americans could be eligible for health insurance subsidies next year, but most don’t know it.
That’s because relatively few people are familiar with provisions in the Affordable Care Act, aka “Obamacare,” that will provide tax credits to low- and middle-income consumers to help them purchase health coverage through state-run insurance exchanges.
Most of those who will be able to claim the subsidies are in working families with annual earnings between $47,100 and $94,200, according to a recent analysis by Families USA, a consumer advocacy group. More than a third of those eligible will be young adults between ages 18 and 34.
More here
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Essential Links:
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What has Obamacare done for me lately?
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TPM: Poll: Vast Majority Of Uninsured Will Get Health Insurance Under Obamacare
When the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate kicks in on Jan. 1, 2014, a wide majority of uninsured Americans say they will purchase health insurance rather than pay the fine, according to findings released Monday by Gallup.
Sixty-five percent said they are more likely to get health insurance, while a quarter of uninsured Americans said they will pay the fine and 11 percent said they have no opinion.
More here
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On This Day:
President Obama takes a practice putt with a golf club presented to him by golf legend Arnold Palmer prior to the signing ceremony for H.R. 1243, the Arnold Palmer Congressional Gold Medal Act, in the Oval Office, Sept. 30, 2009 (Photo by Samantha Appleton)
First Lady Michelle Obama greets gymnast Nadia Comaneci, her husband gymnast Bart Connor, left, Paralympic athlete Linda Mastandrea, center-right , and other former Olympians before the Chicago 2016 Dinner in Copenhagen, Denmark, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009. From left in the background; athletes Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Bob Berland, David Robinson, Dr. Edwin Moses and Mike Conley. (Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
President Obama greets Jasper Mann and his parents, Billy and Gena Mann, before signing H.R. 2005 – Combating Autism Reauthorization Act of 2011, in the Oval Office, Sept. 30, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama participates in the Armed Forces farewell tribute to Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, right, at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, in Arlington, Va., Sept. 30, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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MoooOOOooorning – Happy Monday!
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