once in a blue moon, grassley says something sensible.

this does differentiate him from many gop senators, who never say anything sensible, but not by much: he's still an asswipe.

To paraphrase a famous line here. Goddamn Grassley's shit filled HEAD and soul to hell

All about that reasonable moderate Chuck Grassley

Men under the Family's religio-political counsel include, in addition to [John] Ensign, [Tom] Coburn and [Chip] Pickering, Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham, both R-S.C.; James Inhofe, R-Okla., John Thune, R-S.D., and recent senators and high officials such as John Ashcroft, Ed Meese, Pete Domenici and Don Nickles. Over in the House there's Joe Pitts, R-Penn., Frank Wolf, R-Va., Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla., Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., and John R. Carter, R-Texas. Historically, the Family has been strongly Republican, but it includes Democrats, too. There's Mike McIntyre of North Carolina, for instance, a vocal defender of putting the Ten Commandments in public places, and Sen. Mark Pryor, the pro-war Arkansas Democrat responsible for scuttling Obama's labor agenda. Sen. Pryor explained to me the meaning of bipartisanship he'd learned through the Family: "Jesus didn't come to take sides. He came to take over." And by Jesus, the Family means the Family...

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/141456/blowing_the_lid_off_the_bizarre_

And Baucus will go right back to "negotiating" with this piece of shit after the recess.

So who's really the bigger problem here?

Dude's got powerful interests behind him in that small state, insurance and agri-business. He's been good to them, and can say whatever nonsense he wants.

Someone should TELL the White House, Wake UP !
Fine Tune the reconciliation approach in the Senate, Keep the Presidential Town Halls Going and REMEMBER when George Bush PASSED a 2nd Rate Medicare Drug Plan he took no prisoners. He kept the House vote going for HOURS, got his REPUBLICAN Votes and Senate "Democrat" Baucus went along for the ride !
Time to put we, VOTERS FIRST, Pass REAL Reform legislation which MUST include a Public Option !

There is no need for health care reform. The status quo, where the insurance companies and other invested parties make a great deal of profit from illness- up more than 400% since 2000, is the goal. It is a sweet sweet cash cow. The Republicans have no proposal and no interest in negotiating because in their view there is no problem. They, and too many Democrats, believe that the well-being of the American people is secondary to the wealth accumulation of a very few. There are many justifications for this state of affairs from straight up greed and cynicism to the moralizing social darwinism of libertarians. There are also 1,001 cover stories and distractions to spread fear in the minds of the American people and a very cynical move to activate the thuggery of the far-right to intimidate the public discourse. But the goal is simple- wealth accumulation for a few is championed against the well-being, indeed the very lives, of the many.

For-profit health care is grossly immoral. Particularly in the carnivorous fox-in-the-hen-house form that has developed in the United States. A calculated gandhian movement against this immoral order, where the movement does not compromise even in the face of violence is becoming necessary.

The movement is the face of violence

I say, fine, let him talk. Talk in a vacuum, Senator, while reform gets passed without your conversation--I doubt we'll miss it.

Now, Sen. Baucus, you've been informed by your colleague of what you're dealing with--so just let him talk while you go about your business!

In 1993 and 1994, the GOP appointed Chafee the Elder to actually negotiate and work on a bill.

At least he thought so.

Behind the scenes, they were going to vote against anything that came out, but they made Chafee believe he was working on a real bill.

Fast forward to today and the GOP isn't even pretending anymore. Their "inside man" has, on several occassions, stated that they are not their to actually negotiate.

Yet the Democrats continue to negotiate.

At some point they are going to realize that their husband has cleaned out the bank account, changed the locks, hired the attorney and filed for divorce.

There's no saving this marriage. Move the fuck on.

"Someone should TELL the White House, Wake UP !"

"Someone should TELL the American People, Wake UP!"

Oh, sorry, Fox is already on it.
We are so screwed.

How many times does Baucus need to get punked before he grows a pair and tells Grassley to pound salt?

Democrat Tom Fiegen is planning to run against Grassley in 2010.

From CQ Politics: http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2009/08/iowa-democrat-to-challenge-gra.html Fiegen says:

“Most of my clients are family farmers and small business people and I am concerned about the current recession the level of unemployment,”

His economic platform - what he calls “Fiegenomics” - would include the goals of an unemployment rate of less than 5 percent, health care overhaul that includes a public option and tighter regulation of the financial services industry.

Fiegen - who criticized Grassley as being too soft on the financial services industry - also supports increased consumer protections for credit card and mortgage holders.

Is it time for the netroots to rally behind him?

@ CDW Give us a link - I ready to put my money where my mouth is.

I called Grassley's office to complain about his misleading statements about end of life counseling. The staff person tried to tell me he did not make those remarks, so I read them the entire quote from yesterday.

