The cut list gives the lie to the idea that the stimulus bill is a "Christmas Tree" of wasteful spending.

In fact, the vast majority of spending in the bill goes to items that are well thought out and meet the President's most basic test: that they stimulate the economy now and invest in the future.

Most of these seem like qualitatively evaluate cuts, but cutting the surface transportation grant program is unnacceptable. Time to send Grandpa Lautenberg another email.

Well the plot thickens. The draft that everybody is up in arms about is several days old and was, surprise, surprise, leaked by a house republican staffer. We are arguing over speculation at this point.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/05/dem-senator-proposes-majo_n_164323.html

Fascinating how this is playing out. Politics in a new age of politics. Republicans better look out or they will get obama'd. I still see 50% of republicans on board with the final product.

Actually, I love the title "Centrist Cut List." I hope the right-wing media picks up on that one. That will be huge and republicans that vote against the final product will be in deep sh*t. Love it.

Which political party won the elections last November, and thus had the permission from the voters to give their best effort to govern our country? November was ages ago, but as bad as my memory is, I can't recall that party being the Republican party. Also, to the best of my knowledge, Barrack Obama ran as a Democrat, with the full support of the party and the voters. Again, my feeble memory aside, I don't recall that he was listed as a Republocrat on my ballot.

So, perhaps someone can explain what is happening in Congress and the Presidency today? It almost looks like the Democratic Party looked over the election results and said "no thank you".

OK, it's annoying enough that Republicans are trying to cut spending they don't like as "wasteful", but considering the totality of the economy consists of A LOT of people doing A LOT of different types of jobs, what's the point of seemingly trying to make "stimulus" all about construction? Sure if things get bad enough people will do any job to feed themselves and their families, but isn't it smarter to keep people in the fields they know? Just another point on Republican stupidity the Democrats in DC can't seem to ball-up and express.

My understanding is that while Nelson and Snow can propose these cuts, the full body has to approve them. So, if the body rejects the proposed changes, will Nelson and Snow vote to filibuster the bill? My hunch is "no."

The important thing is that the overall bill works. These proposals should be shot down and the overall bill should work. It's got to be close to a trillion, with the vast majority of the money going toward programs designed to build the job base.

You know what I'm tired of? I'm tired of blogs, (especially ones like TPM) being so afraid of the T.V. pundits. Seriously, you guys are buying into their meme and it is only hurting us.

There's something that the Republicans, most democrats, and lefty blogs don't understand/don't want to face.
TV attracts older ppl. The younger generation WILL make up the largest part of the electorate by 2016. You know we don't give a crap about the talking heads on TV. You guys know a lot of ppl don't even watch TV anymore. Why do you think news media is dying? Actually, it could be a lot sooner than 2016 if we register more ppl to vote (or look at ppl 45 and younger). This young generation is already out voting those 65 and over in some states.

Yet TV, the Republicans, and even the polls still give/cater to much to the 65 and older crowd (and a little less to the 50 and over). We are a bigger generation than the boomers!

So yes change has come to America, it is a matter that most ppl (even young ppl) are ignorant of these facts.

Again, the Senate is made up of older ppl, they aren't thinking about us. They say stuff like "Well we don't want our children and grandchildren to pay this debt." STFU Their children and grandchildren are already here. I don't think these old ppl have the right to make decisions on my behalf, especially since they ignore my existence. (Oh and these are the politicians who have messed up the country).

So yea liberals are really good about running scared, and hand wringing but they aren't good about bringing the fire of the facts.

If you want to put the fear of God in all these pols then ppl should be pointing these facts out ever single day. Especially to Senators that are up for election in 2016.

Susan Collins wants to make sure that poor kids in Maine get no benefits from this bill. Billions for Halliburton but not one cent for a disabled kid in a leaking trailer in Maine. That's how she rolls.

What is cut today could resurface in a new bill tomorrow. The President has said there will be more.

Right now, we need a stimulus bill. With some Republican support.

We're not seeing it on the new, improved, "Obama is screwing everything up by acting the way Broder wants" TPM, but Harry Reid says he has the votes and is pooh-poohing the cuts that are being treated here as a done deal.

"Do we have the votes? We believe we do," said Reid, who expects a final vote on the package will be held on Thursday.

It appears the stimulus would attract only a few GOP votes, however, and Senate Democratic leaders distanced themselves from earlier hopes that the economic recovery could draw more Republican support.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), vice chairman of the Democratic Conference, said the notion of attracting 80 votes for the package in the Senate is a "distant memory."

"We'd rather pass a good bill with 65 votes," said Schumer.

Democratic leaders also cast doubt on an effort negotiated by centrists such as Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) to strip as much as $200 billion from the bill.

Schumer said a price tag of $650 billion, which Collins supports for the package, is inadequate.

"If they think they're going to rewrite this bill, President Obama is going to walk away," said Reid, when asked about efforts by about 20 centrists to lop off $100 billion to $200 billion from the cost of the package.

People better figure out quick that unless progressives come up with a means of punishing Blue Dogs we won't see a progressive bill out of Congress till hell freezes over.

I predict the next thing they do is so screw up any health bill that it emerges providing no benefit whatever to the people who actually need it.

It's easy.

The Dems asked $825 or so in the House.
The House Repos said No Way Jose.
The Senate Dems asked $900.
Collins is bidding $800.

So the final price in the Senate is likely between $800 and $900 unless someone gets fancy or rude and decides to up the ante (on either bid or ask).

Split the difference says $850, but there isn't really a principle behind that, just illustrating things... Could go up or down from there. It looks like it's down to fine tuning now, esp. after Obama's good speech Thursday.

I think there are things which could come out, and maybe some small things taken out could go back in.

Good for Obama. Next we need the liberal Senators to put aside their clubby politeness and deal with these "centrists". What is a Democatic "centrist"? A useful fool for the failed consevative agenda. Call them what they are and stop allowing them to do more damage.
Who the hell cares what Ben Nelson thinks? He's been a supporter of the Republican policies that created this uneccessary disaster. Olympia Snow? Another Bush hack pretending to be a moderate. They come from states representing a total of 1% of the nations poulation, which is fine. But why are they being given so much say in a stimulus bill affecting the other 99%?
This is no time for business as usual politics.