It was our imbecile President who got the bipartisan idea started. Address your complaints to him, not Enzi.

It's like Obama spent 1982-2008 in a monastery where newspapers and TV were forbidden. Ther's only one moderate Republican left, and she's not worth a dime. I'm sure that she enjoyed her six months of fame, though.

I see the threshold for passage of a "credible" bill is now up to 80 senators.

I can only hope that Reid and the rest of the Democrats finally start talking Republicans at their word: No Republican will vote for any bill--regardless of concessions, amendments, capitulations, or complete rewrites. And thus Republican squalling can and should be ignored.

And Reid and the rest of the Democrats would do very well to constantly point out Republican statements that they will not vote for HCR.

because the bill being debated today is a testament to a partisan ideological division.

How does Obama aiming for bipartisanship make him an imbecile? Overly idealistic maybe, excessively hopeful, sure. But an imbecile? No. It *should* be the way it works, especially considering that in the past the opposing party has extended far more goodwill to brand new presidents than the GOP has this time around. The GOP has been disrespectful, hysterical asses from day 1.

At least Reid has said he's prepapred to make everyone work weekends until this is DONE. I hope that Reid can surprise us all and show some real leadership...although perhaps I'm being an imbecile. ;)

We couldn't get 80 senators for a bill mandating that a woman who was raped and locked in a shipping container had a right to sue.

As I explained, Obama was being an imbecile. Everything that has happened during the last 15+ years tells us that the Republicans are only bipartisan when Democrats vote for Republican bills. He gave Grassley and Snowe and Enzi a platform to prance around on for several months while they were figuring out how to stop the bill. The delay itself made passing a bill less likely.

Us péons will get NO HEALTH CARE ever!!!!!PUKIES hate 'entitlements' unless it goes to BLOODYISRAEL!!! WE PAY for BLOODYISRAEL's Universal Health care and it prob. has full coverage for OB/GYN. I hate the USofBLOODYISRAEL!!! Sorry for the screaming, I've gone way past endurence, and am frothing at the mouth! If you need someone to blame for bipartisonshit it is RAHM MF ZIONISTWHORE!!!!

Other considerations about the previous comment aside, Rahm's Israel policy is better than Bush's or Clinton's, and pretty much the only good thing about him. Likud just denounced Obama.

Someone needs to maintain a "Congresscritters not worth taking seriously" list. Stuff like this could be used to populate it.

YES Steve, It will be a long month. A long month of listening to GOP obstructionist bullshit. AND a very long month of supposed Progressives calling Obama an imbecile and every other name that the GOP has not put a trademark on. And the comment section here will be a case study demonstrating how the ultra-left ends up advocating the same thing that the GOP advances. Half your commentators will end up urging that Dems follow Kucinich and vote against the Health Care Reform bill.

Health Care Reform will be to 2009 as Nader in Florida was to 2000.

80 Senators wouldn't agree to move forward on the blank piece of paper.

Someone tell me the sense behind making Enzi and Grassley partners in writing a health care bill they never were going to support. Explain to me why giving finance everything the asked for, no strings attached and without reforms, was a good idea. Tell me why continuing (or escalating) Bush's Afghanistan policy was a good idea. Tell me why the finance-dominated Obama team seems to be indifferent to unemployment.

A recent poll reported that 40% of the Democratic electorate might not vote in 2010. Someone tell me how Obama expects to lead when he ignores and insults his own supporters.

And of course, if the election go badly in 2010 or 2012, we know who to blame: Ralph Nader.

The only goddamn thing that today's machine Democrats and blind loyalists are good at is shifting the blame for defeat to someone other than themselves.

Why don't we just name it the 'Ronald Reagan Health Care Act of 2010?' The Republicans won't dare vote against it, no matter how much they hate it.

Heck...if the Senate cannot even get to 60 votes, how does Enzi ever think it could get to 80 votes??? There simply isn't that much consensus about how to reform the health care system. Put together a bill that the GOP likes and it probably wouldn't even get to 50 votes, let alone 80....

The only difficulty Caesar had in rousing a lethargic troop was in enunciating his orders . However high the pitch reaches of the ludicrous republican wha waaa waaa , fainting couch , pearl clutch hysteria of the day will produce , I predict , have zero effect on the - One plus One equals Two - crowd come elections .
The difficulty of the legitimate political leadership of this country to rouse the responsible , and the voting folks , will be to have a well spoken and intelligent leader step up . After having exhausted all reasonable avenues , and crucially having appeared to have done so , the choice between a putrified sclerotic whiner crowd and its alternative will be an electric pulse to a vast sensible majority of reasonably intelligent and emotionally mature folks .
Obama , although mocked for being able to think and speak , is a wonderful person and an able leader . The ability to accept slurs about the same values one aspires to , has a fatigue point if not already past well advanced upon that breaking point .

I'm not sure what FRP just said and I can't imagine how anyone could be, the way he writes, but I suspect that he's all wrong.

The way HE OR SHE writes. I offer my deepest apologies to all semi-literate women.

I urge my colleagues to start with a blank piece of paper and develop a bipartisan bill that up to 80 members of the Senate could support. - Enzi

I'd pay money to see what a bill would read like that was generated by 80 members of the Senate.

We don't need to start with a blank piece of paper, we could just start with the GOP's proposed bill... oh, wait. That is a blank piece of paper.

It won't just be a long month, it'll be a long month in a dentist chair.

The Democrats need to give up on ever getting Republican support for anything. Then develop a coordinated message about the Republican obstruction and hypocrisy. Then spend the rest of the year having Democrats give as many interviews as possible and hammering home the message at every opportunity.

1) It's what the Republicans are doing to them now.

2) Unlike the Republican attacks, it's all true.

Why don't we just name it the 'Ronald Reagan Health Care Act of 2010?' The Republicans won't dare vote against it, no matter how much they hate it.

Posted by: Jim 7 on December 1, 2009 at 9:59 AM | PERMALINK

I vote for 'The Ronald Reagan was the Bestest Presidet EVER (and did we mention Obama's a Kenyan Commie Fascist?) Health Care Reform Act of 2009' no republican will dare vote against ThAT!