"Bear fruit," not " bare fruit," please.

Carp, now Brian's got me imagining the Fruit of the Loom guys au naturelle ... and me just finishing lunch ...

Oops, back to topic, I agree with johnmcc: SOMEONE is certainly twisting some arms in a backroom somewhere. And about bloody time.

Carp, now Brian's got me imagining the Fruit of the Loom guys au naturelle

Feel my pain
http://www.facebook.com/profile/pic.php?uid=AAAAAQAQhYJxbfBbmWOqbr8sEQScFwAAAAlhwqtwArhOPbKvV5D8UQDF

Thank you, Senator Binagaman!

60 dem votes is not feasable, Ted won't be able to make it and Byrd is iffy at best, don't even get me started on Nelson-D-Neb, and Conrad-D-ND.

If repubs really believed that the Health care would be bad for the country then they would happily vote for cloture (only) and let the bad bill hang around the Dem's neck for years to come. They have done little else but prove they are that petty.

The fact is they know that the bill will be popular as its positive effects are felt, this is why they must kill it.

Leaving aside for the moment the weirdness of this curiously appointed gang of six holding health security hostage, Democratic senators sometimes seem lost in a dream world where their obligation to get things done is subservient to their obligation to accommodate people who don't want to get things done.

The election produced a mandate for health security. We gave your party the necessary votes. Work with the House and the President to make it happen.

Of course the important PS to this story is the fact that Bingaman, prompted by his audience, did a show of hands poll of his audience regarding the public option -- apparently over 90% of the crowd supported it. If only the other stunkcufs in the Senate would do the same perhaps we would get to see some democracy in action.

Don't let Republicans lie and claim they never use budget reconciliation.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/24/budget-reconciliation/

A list of instances where reconciliation was implemented:

Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1980
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981
Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1982
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1983
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993
Balanced Budget Act of 1995 (vetoed)
Personal Responsibility and Budget Reconciliation Act of 1996
Balanced Budget Act of 1997
Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997
Taxpayer Refund and Relief Act of 1999 (vetoed)
Marriage Tax Relief Act of 2000 (vetoed)
Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001
Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003
The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005
Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005

And Republicans and Democrats passed a great deal of policy through budget reconciliation.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_04/017864.ph p

Whether reducing or increasing deficits, many of the reconciliation bills made major changes in policy. Health insurance portability (COBRA), nursing home standards, expanded Medicaid eligibility, increases in the earned income tax credit, welfare reform, the state Children’s Health Insurance Program, major tax cuts and student aid reform were all enacted under reconciliation procedures. Health reform 2009 style would be the most ambitious use of reconciliation but it fits a pattern used over three decades by both parties to avoid the strictures of Senate filibusters.