The Baucus bill passed the Finance Committee with a 14-9 vote, giving the Democratic health care agenda new momentum, but it's become clear that President Obama's attempt to corral bi-partisanship in the Senate Finance committee is ending in a messy stand-off. Although the vote was an essential win for Democrats, it has created a backlash from liberals for the concessions it has allowed to members of a more centrist Senate Finance Committee. After allowing Obama a generous amount of time to start the healthcare conversation, House Democrats are beginning to take a more aggressive position on issues such as the public option.

Although Democrats are touting the 220-215 passage of the House leadership health care bill as a historic victory, the outcome of the vote raises serious concerns when 39 Democrats voted against the bill. Of all the healthcare bills in congress, this one is the most expensive at an estimated $1.1 trillion and is the most progressive with the inclusion of a public option. These aspects proved too politically risky or fiscally unfeasible for Democrats from conservative districts to support, and the narrowness of the vote shows that the bill needs to change dramatically to have a chance at passing the Senate. Although the bill's passage provides House Democrats and the White House with a brief victory to show the public, the biggest challenge to health care reform remains with a minority of conservative senators whom they will have much less influence on.

In a talk to a Columbia University Audience Nov. 17, economist and Director of the Earth Institute Jeffrey Sachs was eager to criticize Washington over it's handling of the economic downturn. Known for offering ambitious solutions to large economic problems, such as in his book The End of Poverty, Sachs characteristically suggested solutions on how public spending should be used to expand the US economy while benefiting the rest of the world. Although he presented thoughtful ideas regarding investment in infrastructure and green technology, his cynicism toward the U.S. government's capabilities reflected doubt that any of his ideas are politically possible.

Sachs on Obama

“The progressive candidate won by saying we're going to cut taxes more... That's the shallowness of our political system.”

Obama won the presidency on an ambitious, progressive platform, but Sachs argues that as a result of proposed middle-class tax cuts and overly optimistic projections on budget savings, Obama will never have the money to enact much of his agenda. In anticipation of a troop increase in Afghanistan, he also lists the wars and the military industrial lobby as other obstacles threatening a balanced budget. Because of the slow pace at which issues are dealt with in Congress, cap-and-trade, education, and clean energy policy are currently being deferred in favor of substantive, but more visible crises like health care reform and the war in Afghanistan. While this deliberate pace of passing legislation is nothing new, Sachs predicts that the former list of issues will fall victim to both the budget and politics. His frustration with the political system is easy to empathize with, but his criticisms of the government seem less resonant when given so pessimistically. Nonetheless, he is a convincing pundit and is effectively using his independent role as an academic and poverty advocate to take a dissident stance against the Obama administration.

Given your impending graduation and the abysmal job market, there's no better time for a college graduate to enter the public sector. Columbia and other Ivy League schools are notorious for sending flocks of graduates to the private sector (i.e. Wall Street), but we are encouraging you to do the right thing. The Office of Government and Community Affairs, and Columbia students want to show you how to get your career started in Washington.

Previously garnered momentum for the same-sex marriage movement has diminished as the New York State Senate rejected a bill to legalize gay marriage 38-24. In line with voter repeals of legalization of same-sex marriage such as a peoples' veto in Maine and the earlier Proposition 8 amendment of the California constitution, legislators pronounced that a popular consensus has developed in opposition to same-sex marriage and this justifies voting against the bill. Sadly, there may indeed exist a substantial opposition amongst the New York constituency, but recent polls there have shown leanings in support of same-sex marriage. Regardless of public whim, marriage shouldn't be treated as a privilege endowed by a legally biased majority of voters. It should be offered as a civil liberty. Even though the Supreme Courts of California, Massachusetts, and Connecticut have at some point deemed bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, opposers of same-sex marriage reiterate values based arguments neglecting the fair interpretation of law. Values shouldn't define law, and the right to marry shouldn't be left to the interpretation of cultural tradition.

The announcement that Google is exiting the Chinese mainland is unprecedented as a rebuff by a private firm on the Chinese government. As of March 22nd, Google announced it would be shutting down its search service in opposition to government mandated censorship and hacker attacks speculated to have been directed by the Chinese government. Google search now redirects traffic to its operations in Hong Kong, but even such searches are subject to pervasive government firewalls.

Looking through the frame of broader China-U.S. relations, many pundits are hailing Google’s actions as a rebuke of government policies and a defense of the freedom of information, but as a private firm, its priorities fundamentally derive from money. While its withdrawal surely reflects an ethical conscience at the center of Google’s corporate culture, its primary motive is first and foremost influenced by the dim commercial prospects offered by an increasingly adverse business climate in China.

Announcing the inaugural episode of Pubcast, the official podcast of the Columbia Political Union. This week, Cub Pub staff writers debate the merits, political implications, and fiscal legacy of the bill.

Listen to the rest on our Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/CPUcubcast#p/u.

This week on Cubcast we discuss current affairs in gay rights on campus and around the country. How will Columbia's gender neutral housing policy affect your housing options? Is Obama dithering over the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell? Is the gay marriage movement ready for a Supreme Court battle?

Our round-table this week includes Columbia Queer Alliance president Sean Udell, CU Dems president Kate O'Gorman, CU Amnesty International co-president Joy Achuonjei, Cub Pub contributor Bruce Garro, and Cub Pub editor-in-chief and podcast moderator Ismail Muhammed.

You can read more about Sean Udell and the activities of the Columbia Queer Alliance at http://cqa1.wordpress.com/.