Obama Bites Off More Than He Can Chew

Suddenly, it looks like smooth sailing for Dodd's bill

(NEWSER) - Health care has given the White House and Democrats a serious dose of momentum, and it looks as though that will result in easy passage of a stronger-than-expected financial reform bill. Republicans are backing off, and Democrats are sticking together to fend off Wall Street lobbyists who assumed they could weaken the bill, writes Norm Scheiber. President Obama, meanwhile, is pressing Chris Dodd and Barney Frank "not to dither." More»

President's miscalculations include scale, momentum

(NEWSER) - Scott Brown’s Senate victory in Massachusetts is the final nail in the coffin of the Obama administration’s first-year political strategy, John F. Harris and Carol E. Lee write for Politico . The miscalculations cover “three major counts":

• Believing 2008 was a game-changer: The Obama team thought the "election represented something seismic." But "the assumption that Obama would be swimming mostly with the current rather than often against it on issues such as health care, financial regulation and global warming was naive in retrospect."

Vitriol surrounding health care debate sure to continue

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s speech last night will probably prod Congress into passing health care reform, writes Joe Klein in Time. “But it will not end the public malignancy that has attended this debate, and threatens the democratic fabric of our nation.” Klein attended an Arkansas town hall recently and was shocked by the vitriol. He’s afraid that poison will spread from fans of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh to the public at large. More»

Long-term push for big items will go with day-to-day small initiatives

(NEWSER) - They knew it would happen: Despite impressive speed out of the blocks, the Obama administration now faces the inevitable slowdown to a typical congressional crawl, as its agenda meets resistance from members of both parties. Energy and global warming plans are likely to be the toughest sell, Mike Allen writes on Politico, with financial overhaul and some health care plan most likely to make it through this year. More»

New preventive health rules require insurers to cover cost

(NEWSER) - Women can say goodbye to co-pays on birth control: Health insurance companies will soon have to cover the cost themselves, the Obama administration says. It’s part of expanded preventive care for women , including coverage of breast pumps, “well woman” physicals, and STD counseling, the AP reports. Insurance firms will likely raise premiums a small amount to handle the cost. Religious institutions may opt out of birth control coverage under the new rules, many of which won't take effect until Jan. 1, 2013. More»