Oddly enough, Mr. McConnell didn't have such qualms when the USA PATRIOT was whooped through the Senate.

Why is that?

The honorable Senate minority leader has , as is frequently iterated by his brilliant allies , adopted the attitude , platforms , and tactics of the heroic icons of republican ideology The Taliban . Guerilla war is just the brave rag tag heroic stand of an outthought , outfought , tired old cabal . These hero's whose improbable and unblemished record of outright failure will be enjoyed during my daily constitutional for the foreseeable future .

Harry Reid should simply call bullshit on McConnell's ridiculous reasoning.

First of all, with the possible exception of Sen. Snowe, the entire GOP caucus is going to vote No on this bill, and against even letting this bill come to a vote. So he and his caucus don't need more time for more debate; the only reason they need more time is to throw sand in the gears.

Second, the pieces of this bill have been clear for awhile. There might be some modifications around the edges this week in order to get the sacred CBO score under $900 billion, but that's about it. If McConnell and his caucus actually intended to be a constructive participant in shaping the final bill, they would have built up a sufficient understanding of the bill by now that significant delays were unnecessary.

So to the maximum extent possible under Senate rules, Reid's answer to McConnell should be 'screw you.'

FRP, you mis-capitalized "Honorable."

A senator is Honorable ex officio. McConnell will need to prove that he is also little-h honorable.

"The American people are overwhelmingly telling us, 'Don't pass it.'

Those aren't 'the American people' whispering in your ear--it's the insurance companies and the establishment.

There has never been a finer chance to make Republicans physically filibuster. No more bowing when just the threat of a filibuster is made. Let them do it--it'd be a spectacle. I recognize that there's a 'gentlemens' agreement' in the Senate's chummy club, but for something of this magnitude, sometimes you have to set that aside. And this is one of those times. Reid has a tremendous amount of power over Senate goings-on and the schedule. Make. Them. Filibuster.

Thank you Jim H :
I feel the power of woeful prognostication descending upon my fervid brow . Starting with small errors and working my way up to full , Republican .
Hail Knights of the woeful countenance !

Seems some of those right-wing talking points are gaining traction...

http://www.gallup.com/poll/124253/Say-Health-Coverage-Not-Gov-Responsibility.aspx

I have a friend from college, they have a child that needs rather expensive and extensive surgeries and therapies. People that could benefit from healthcare reform. Party id: Republican.

I think they should recognize the choices they make have a tangible impact on their lives. Instead they are holding fundraisers to pay for their child's care.

You just need to apply the appropriate GOP-to-English filter:

"The American people -- and when I say 'people', I mean, of course, large corporations -- are overwhelmingly telling us, 'Don't pass it.'."

Republicans take corporate personhood very seriously...

The American people are overwhelmingly telling us, 'Don't pass it.'

Those aren't 'the American people' whispering in your ear--it's the insurance companies and the establishment.

*******************************************

exactly right: the CORPORATIONS ARE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO THE PIG SHIT REPIGLICANS ........

The problem is not that Mitch McConnell and other GOP idiots don't care about the opinions of the American people, or the majority/mandate given to Obama and the Dems a year ago. The problem is the Democrats who don't give a damn about those opinions/majority/mandate. The Democrats have failed to get their act together, and, after a year, I'm getting tired of signing online petitions and sending another $25 or $50 to Nowhere.

A majority of Americans oppose this legislation. Since when to Democrats give a damn about "the opinion of the American population"?

The ball is clearly in Reid's court. He needs to put heat back on McConnell and ask why this isn't a priority for him and if it is, then WTF does he need 6 weeks to read a bill.

This isn't rocket science. It just requires some effort. Republicans need to get off their fat asses and do their jobs.

Reid was a fool for allowing the Republicans to stall and organize the so-called "town hall protests" in August.

In the Bush years, the Republicans threatened newkular options, the bill went to the floor, and the President signed the bill in time to get to Crawford so the fawning media could take pictures of him clearing brush.

I can remember the Democrats being force to hole mini hearings in the basement with folding tables and chairs.

"no reason to think the minority caucus will ever fully understand the policy".

Probably true, but it doesn't matter. The time is needed to allow their handlers (corporations) to parse the bill and plot counter-measures and craft obstruction amendments. And unlike their shills, they DO understand the bill and its effect on their balance sheet and what makes Donkeys fold.