This is not the first time I have called a Republican's office and had a staff person deny the elected official made the quoted remarks printed in the newspaper.

You would think that Grassley, and the others, would be demanding retraction of what they claim are made-up quotes.

As for Grassley's confusion over the end of life provisions, I am concerned that he is suffering from the onset of senility. Perhaps we need a mandatory retirement age for senators, as there is for airline pilots. The safety of our country is at risk when senility strikes the senate.

Forgot to give you a link for Tom Fiegen:http://www.fiegenforussenate.com/

It looks like he is just getting started. I'm not from Iowa, but would back a Dem there against Grassley.

And Baucus will go right back to "negotiating" with this piece of shit after the recess. So who's really the bigger problem here?
Posted by: Allan Snyder

==========================

BAUCUS. He's been bought and paid for by the health care industry, same as Grassley, but he's lying through his teeth when he says his goal is bi-partisan reform. He's just using that as a smokescreen to cover up the fact that his real goal is NO reform or reform that's so watered down it won't accomplish a bloody thing. The Dems ought to throw him off that committee and give the gavel to somebody like Sherrod Brown.

And that Democrats are constantly outmaneuvered by these patently absurd and ridiculous cretins is what? Ridiculous on steroids? Force votes on these issues NOW before bills are compromised to the point of absurdity so our "representatives" are on record whether they pass or not. And bust the MSM cabal NOW.

So, according to Grassley's own words, he won't compromise his principles....unless a majority of Republicans vote for it. Wow! Way to stick by your principles. That's showing real "think-for-yourself" independence.

Also, according to the video on MSNBC of Grassley speaking to a crowd, we should have end-of-life counseling 20 years before we die. How does he know when I'm going to die? Does that mean that I can make a decision when I'm 65 and have to live until I'm 85 or my choice is null and void. Also, it doesn't appear then that he has a problem with "death panels", just when they are instituted. Fine, make them available when people turn 25 years old. Fixed.

Grassley and Isakson seem to be examples of Republicans who are frightened of the Republican rank and file. If your base frightens and intimidates you, are you not in the wrong Party?

Grassley and Baucus both need to go away and work full time for their masters in the Insurance industry, they certainly don't work for us.

If everything breaks the right way, the teabag anarchists could end up backfiring on the reform opposition. If they only succeed at pushing the GOP to openly and unanimously oppose reform - ANY reform, idiots like Grassley will no longer be able to water down the bills and wimps like Baucus and Reid will have to pay more attention to democratic priorities.

Of course, this only works if the teabaggers fail to scare Democratic votes away, but it's possible and would be such sweet justice if they ended up with more robust reform as a result of their efforts.

You write: "Democrats, in other words, are trying to strike a deal on health care reform with someone who doesn't support health care reform."

Sure. I realize that the last year has shown over and over again that everything that happens hurts Obama and helps Hillary/John McCain/Sarah Palin/Rush Limbaugh/the birthers/Lou Dobbs/the deathers/Glenn Beck. Why should this be any different? Just watch Morning Joe. The deathers are definitely winning this one, I learned this morning, because 30-something percent of the country is with them and everybody knows that 30 percent is what it takes to win.

Actually, I have thought all along that the Dems are using Grassley. "Trying to strike a deal" with him is going to provide talking points and cover for the Blue Dogs and the one or two or three Senate Republicans who will end up voting for cloture and/or final passage. In the finance committee, everybody is talking about Grassley and Enzi. Who is that lady, usually not mentioned, back in the shadows? Even more important, because they do have 60 votes, are the Dems at the table.

Another commenter (bob h) makes this point: "Grassley and Isakson seem to be examples of Republicans who are frightened of the Republican rank and file. If your base frightens and intimidates you, are you not in the wrong Party?"

Exactly. Didn't a certain lady in Alaska just criticize a certain other lady in Alaska? I think part of Obama's strategy is to let the spotlight focus on the Repubs so that their hypocrisy, lies, idiocy, craziness, ignorance, and ugliness -- not to mention their love of violent imagery -- drives them ever further out of the mainstream. Glenn Beck, for example, is losing advertisers. The guy running Whole Foods Markets just exposed himself as out of step with his customers. Sooner or later, another prominent Republican or two in Congress just may decide to switch. Who will be the next Arlen Specter?

Damn facts and their liberal bias!

Remind me again why it was we preemptively gave in and didn't try for a single-payer plan because we wanted something that could get bipartisan support?

I just wanted to thank CMcC for the post @ 2:45 PM. I agree completely that very likely Grassley is being used by the Democrats; it's the type of political judo that Mr. Obama is known for.
Also like the snark re determined doom-sayers.