Colorado Senator Michael Bennet seeks to get the public option back in the health care bill. It seems that Republican intransigence on the issue could in fact provide an opportunity to get a stronger version through. Kudos to Senator Bennet for heading up the charge on this hot-button issue. If the Democrats are finally able to sack up and get what the majority of Americans want through Congress, they’ll have something to brag about in the upcoming elections. And the blue dog holdouts can even vote against it to please their constituents.
I’ve read several sky-is-falling articles recently in the New York Times. That’s not so rare, but what is rare is the number of sky-is-falling articles coming from a wide variety of publications. All the good news about a gently convalescing economy seems to be getting overshadowed by a growing raft of stories about the coming wave of new layoffs, deficits, debt, governmental gridlock, angry populist retaliation.
It’s certainly not hard to believe that the economic “gurus” who got us in to this mess are haplessly optimistic. It is also not hard to imagine that some of the more positive forecasters are in fact painting a rosy picture to gin up some optimism, which is the real fuel of any successful economy.
But there’s a a growing discomfort that the U.S. is rapidly becoming ungovernable as the Republicans play to their base by refusing to play along with anything. I think the Democrats are going to sorely miss this one opportunity they had pass some legislation if they keep getting cold feet about their reelections. It’s time to grow a pair and start muscling through some laws, the way the Republicans always have when in power. That’s what’s going to keep them in office… not vacillation and attempts at consensus building with a party that could give a shit about compromise of any degree.
I redesigned my blog again, because I just can’t help myself. I’ll admit it’s a rip-off of Suck/McSweeney’s style. I always enjoyed the way those things looked.
Here in my office they hyperventilate over the new iPad. Looks kind of cool in the video, but I’m not going to run the Apple store with my $500 clutched in my sweaty palms. Not yet. Maybe when I actually see one I’ll just have to do it.
Droopy Joe has single-handedly eviscerated health care by threatening to filibuster with the Republicans. What is the point of this guy? Why do Democrats continue to caucus with him? What’s the point?
He was positively crowing about his obstructionism in favor of his corporate masters of the insurance industry. Why would his constituency continue to support him when he is so clearly in the pocket of the insurance industry and against the interests of millions of uninsured and inadequately insured. Are there enough people in Connecticut tied to the insurance industry that they feel they have to keep him in office.
Obviously, Lieberman is useless as a Democrat and needs to be booted from any chairmanship he holds. If he goes over to Republicans, what’s the difference anyway. Perhaps we’ll get to see a little less of his smug mug, gloating over his gutting of the American middle class.
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