no wonder congress' approval rating is in the toilet. just look at all this crap.

Move on, liberals. Obamacare is dead.It's time to talk about national security, the sanctity of marriage, and other issues that really matter to the American people.

Look, the reactionary fringe group known as Republicans have a enough votes in the Senate which, combined with the Democrats bought and paid for by the insurance industry, can bring any insurance reform (and that is what this is) bill to a grinding halt. I partially agree with Al - and I am very, very liberal. Take the best possible deal that can be made on the bill, scream success until it hurts and get on with a jobs bill - fast.

If progressive Democrats want to get things done they had better do it now. If the insurance (health) reform bill is not enacted we will pay a price in 2010 and all the crazies will start winning. Do you want to live in a country run by know-nothings, high-school drop-outs who believe the earth was formed 4500 years ago and who are not just a little bit like Nazis - Palin, Beck, Bachman, Inhofe? These people are the lowest common denominator. They consider anyone who thinks to be an elitist and they will do anything to prevent any action that is at all reasonable. They believe in fear, racism and hate. Period.

So, pass the damn bill and move on to jobs and pass that too. And then get ready to fight to the death in 2010 because, people, if you think it's hard now - wait until the lunatics take control again.

I liked last week's brief talk of reconciliation better. Too bad Reid's office backtracked on that.

Maybe if Reid had stripped L:eiberman of his committee chairs, publicly announced that NO legislative initiative of Leiberman's would ever see the floor of the Senate, and then expelled Leiberman from the party--maybe Landrieu, Nelson, and the rest of the Blue Dogs and "moderates" would be thinking twice about going against the party line on major issues like this.

But I guess I keep forgetting how Holy Joe is with us on everything--except whatever it is that Democrats want to do at the moment.

1- give maine to canada.
2- give lieberman to israel.
3- send threatening letters to benny-boy to get with the program or something like lieberman's recent export could happen to him...(photoshop him sitting on the beach in the cayman islands with a ball and chain or something...)
4- health care reform!

Steve:

What's going on with reconciliation?

"I liked last week's brief talk of reconciliation better. Too bad Reid's office backtracked on that."

I have a feeling, in the end, that's how it will go. I bet Reid backtracked just to keep it out of the discussion and the news. They'll spring it at the last minute is my guess.

Again, it's amazing that this has come down to just a few Senators--that they must be kow-towed to for anything at all to happen.

Apparently there is no recognition that if the goal is to pass 'health care reform' and not pass strong health care reform, with a potent public option, then Democrats have already lost. They just won't play the kind of hardball that the Republicans have these past 8 years. They were able to do SO much more with a much smaller majority.

That Republicans were able to pass under Bush Medicare Part D at over $1 trillion, and which was completely unfunded--simply passed on as debt to future generations--and yet they are allowed to pretty much dictate acceptable terms for health care reform for 96% of Americans that costs much less and which is completely funded, makes me wonder what is really going on in this Great American Experiment?

In 2006, the democrats of Connecticut told Lieberman to get lost. He switched to Independent and was elected by republicans. This is his 'fuck you' moment to the democrats.

To avoid Snowe and Collins is to assume that Landrieu, Lincoln, Nelson and Lieberman are the cheapest whores in the Senate.

the Senate ALWAYS comes down to a couple of Senators. It's a system designed to create situations where individual Senators get to hijack the process and hold it ransom for his or her own personal concerns. They take turns being in the catbird seat. But all the hijacking, hostage taking and ransom collecting are for nothing if the underlying bill does not eventually pass.

Why waste the time even talking to Collins and Snowe, They will just go along with the GOP Senators. No matter what Reid or the Democrats do with the Health Care Reform bill they will just vote against it. As far as Libermaen, Lincoln, Nelson and Landrieu they all should just leave the Democratic party and join the GOP. They want to help the GOP destroy any chance for the bill to go through. Without President Obama these four Democrats would be standing on the side line looking in. They helped or sat back and let the GOP and Bush destroy this country over these past 8-10 years.

Someone needs to explain reality to Olympia Snowe. She is going to lose her GOP primary no matter how she votes on HCR. Her only chance for reelection is to run as a Democrat. But she can't win a Dem primary unless she champions the public option.

offer Snowe and Collins, Dem support for reelection. Offer Lieberman & Co. democratic support for their republican opponents if they vote against the party.

The time is ripe for getting rid of the filibuster. At a minimum it should reduced to 55 votes needed for cloture. It's an internal Senate rule and doesn't require the House or Obama to even have an opinion. Many Republicans and many Democrats have spoken in favor of killing it. Let's do it. Hold Lieberman's feet to the fire once more, then let him go. Perhaps Lincoln, Landrieu, Nelson et al enjoyed their moment in the limelight, but it sure didn't make them look like leaders.