Finally. Jeebus on toast points its taken them long enough to state the obvious, or to figure out a way to make the obvious a little more palatable. Once again John Cole's observation that there's no magreeable restaurant that will produce a meal for someone who wants tire rims with ground glass and someone who wants spaghetti alla vongole (or something like that) is borne out. You can both just barely manage to agree that someone wants to eat. And that's it. So, agree that you will "consider" some of their "ideas" and even implement some of the less crazy ones and move the fuck on already.

aimai

This is playing out fine. As long as the public option doesn't get stripped in conference, which may very well happen, this is moving forward nicely.

There may a solid bloc of GOP noes in the House, but I would be very surprised to see fewer than 70 votes in the Senate for a bill with a public option.

You cannot gerrymander states, and this is a very popular bill.

Good to see that Dems have managed to buy a clue, somewhere. Now, let's hope they can hold onto it. Trying to work with the Repubs has been producing diminishing returns recently; the only option we now have is to go the Little Red Hen route.

But it isn't a question of whether the minority is persuaded or not. They're persuaded that Democratic health care reform would do massive damage to Republican political strength, and they have no intention of dealing with it in good faith at all.

The fact that the bill may contain Republican ideas and the GOP still opposes it is, I [strike]think[/strike] hope, a subtle indication of that bad faith. Which will, of course, be entirely lost on the likes of Broder, whose definition of "bipartisanship" is "do what the Republicans want."

By the way, did you catch NPR this morning giving an unchallenged forum to an executive from Wellpoint to complain about health care reform? Steve Inskeep almost got him to admit that his corporation wouldn't support health care reform regardless, and did ask that, if the public option was so lame, why he was afraid of it, but he let a number of other falsehoods pass unchallenged, including the executive's assertion that private sector is more efficient.

I'd say it's outrageous, but that'd imply I expect anything else from NPR.

Even if they had been able to get Republican votes, the Democrats own health care reform. Voters don't look back and say some Republicans voted for that so its not President Obama's reform, its not Congressional Democrats reform. It would always have been seen as the Democrats' reform.

And it rightly will make or break the Democratic Party so they need to own it and make it as good as possible. If they succeed, they aren't going to wish that Republicans could claim part of the credit.

Most Republicans are content to see the Democrats establish ownership of this bill. I favor health reform and have a lengthy analysis of what I think the model should be. This legislation will roll the entire US population into Medicare and Medicaid shortly before they both become bankrupt. Be my guest.

he let a number of other falsehoods pass unchallenged, including the executive's assertion that private sector is more efficient.

I'd say it's outrageous, but that'd imply I expect anything else from NPR.

Oh get a grip. Inskeep is not my favorite either, but he asked the single most important question you could possibly ask of the insurance industry: "if you can do it better, what's the problem?" And the guy's contradictory/weasely answer, that it's not fair to compete against someone who's not as efficient as you are, spoke for itself. I was very pleasantly surprised that it was *not* unchallenged deference from Inskeep.

Whoops--the "outrageous" part belongs to the quoted section...

Bipartisanship in this instance ain't worth a damn. As Bill Kristol pointed out more than a decade ago, if the Democrats get a major health care reform bill through, it will strengthen the Democratic party. So why not say f*** the bipartisanship and do this entirely with Democratic votes? That way, the Democrats can claim the success entirely as their own and use it as a club to beat Republicans for a generation.

Just to piggyback on what Vicki Linton wrote, the media have been going to great lengths lately to reinforce the COP's message that health care reform is the property of THE DEMOCRAT PARTY. The GOP is obviously thinking this is one of the keys to regaining a congressional majority in 2010.

And to second Gregory's thoughts, NPR sucks. Every time I hear an interview on NPR, I imagine how it would have gone just five years ago . . .

Vicki Linton is correct about voters not looking back. Good example of that is the passage of the Civil Rights Acts. In the minds of the voters, the Democrats own that. However, it would not have passed if moderate and liberal Republicans had not supported the passage. Today, many RepuGs try to remind the citizens about that fact, although they fail to mention that the racist Southern Democrats turned RepuG purged the party of those Civil Rights supporters. Sort of a "Yeah, WE passed those measures, then, we kicked everyone of those SOBs outta the Klan, er party". Any RepuG supporting the Democratic version of reform will be purged.

Good to hear.

I'm sure that old lady David Broder will get the vapors over this naked partisanship, but frankly, he can go fuck himself.

