Discussion Divas

Touchdown for Republicans

Like a relationship that seems so right but suddenly sputters, health care reform appears to be on the rocks. 

Blame it on the Democrats for dithering away an entire year of momentum on the wave of Obama's win. 

Credit the Tea Party activists for voicing the objector’s objections, even if most of them had nothing to do with health reform.

Blame it on Obama for not holding Congress's feet to the fire to pass a bill by year-end. 

Or, blame it on the new kid on the block, the svelte new Republican Senator from Massachusetts—Scott Brown—the one-time Cosmo boy candy who posed nude and trumpeted his two daughters as "available" at his acceptance speech Tuesday night (drawing ire even from conservative Glenn Beck who suggested a chastity belt for Brown).

His very presence in Washington seems to have upset the balance and derailed Democratic momentum, even before he's sworn in. 

Touchdown for the Republicans
Brown succeeded in spoiling the Democrat's party by doing the almost unthinkable: winning the late Ted Kennedy's seat in the deep, deep Blue state of Massachusetts where just 12% of the voters are registered Republicans. 

"Forty-one! Forty-one!”
If you saw Brown accepting his win, you heard the crowd shouting "Forty-one!" They weren't cheering for George H. W. Bush, they were chanting joyously over the number of seats now held by Republicans in the Senate.

Brown’s newly minted golden seat gives Republicans the game-time advantage on health care reform and beyond. With it they can filibuster (talk/debate) to their heart's content and stall legislation, and the Democrats can't do a thing about it. 

Rules of the filibuster mandate a three-fifths majority consensus to stop it (called cloture). In the Senate that's 60 votes, and the Democrats just lost that majority. Score one for the underdogs!

The likely health care scenarios

• Nothing happens: Speaker Pelosi says she doesn’t see the votes in the House to pass the Senate’s version of the bill, the preferred path by the White House and likely the fastest.
• Filibuster: A merged bill between the House and Senate could result in a filibuster in the Senate, delaying the legislation indefinitely.
• Smaller bill: A scaled-back version that focuses on insurance reform and more coverage could emerge.

The Big Picture
The Democrat’s honeymoon period is over. They still have the majority advantage, at least until the November elections, but they’re feeling sidelined. Republicans have the new boyfriend and are all fired up. The clock is ticking in the final quarter for health care, and Democrats are looking for a rally.

Haiti beyond the quake

It was one of those news weeks where journalists barely have time to eat.

There was no shortage of major news this week: Leno got his old time slot back; Conan refused to be bumped. House members grilled Wall Street bank executives, and Google said it may pull the Internet search plug on China after some accounts were hacked. U.S. missiles aimed to kill the Taliban leader in Pakistan but failed. And the biggest story of all, Haiti's earthquake.

With all these big stories to choose from, we’re offering some key points about a country that is in ruins—facts beyond the quake to remember as the world (hopefully) works to rebuild Haiti.

• Once a rich island: In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on an island in the Caribbean, claimed it for Spain and called it Hispaniola; native Tainos were virtually wiped out. Spain ceded Hispaniola to France in 1697, and thanks to sugar and coffee crops it became a very rich colony. Today Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with another country, the Dominican Republic.   

• First black republic: 95% of Haitians are of African descent. The French brought ove

Five things to know about Yemen

With U.S. intelligence pointing the finger at an Al Qaeda cell in Yemen as the probable instigator of the failed attempt to blow up a plane bound for Detroit on Christmas Day, we thought we’d take a closer look at a country we know little about.

1. STRATEGICALLY LOCATED: Yemen sits in the Middle East just below Saudi Arabia and above Somalia. It’s bordered by the Gulf of Aden, an important shipping lane that leads up to the Suez Canal, which ultimately connects the Arabian Sea with the Mediterranean Sea (think oil shipments in this oil rich neighborhood).
   
   It’s said to be about the size of two Wyoming’s (which doesn’t tell us much) with a population of 23 million that’s growing at a rapid clip.

2. POOR: Yemen is the poorest of all the

Looking ahead to 2010

2010 Census We’ll get a fresh look at U.S. demographics with the 2010 Census, which will count same-sex couples for the first time. The Census results influence Congressional districts and funds going to government-funded services like schools. As a side benefit, new census readers will mean an injection of about 1.2 million temporary jobs into the economy. The Year of the Tiger No, not that Tiger! (For good or bad, 2009 was his year.) Rather, the 2010 Year of the Tiger refers to the Chinese New Year, which begins on February 14 (it changes each year based on the moon). The tiger is one of 12 animals associated with the Chinese lunar calendar, with each bringing certain characteristics to the year. Think courage in the year of the Tiger. Estate tax Unless you fall into the 0.2% of America’s wealthiest people, this won’t apply to you, but you’ll hear a lot about it in the news. In a nutshell, prior to 2010, big estates were subject to an estate tax of 45% on assets above $3.5 million. But after nine years of phasing out the tax under a law passed by Congress in 2001, the estate tax—or “death tax” as Republicans like to call it—completely disappears. The Wall Street Journal reports some wealthy Americans were clinging to life to avoid the taxes by passing away in 2010. The reprieve only lasts a year. In 2011, the tax increases to 55% on assets over $1 million. Congress will likely take up the issue in 2010. Roth IRA conversions