What a dismal description of the Democratic Party's status at the beginning of Obama Year Two -- merely by contextualizing the timing of SOTU...

Nailed it, Steve!

Kudos!

"... get reform signed into law quickly. If Democratic leaders prioritize completion by the SOTU, this would give the House a week, which, if 218 House members were so inclined, would be more than enough time."

Ha, that's funny! It's just like The Onion.

I'll be watching the Australian Open. I've heard enough from President Sham-wow.(H/T Woody)

I'd like to hear a new, chastened, "muscular" Obama in the SOTU. He's been ill served by his economic team (the stimulus was too small, yet he still dithers in doing anything more), he's been let down by his fellow Democrats (in particular in the Senate), and he has been weak to the point of wimpiness with respect to his desire for bipartisanship and wanting everybody to get along. I now wonder not only if Democrats will get hammered in the mid-terms but if Obama could lose the next presidential election.

swj, count on him being a one-termer unless he steps up and says "I was wrong, and there will be big changes." Also, he should announce the immediate departure of Rahm Emanuel.

Biden's recent comments on the filibuster are very encouraging - since he's one of the few people in a position to actually do something about it. Perhaps the Democratic leadership has finally figured out that the filibuster makes a Democratic agenda virtually unattainable, and that either the filibuster needs to go or the Democratic majority will.

What needs to happen in the Ma election and in future elections, is the stopping of journalistic malpractice habits such as "calling" elections. Invisible parties giving unsubstantiated information to the media. It's like a race announcer calling the horse race before the photo finish. Steve, it is up to you and your colleagues to call this out. We saw this in 2000, in the NY 23 race, in Maine and others. It is journo malpractice without any consequences.

"What's more, if there's a genuine panic among Democratic lawmakers in the wake of the special election in Massachusetts, and hysterical members wake up tomorrow and start typing their retirement announcements, the timing of the SOTU at least gives the leadership something to offer: 'The speech is just a week away. Before there's an exodus, let's wait and see what the president has to say.'"

If that's the case then I say good riddance. If one election leads you to throw in the towel, then do it now and get out of the fucking way so someone with real integrity can take your place.

This party needs a lot of new, progressive blood.
I'm REALLY disappointed at the old guard right now (I'm looking at you, Chris Dodd). We could use a little revolution of our own.

there will be renewed pressure on the House to wrap up the process, pass the Senate bill as-is, and get reform signed into law quickly.

I am really tired of hearing statements like this. The House is its own body and makes legislation independent of the Senate. The House does not exist solely to rubberstamp the Senate's doings. The House developed a bill quite different (and better) than the Senate's. It did so after a lot of hard work. So why on earth should it just toss all that out for the convenience of the President and to placate the egotistical jerks (Nelson, Lieberman) in the Senate? Yes, I know all about the losing the 60th vote, but that's not a good enough reason.