When the Minority gets 160 amendments in the final version of the bill the committee was marking up, and thens votes nay to a T, that Minority is certainly not sincerely at the table! Cowards try to obstruct substance and process with 1000s of paper cuts. When that doesn't work, cowards show themselves with their final action.

Why waste our time by insisting 160 changes take place, and then not support the compromise?

We will have our public option of health care sans the Republican party - so be it! All Americans will benefit from this Democratic effort! -Kevo

the democratic party's clowns in the us senate clown car are hard enough to stomach... just the recitation of those names (burr, yuck, what an asshole -- stoopid one, too) made me reach for the bromo...

its taken them long enough to state the obvious

I'll just put it out there: THIS WAS THE OBAMA PLAN ALL ALONG. Reach out, get rebuffed by the Republicants, then get it done.

Remember how we all got worked up about Obama reaching out to the other side on the economy, and how, in the end, the President just HAD to go out on his own and get it done because the "party of No" wasn't playing nice? The Repub leadership fell for the same trick, a second time.

Now if the congressional Dems could pull their collective hydra-heads out of their collective scardie-cat butts, that'd be nice, too.

Oh get a grip. Inskeep is not my favorite either, but he asked the single most important question you could possibly ask of the insurance industry: "if you can do it better, what's the problem?"

All due respect, but no, he didn't ask the most important question. The executive weasel claimed the private sector could cover the uninsured better than the government. And Inskeep didn't ask the obvious follow up: "Then why aren't you already"?

He also claimed the private sector is more efficient than government run health care, which is false -- and highlighted his dishonesty by citing a dubious statistic to back it up -- and Inskeep let that slide right past too.

I didn't say Inskeep let every falsehood pass unchallenged, but one showy challenge hardly made for an adversarial interview.

Put it this way, Halfdan -- The so-called "liberal media" in general, and NPR in particular, are so lame that it has us being grateful that Inskeep challenged one of this guy's lies.

Doc Mikey K, we are all ever so eager to peruse your health care plan. Please, include the vast numbers of work comp supplicants, you treated, er denied benefitss, as well. Just love those Hippocratic oath guys "caring" for the less fortunate.

However, could you, please, wait until we hear more frolicking tales from that splendid voyage of Myke K? Ever so much more interesting. Ah, your Alter Ego at sea.

Most Republicans are content to see the Democrats establish ownership of this bill.

Bill Kristol's 1990s memo says you're a liar, Mike.

Anyway, the GOP is irrelevant to this bill. Which is why the GOP's corporate backers are turning to their other bought-and-paid-for lackeys, the Blue Dog Democrats, to water down the legislation.

Emanuel's attempts at spinning the word "bipartisan" may or may not be compelling...

I'll buy it.

There are two games being played here: reforming health care and producing a bipartisan bill. Dems can do health care on their own, but they neccessarily need GOP cooperation on bipartisanship. Clearly, the WH has decided that this part of the game is not only unwinnable, it's not worth playing, except in Emanuel's narrow sense.

Berttheclock is no doubt far more knowledgeable about health care than I am. Just ask him.

If you are interested in what I consider a valid model for universal coverage, namely the French system, go to my blog and click on "health reform." Unlike bert, and most of you, I am not anonymous.

As far as workers comp, I know you would like to go back to the days of 900 chiropractic sessions in one year but, like Obama's health plan, it wasn't economically viable.

Unlike bert, and most of you, I am not anonymous.

That's true, Mike. Your daffy opinions are well known, and your long history of dishonesty and water carrying for the Republican Party -- but I repeat myself -- here, speaks for itself. Which is why you have less credibility here than berttheclock, your parody, a cockroach, or a hubcap.

It's enormously amusing to see you trying to assert your credibility when you have none, Mike.

My God, only the Dums would dither and wring their hands about bipartisanship. The Rethugs would have used the nuclear option long ago. You can't make dramatic needed change without breaking some eggs.

I'm thinking that if one republican votes with us, we should declare the effort bipartisan and move on.

Gregory, you post no facts, just ad hominem BS. I'm not sure you know enough to do any differently. Good luck on that college application.

Gregory, you post no facts, just ad hominem BS. I'm not sure you know enough to do any differently. Good luck on that college application.

ROFL... Oh, the irony, coming from this poster. Mike, dear, that is all you ever do at this blog -- no facts, just ad hominem BS. Oh, yeah, you also whine a lot. This thread is no exception. Are you really that surprised that nobody here takes you seriously?