From NBC First Read Newsletter
Will the Democratic dam break over the VA story?
President Obama on Wednesday addressed the growing outcry over the alleged misconduct at VA hospitals, and he said he was outraged. "When I hear allegations of misconduct -- any misconduct -- whether it's allegations of VA staff covering up long wait times or cooking the books, I will not stand for it. Not as commander-in-chief, but also not as an American. None of us should." But the president didn't buy himself a lot of time, especially now with some red-state Democrats criticizing him. "I listened to the president today, and I was very disappointed with President Obama today," Rep. David Scott (D-GA) said. "There was no urgency. Mr. President, we need urgency, we need you to roll up our sleeves and get into these hospitals!" Another Georgia Democrat, John Barrow, became the first Democrat to call for Shinseki's firing. And this is the question for the White House: Will the Democratic dam break? Will Scott be followed by Sens. Mary Landrieu, Mark Pryor, and Kay Hagan? If that happens, the White House won't have a whole lot of time to get to the bottom of this and fix it. They'll need to make a symbolic move quickly if they don't want to find themselves on a political island.In an era of fake political outrage, the VA story demands true outrage
Slate's John Dickerson writes that our politics has witnessed plenty of fake outrage over the years. But this VA story demands true outrage. "Fake umbrage taking and outrage production are our most plentiful political products, not legislation and certainly not interesting solutions to complicated issues. We are in a new political season, too-that means an extra dose of hot, high stakes outrage over the slightest thing that might move votes. How does something get recognized as beyond the pale when we live beyond the pale? What makes the VA scandal different is not only that it affected people at their most desperate moment of need-and continues to affect them at subpar facilities. It's also a failure of one of the most basic transactions government is supposed to perform: keeping a promise to those who were asked to protect our very form of government." Well said.How the VA remarks played
The Wall Street Journal: "Obama Pushes Accountability at VA"
The Arizona Republic: "Obama addresses Phoenix VA scandal; McCain says remarks 'fell short'"
USA Today: "Obama says he won't tolerate misconduct at VA"
LA Times: "At least for now, Obama stands by VA Secretary Eric Shinseki"
The Arizona Republic reports: "The top executive for the Phoenix VA Health Care System has been directed to repay thousands of dollars in bonus money she received last month as the national controversy erupted over allegations of delayed care and deaths at the Carl T. Hayden Medical Center."
The New York Times editorial board chastises Obama for his handling of the VA's problems, writing that "expressing outrage is hardly enough for a president who, as a candidate in 2008, criticized the agency and vowed to improve care and address backlogs. It is past time for a more visible personal commitment to right these wrongs as well as strong White House support for legislation that would make it possible for top agency officials to fire those responsible for wrongdoing."
From the Fox News First Newsletter
VA SCANDAL ANOTHER BURDEN FOR DESPERATE DEMS
The hits keep coming for the blue team this midterm season. There’s just one problem for Democrats: These hits sting. The political liability of running in the shadow of the Obama administration’s scandals, from ObamaCare to Benghazi and now the Veterans Affairs debacle has become a crushing burden for vulnerable Democrats. President Obama’s Wednesday remarks, forced by pressure from lawmakers and public outrage over reports of corrupt practices at VA hospitals treating veterans, may well have added to that load. After weeks of silence, the president delivered a now familiar mix of disdain, promises of punishment for those responsible and another review. “If these allegations prove to be true,” Obama said, “it is dishonorable, it is disgraceful and I will not tolerate it – period.” “Too little too late” was the response from House VA committee Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla. Some Democrats broke ranks, agreeing with Republican and veterans groups’ calls for the ouster of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, who the president continues to support. More than two dozen VA facilities are under investigation and new revelations of shady record-keeping surface almost daily. Pressure from Democrats already running away from the president’s low approval ratings and ObamaCare, may force his hand where Shinseki is concerned. While Obama has a tendency to stand by his cabinet chiefs and let scandals blow over, with veterans the victims and the midterm clock ticking, heads will need to roll…and soon.
[“How can we let this happen? How is that acceptable in the United States of America? The answer is, it’s not. It’s an outrage. And it’s a betrayal, a betrayal of the ideals that we ask our troops to risk their lives for.” – then candidate Barak Obama, criticizing President George W. Bush’s management of veterans care during a 2008 stump speech.]
The passive approach - Milbank: “This would be a good time for Obama to knock heads and to get in front of the story. But, frustratingly, he’s playing President Passive, insisting on waiting for the VA inspector general to complete yet another investigation, this one looking into the Phoenix deaths.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/21/us/obama-faces-new-test-in-mismanagement-at-veterans-hospitals.html?emc=edit_th_20140521&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=65176335&_r=0
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