The 24-hour news cycle is notoriously subversive when it comes to allowing the media to sip news nuggets just before a (holiday) weekend. This move allows for two things to occur: the ruminations begin and essentially give the responsible parties time to (1) create negative spin from something superficially positive, or (2) create lemonade from the most spoiled of lemons — all by the time Monday morning rolls around and the damage control has abated.

First, there was news that Whitney Houston, who hasn’t had a major studio LP release in over seven years, “leaked” what appears to be her new single online; then, Senate Democrats on the Finance Cmte. have appeared to revise burdensome cost estimates to bring healthcare reform legislation more in line with Obama’s initial requirements for a self-sufficient “public option”. Most of the initial up-front savings would be the result of employers of over 25 people to cover insurance for employees or pay a penalty fee for not doing so. Also, the government would pay the start-up costs for the public insurance option as a loan to be repaid, as premiums would be set up to essentially fund the public option. Of course, Republicans have much to grouse about Obama’s hunches that much of his trillion dollar spending on this issue will be delayed because of his insistence that greater efficiencies and cost controls as a result of better access would ultimately rein in much of the up-front costs of this Democrat-led revised plan.

BTW, I am totally dying to hear Whitney’s new album on 9/1, the day of its release. As for the revised nature of the healthcare spending bill, I hope that the lemonade isn’t too bitter. | LINK

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