Anything to do the work of insurance companies. We will remember. This will be the end of Conrad in the Senate.

Say goodbye to that Columbus Day break (seriously?), guys.

Sure am glad Democrats are in power!!

Conservative Democrats, that is.

I actually think that is reasonable. The reason why I say that is that the Senators MUST be able to go to Americans and say that this bill will be paid for, will bend the cost curve, and is affordable.

If the CBO gives it a good score than this will be a MAJOR selling point to the rest of the Democratic Senators who are on the fence (Nelson, Landrieu, Lincoln, etc).

Always remember that even if a health care bill is passed it STILL needs to be continuously sold to the American people for awhile because if the American people do NOT feel that it is a good deal for them then they will take it out on the mid-term elections. However, if the American people feel that it is a good deal then the Democrats will reap the benefits.

I think it is BETTER to be safe than sorry on this one. It is just too important.

Hmmm. Max Baucus didn't delay quite enough for Kent Conrad's masters, so Kent is jumping in and doing the job?

13 letter expletive, indeed!

While I am very disappointed in the Democrats in Congress and the President's willingness to let them take the lead, I am heartened that thanks to the internet things are changing. These guys will soon find that the power of the web may just be powerful enough to see that many of them are not re-elected. We won't forget their corruption and betrayal. They may well shaft us this time, but they have lost the ability to do it unnoticed and without consequences.

I'm convinced at this point that Baucus, Conrad, and Lincoln DO NOT want a vote on this legislation.

Oct 15th is the deadline under budget reconciliation rules to have have something passed in Congress. Here is an excerpt from the American Prospect:

The budget will include reconciliation instructions pegged to October 15th. That's the date by which Congress has to pass bipartisan health care reform. If they fail, then the relevant committees have to write reconciliation legislation that faces a simple up-or-down vote in the Senate.

So, I think these three, and perhaps others like Nelson, WANT the legislation to be thrown into reconciliation. Because it is there that they believe they have their best shot to

a. avoid a hard vote on the senate floor for themselves

b. kill parts of the bill (like the public option) their masters in the health insurance industry don't want

IMO, THAT is why some conserva-dems and the republicans have wanted more and more time.

Oct 15th is driving it. If they can't kill it in committee (and boy have they been trying), they'll at least try to kill the parts they don't like in reconciliation.

You have to f'ng kidding me! Cut off ND's Federal Funding for everything - Conrad is an asshole not a Democrat.