I think that it's fair to say that in the current political environment, the Democratic Party will render itself irrelevant and impotent if they do not pass major health care reform which includes a public option. Which, to start with, is an already scaled down plan from single payer.

This is their platform. This is why we vote for them. I won't donate and I wont turn out again if they dont come through on this. Because at a certain point you just become all talk and thus just noise.

Some things never change:

Republican = A**hole

Democrat = Coward! Damn shame they can't grow a spine.

"I mention this, not to kick the GOP when it's down, but to reinforce the notion that "bipartisanship" need not be a goal unto itself."

Can't we do both?

And yet, Republican opposition and Democratic efforts at a "bipartisan" bill may scuttle the larger reform effort. What an odd system.

Nothing odd. The "bipartisan" BS is a just a smokescreen to give the Dems cover for bowing to the will of their corporate sponsors. The Republicans, at least, are sincere in expressing their disapproval of any measure that will lift the weight of the insurers' disproportionate power from the necks of the proles. It's only a "free market" when it works to the benefit of the owners, you know.

The litmus test for detecting Democrat BS is not all that different from the one used for detecting Republican BS: if the excuse is so transparently foolish as to be an insult to the intelligence of those you're making it to, it's BS. The second rule that applies to both parties: when you detect BS, look at the money.

We went to popular election of senators because Big Corporations bought senators. They still buy them, it is just through their reelection campaigns.

This is why it is so important for the public to lobby their senators.

I guess it's time -- yet again -- for someone to ask Blanche Lincoln, Evan Bayh, and the rest of the shitbag DLC "centrists" who they consider their actual constituents to be.

"do you think the Republican Party or the Democratic Party is more likely to improve the health care system?"

None of the above.

crave - don't bother; they're very open about who their actual constituents are - at least Blanche is. She's never been shy about her tireless efforts to protect the rich and powerful from the very large group of very poor people who live in the state she represents.

Lindsey Graham guaranteed this morning on This Week that a public health option would not be passed period. I'm very depressed. Help!

72% of the American people support public health care. If Republican voters and independent voters think this is a good idea and support it, doesn't this mean the bill already has widespread bipartisan support? Members of Congress, after all, are just extensions of the voters who elected them.

"...most Americans trust Democrats to take the lead in improving the system."

Americans are gullible beyond belief.

Let's see, the Democratic president begins the debate by taking single-payer off the table despite its popularity among a wide swath of his supporters. (Even if he's philosophically opposed to the concept, single-payer is still a huge bargaining chip that he gave away for nothing in return.)

The public option enjoys even wider support among the population at large, yet if it's included in the final legislation at all congress will limit its scope to the greatest extent possible. The Democrats sometimes talks the talk about instituting substantive reform, but when it comes to walking the walk the conservative wing of the party is given control.

Hmmm, it's as if the Democratic leadership doesn't really want reform that, you know, actually changes anything.

The polling splits are derived from talking to voters.

The splits between for- and against-a-public-option will be different if your polling universe is restricted to members of Congress.

Assuming the preferences of the one map over the preference other is a basic fallacy.

Not having the preferences fit too closely is engineered right into the Constitution.

Big insurance and big pharma control health care. It doesn't matter what the people want. All that matters is their profit margins. Our congress critters know that, so does our President, so nothing much will happen to really solve the health care mess. We are just going to socialize health insurance profits. We won't solve the problem, but our officials will brag that there has been a giant breakthrough.

Lindsey Graham guaranteed this morning on This Week that a public health option would not be passed period.

What he's really saying is, "can we please stop talking about this? I'd rather talk about how wonderful democracy is vis a vis Iran."

Isn't the problem not necessarily bipartisanship as in getting the Republicans to vote along but bipartisan in getting the "Blue Dogs" get along with the non-dog Democrats? And isn't the problem not necessarily what Obama wants but what Ben Nelson and Max Baucaus want? I also read somewhere that reconciliation won't work for health care because of some sort of by-laws that are in place to prevent something like health care to be passed like this.

Which means, like everything else we've seen, it's hard enough getting 50 votes on anything let alone 60.

"since the NYT began asking it nearly two decades ago"

So for *two decades* now the health care system has needed improvement enough for the NYT to ask poll questions. And here it is, more broken than ever. And pols are too afraid - or venal - to make bold changes even though three-fourths of people want them made.

Instead of voicing solidarity with Iranians, we ought to be joining them in the streets.

But, but, but the poll didn't include enough Republicans thereby invalidating the results.

So, there. Ha

I have a couple of questions that no one seems to be able to answer -
1. What is the total cost of the medical companies top CEO's pay for a year, also the amount of profit the Health related corps get in a year. also the cost of admin & advertising. It that many dollars were paying actual health car expenses it would really provide care for a lot of people.Also what is the cost if we do not pass healthcare reform, emergency room treatment is more expensive than doctor's visits. This is still paid by all of us.
2. As someone who has lived in the UK for many years I was surprised to see on TV this am (cnn) a segment about the Cleveland clinic/hospital as a model we should look to for efficiency and good health care, saying the physicians are paid a salary - well that is what National health doctors in the UK get, in fact there were many similarities.

Please, kick the GOP when its down...

They have opposed every significant reform of the last 100 years ... 8 hr work day, breaking up monolopies, the federal reserve, social security, minimium wage, voting rights, desegregation, auto safety rules, OSHA, etc.

If the GOP had its way we would still be living in the thrall of oligarchies, earning starvation wages, working 18 hours a day, and police would be using the "third-degree" to wrest false confessions from suspects.

So, please feel free to bash when bashing is due.

I just wrote my regular email to Max Baucus, who has taken hundreds of thousands from the health industry, who has also had tapayer funded healthcare for about 30 years, to demand single payer. It may be a futile exercise, but I keep doing it, please people do the same.

What an odd system.

Its a piece of crap!

That plutocrats and plutocratic wannabes are in control of everything guarantees that nothing of value for the average American ever gets done. It is past time for change starting with the breakup of Big Media.

Steve,

I think it is time that Pres. Obama gets attacked much more from the left because it's clear that he is willing to sacrifice the public option for any bill. Please take a leadership role and get too work on trying to bend his will. Only his pushing Senate will get us a decent health care. It's too important for Americans to hold back from criticizing him.

Interesting, I`ll quote it on my site later.
AnnaHopn

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