Mocs up! Sec. @debhaalandnm swearing in ceremony. Watch on IG live @coffeequeer. pic.twitter.com/pCSK8N2vHs
— Navajo County Democrats (@navajocountydem) March 18, 2021
OMG I’m bawling! ???pic.twitter.com/cjj5r98Klc
— Tell Newsom I’m Busy ?? (@JuneSummer1) March 18, 2021
We must create a future that lifts up all communities. @SecDebHaaland has committed her life to ensuring justice, equality, and fairness for all. Today, as she makes history, I am proud to swear her in as our Secretary of Interior. pic.twitter.com/Zgi8vjP1mb
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) March 18, 2021
Open thread…
Sister Golden Bear
First!
AxelFoley
I claim the coveted second!
Mary G
I so enjoy watching these swearing-in ceremonies.
p.a.
Elections have consequences:
“The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that runs the Medicare program, recently reversed a change to Part D demonstration rules announced by the previous administration that would have allowed participating plans to eliminate important beneficiary protections. The Medicare Rights Center and our partners spoke out strongly against the proposed change and encouraged the Biden administration to uphold these protections.
The demonstration, known as the Part D Payment Modernization Model, is intended to test Part D changes to see if they will change drug spending. The proposal would have allowed plans that participate in the demonstration to reduce the number of medications they cover, including in the “protected classes.” These are groups of medications, like antipsychotics, antidepressants, and antiretrovirals, for which the individual and public health consequences of disruption or interruption of care are so significant that plans are required to cover substantially all of the drugs in that group. The proposal would also have halved the number of medications plans are required to cover in all other groups – from two to one.
While it is clear that drug prices are too high, limiting beneficiaries’ access to needed, life-saving medications cannot be the method used to bring prices down. Medicare Rights commends CMS for responding to stakeholder concerns and deciding not to go forward with these unadvised and dangerous policy changes.”
MattF
I regret nothing.
Original Lee
It may be frivolous of me, but I LOVE Sec. Haaland’s dress.
Jon
@Original Lee: So great.
debbie
@MattF:
Pity this wasn’t the response.
West of the Rockies
The joy and goodness that emanate from Kamala Harris is sooo palpable. I love her!!!
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@p.a.:
Remember – whenever a conservative talks about “tough choices”, he never means that it is a choice that he or she will personally feel the negative impact from. It is always an exercise in punching down, as the already comfortable will also never suffer from it, either.
Yutsano
Eleventhth!
@Original Lee: I hope not, because I so agree with you.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@MattF:
The White House press corps does such a lousy job.
jl
@Original Lee: I don’t think you are frivolous. I’m glad that she put on traditional dress. Made a statement about her seriousness in representing all the people at Interior.
I remember some clips, and it was quite a news item, when a bunch of GOP presidential candidate dweebs dressed up in Elmer Fudd hunting gear and stumbled through a field with their guns on a ceremonial hunt. That was frivolous, hilarious and disgusting, and judging from how they held the guns, dangerous too. And it was just as much identity group signaling as what Haaland did, except worse because it was fake. And Haaland wasn’t really signaling, it is her genuine heritage.
Edit: and Haaland’s looks much better than a bunch of GOP dweebs in fake hunting costumes, Fudd did it much better, and was a real hunter compared to them.
Death Panel Truck
@MattF: I love how she smiles as she smacks down these idiots.
dexwood
Nice. Yay Deb.
Hoodie
@MattF: The sole purpose of this type of stupid question is to allow the questioner to preen and waste everyone’s time. They probably did this in college lectures and never matured past that state. They are best dismissed in an “asked and answered” fashion like this. “Not that I’m aware of, next question” would be even better.
Raoul Paste
@MattF: Straight talk, baby, unlike the obsequious Trump
Spanky
@MattF: Who asked that fucking question?
mali muso
But, but, but, I was told by our media betters that Biden has yet to go in front of the press!!!!
hueyplong
A few months ago, reporters being peacocks would have seemed mighty low on the lists of annoyances and concerns.
Martin
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Someone on Twitter (Brian Beutler maybe?) recently wrote about how community town hall meetings consistently have better questions than what the WH press corps puts forward.
Sister Golden Bear
@Martin: Not surprised. People at community town hall meetings are actually seeking information, not preening on camera, or for their peers.
jl
@Martin: I often hear better questions from local beat reporters than what we get from most of the WH press corps. Some of the WH press are great reporters who who usually ask good questions but too many are outrageous (and egregious) hacks.
Do local press get into the WH pressers? If not, maybe they should. get in. And some blogs too. Biden could take questions first from the Waukegan Blarion and Daily Kos and whoever, and let the few good WH press reporters ask a question or two before walking off.
trollhattan
Sec Haaland makes time to speak with Indigenous media on her first day.
trollhattan
@jl:
I’m guessing Biden doesn’t make across-the-aisle mistakes like Obama when he gave Helen Thomas’ seat to Fox. He knows.
John Revolta
@jl: I mean, it’s not like she’s riding a horse down the streets of D.C. on her way to her new office.
J R in WV
OT:
Maybe a little bit, this afternoon around 1:15, Wife and I got our second Moderna vaccination !! Driving home I told wife I felt like there should be a marching band, or bagpipes, or a bonfire and banjo players. But that would have been too much. I have chronic pain from being rode hard and put away wet for 70 years, so It’s hard to say if today’s aches are from the shot or just one more day of same old.
