Thank you! THIS is the information that I'd wanted (for which I'd found all subsequent reporting wanting) since the gavel fell.

I am strongly pro-choice, but I also strongly sympathize with pro-lifers who are deeply troubled by the prospect that their tax dollars may be used to pay for abortions

Utter non-sense. Your opinion is a perfect case on how the rightwing had succeeded in this country to clout the perceptions of the majority in this nation. The connotation "pro-life" fully distorts the intentions of those who want to oppose human rights.

People, especially on the right, are not "pro-lifers" because from climate change to schip to war and poverty there policies and positions have always worked against "life." Please, also don't believe for a second that this is a "morality" issue, this is a fundamental religious issue which is exploited by those who would use the same bibles to wipe their asses if that could get them the same number of votes as the issue of abortion. These people, in power, have no real convictions on the issue.

For the power holders, it is highly lucrative to keep igniting this "religous" and "culture wars," keep people divided.

Abortion the issue of severe complexity had been distilled down successfully by the rightwing as a pure black and white "pro versus anti" issue.

Enough is enough. The democratic party serves progressives interests better when they are in the minority than in the majority. Democrats in power are pushing legislation, that, if they were in the opposition they would be howling and fuming about. (e.g. SOX amendment, Stupal amd)
We must post committed primary challengers for all those who voted for the stupak amendment and/or voted against the house health care bill, not in order to keep them honest, but in a wholehearted attempt to oust them from power. I am beginning to think that Obama's incrementalism is elliptical for incremental regression... This is not a question of sacrificing the good for the perfect, but abominal negotiating tactics, giving up all your chips for virtually nothing.
Democrats will most likely lose their majority in 2010, primarily because of the blue dogs chasing of the center. Not only are they alienating the base, they are severly undercuting the credibility of the entire party in the eyes of independents. Ben Nelson's lies about the public option, are given much more credence than those of Fox news, and the Republican noise machine. The reason democrats are losing the heath care debate, and just about every other political debate, is NOT because of republican opposition , but their own supposed party centrists poisoning, undermining, undercuting reforms. Think of it in these terms: Would you want to buy a product from Apple, if some of their marketing directors were claiming that it was highly toxic ????? Even IF, such a treachorous saleperson were able to force Apple to change their product, the rational buyer would likely shop elsewhere: What kind of company or association would even harbor persons entertaining such allegedly malicious or recklessly indifferent intentions? Further, if Apple were hypothetically selling such dangerous products, why would the salesperson remain associated with them?
HEnce, Bill Nelson and the supposed centrists, are committing collective and individual suicide. The democratic party is losing credibility both with democrats and independents.