News Roundup for 2/15/10

Not exactly on your side

-Headline of the day-
"Fox News Scolds WellPoint Rate Hike, Not For Hurting Consumers, But For Energizing Health Reform Advocates ."

According to the report, "California Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, a subsidiary of health insurance giant WellPoint, announced recently that it would be hiking premiums for customers in the individual market by up to 39 percent." But don't worry, FOX News is looking out for you -- they want to make sure this sort of thing doesn't get us any healthcare reform.

On FOX Business, WellPoint VP Brad Fluegel joined foxbots Charles Payne and and Stu Varney to discuss the increase. The hosts didn't exactly take his side, but they didn't take yours either.


PAYNE: But Brad this is like Jaws 2, just when you thought it was safe to get out of the healthcare debate, you brought everybody back into it. [...] Didn’t someone though, wasn’t there a committee that said listen, let’s take Wall Street’s lead, do the minimum we can, wait for this to blow over and maybe a year from now try to hike rates?

VARNEY: You handed the politicians red meat at a time when healthcare is being discussed. You gave it to them! [...] You couldn’t see this coming? I mean really, you couldn’t see this coming? [...]

VARNEY: You actually did make a net in that quarter in twelve weeks, you made what, $500 million net profit didn’t you? You tell that to a politician and they’re going to say, ‘you made a half billion dollars in twelve weeks and now you put the price up 25%.’


Payne's mixing together Jaws II and Godfather III, but he's a big important business reporter who doesn't have time for movies.

He's also a dick. (Think Progress, with video)


-Does anyone really care?-
Dick Cheney left office with an approval rating barely above that of fingernails on a chalkboard. Yet, whenever he wants to say something stupid, everyone's there to report it. So, when Dick was ABC this weekend, everyone hung on his every word -- everyone in the press, that is. For the most part, it's hard for me to believe that anyone else cares much either way.

In the interview, he tried to explain why President Obama was soft on terror and failed to do so; mostly because Obama's doing 90% of what the Bush administration was. He also came out for repealing "don't ask, don't tell."

Anyway, it's supposed to be big news, so there ya go. Try to suppress your yawns. (Plum Line)


-Bonus HotD-
"Evan Bayh Is Just Too Good For Congress."

I already covered this, but it's Presidents Day which means it's otherwise a slow political news day. Besides, how could I pass up a headline like that. And then there's this quote from the post; "Here is why he is not running: Congress is broken and our nation is on the brink of failure, so like a brave statesman, it is his duty to… run away from the problem as fast as possible and make buttloads of $$$ lobbying for one special interest or another!"

I ask you, is that not so accurate it's scary or what? (Wonkette)