It went really smoothly in drive-thru mode since the weather is way better than for the first shot (15, ice storm, no power in the county!) and as we waited in the car in an organized parking lot with time stickers on the windshield I asked if in the months they have been doing these shot clinics, have they ever had a serious reaction in any patient? Nope. And the clinic with docs is right there across the driveway if they do. Very rural clinic, Very well organized and executed!
VERY Glad to see Secretary Haaland sworn in, and to see VP Harris so happy about it.
Origuy
My housemate got an appointment with Stanford for the jab on Saturday. Besides the EDS, she has COPD, asthma, pulmonary embolisms and a growth in her lung. If she were to get infected, it could be really bad. The Stanford signup was a pain as there were multiple screens with one question per screen in some cases. She missed the first time she’d chosen while we were answering the question about why she was eligible because of her health. They should have had Ticketron run the website; it would have reserved the timeslot for five minutes. Finally got in, probably because of a cancellation.
I’m still not eligible because I’m 64 and too healthy. California hasn’t lowered the age limit yet.
pluky
@John Revolta:
I don’t think the Laguna Pueblo were historically an equestrian people in any case.
jl
@John Revolta: IIRC, most of the indigenous traditions in the US were much less sexist than a large section of the current voting population in these, our great, United States. (Edit, but some were just as bad as white folks have been until recently.)
I remember reading that Native American delegations coming to treaty negotiations would have men and women, and the Europeans would not talk with them until the women were kept out.
People like Haaland can bring some better attitudes to our benighted society.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@jl: Maybe we should send Baud to ask questions for Balloon Juice, does the White House Press Room require pants?
jl
@pluky: How about some pottery to smash over some jackasses’ heads? Suitcase nuke from some of their uranium?
jl
@?BillinGlendaleCA: The snoring when Baud naps out may be a problem.
Ken
@debbie: Or perhaps “Did you know he’s killed journalists for asking questions?”
laura
The importance of Interior Secretary Haaland’s attire is way beyond my current knowledge and I hope to learn more about the symbols on her skirt, her moccasins which she laced on with such care. I really hope that Robin Givhan takes up this subject – her use of fashion as the lens to critique politics seems apt. She looked beautiful and powerful.
The joy of this historic occasion is just so much value added to the Biden Harris administration.
jl
@debbie: That gave me an idea, Biden admin should have entrance music to all the press conferences, like they do at campaign rallies. First song that came to mind was
The Clash – White Riot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvG3is7Bm1w
jl
@jl: And….
Toots and the Maytals, Pressure Drop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw66FA6OTqA
West of the Rockies
@jl:
Have BS “news” outlets like OAN been booted from the press conferences yet?
West of the Rockies
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
Haven’t we all agreed that pants are optional?
jl
@West of the Rockies: Naked press conferences would increase audience for the Biden admin. More than their covid relief bill tour.
BJ blog should really charge them for all of our brilliant ideas, help the blog pay for itself.
Ken
@West of the Rockies: Fairly sure that’s only for zoom meetings, and only if you remember to mute your camera before standing up.
Geminid
@jl: Secretary Haalands life story is inspiring. Her mother, Mary Toya of Laguna Pueblo, served in the Navy, while her father, “Dutch” Haaland, was a Minnesotan. A Marine officer, he earned a Silver Star in Vietnam and is buried at Arlington National Cemetary, across the Potomac from where Haaland now works.
Haaland lived in 13 different places growing up. She applied for college when she was 28, and gave birth to her daughter four days after graduation. Her life as a single mother was a very challenging. She was able to earn a law degree at age 46, though, and then served New Mexico tribes in very responsible positions. Haaland was New Mexico’s State Democratic Chairman before she won the 1st District seat vacated by current Governor Michelle Lujan-Griffen in 2018.
I think House Democrats will miss Deb Haaland a lot, but they must be happy for her.
John Revolta
@pluky: Yeah, my point was that that was the stunt that Trump’s boy Zinke pulled his first day at Interior.
L85NJGT
@jl:
The briefing room only seats 49, and the manufactured scarcity benefits national media. The Chicago Tribune and Dallas Morning News are about as downmarket as it gets.
Roger Moore
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
So much this. All the talk about how cutting services to poor people is a tough choice is a bunch of bullshit. Cutting off poor people is an easy, lazy choice. The really tough choices are raising taxes on people who have the resources to complain about it and building up a rainy day fund when times are good and everyone wants funding for their pet project.
jonas
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
So the reporter is concerned with Biden’s harsh rhetoric towards Putin after coming off four years of a president who could scarcely comment on US-Russia relations because he was so busy gargling Putin’s junk all the time? Yeah. Sounds like a WH reporter, alright.
Starboard Tack
@Roger Moore:
They mean we have to be mentally and emotionally tough to throw the weak ones overboard, like the poor Einsatzkommandos.
Miss Bianca
@John Revolta:
Although I have to admit that watching her put on her boots really, really reminded me of putting polo wraps on *my* horse. ; )
ETA: Oh yeah – and funk Zinke. That fucking poser. Even if the horse he borrowed for that stunt was a really, really nice horse.
jl
@L85NJGT: “The briefing room only seats 49”
All that nonsense from only 49 seats? Unpossible.
They should either get a bigger room, or hold a lottery. And, why not add remotes? Covid has produced some good ideas on how to do things better.
chopper
50th post!
SWMBO
@jl:
Expand it to hold one reporter from each state or territory or tribe. Make the local media work for a slot.