Even With The Public Option Gone, Passing Health Care Reform Won't Be Easy

Yeah, passing reform won't be easy. Give Lieberrman some time he'll find something wrong about the bill, again. Democratic leadership from the President to Harry Reid on down has been utter FAILURE.

So are you arguing that insurance companies should be forced to pay fraudulent claims?

Yes there will still be battles over what constitutes fraud, but I think the legislation will still cut recisions down dramatically, and the increased medicaid provisions will help those who may become caught in the vice.

Perfect health reform was never in the cards. I see too many progressives now on the verge of letting the perfect drive out the very good.

Move On had a rally yesterday in front of the White House to "demand" a PO. Only 50 or so folks showed up.

Nobody in the base cares anymore. We busted our butts to get these people elected, and the very people that voted for them are going to be the ones to be taxed and fined. With no more choice than we had before. No more competition than we had before. No cost controls. No public plan to choose. No drug re-importation to reduce drug costs. I could go on and on and on.

Joe Lieberman just distributed this vid of himself to the nation and specifically to Progressives:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SK6gbhuEXQ

King Kong, indeed. And who can say otherwise at this point?

As far as I'm concerned, if it dies, it dies.

I'm certainly not going out of my way for it anymore.

Awww insurance industry up my ass for xmas...thanks you worthless hacks...might as well of voted for rethugs, at least I would of known I was getting screwed.

A mandate with penalty of a fine from the IRS, no competition, with a loophole on per-years payments for health care services but no life time limit?

Kill this bill.

This is my first time saying this: Kill the bill.

Feels good.

I read Josh's piece this morning about not being here to walk people back from the edge when disappointments are profound and I understand that, but disappointments come in different forms. The GOP tells people up front through the policies they proffer that they are going to be shafted. It's just that their base to too dumb to realize that GOP policies shaft them. They buy the pitch that is so beautifully and deceptively packaged and they don't connect the dots. But the Democrats actually compaign on doing the right thing for all the right, fair and humane reasons and then they turn around and betray their voters. That is a harder disappointment to accept. When you campaign on public competition in the healthcare market, negotiating the price of drugs and re-importation and then turn around and kill all those things you basically promised, you loose all credibility with your voters. When you give insurers and PHARMA all they want at the expense of the voters, you loose the voters. When the voters see self interest trump public interest and people suffer and die as a result, they see evil and they are rightfully walking away from these Democrats. We have our donations, our support and our vote. That has value. Let them see how far corporate cash carries them on election day when their voters don't show up. We can primary them or not vote for them, either way they must be flushed out. Most of us won't walk away from politics, but if we don't punish those that sought our votes and then betrayed our trust, we will never see the progress we seek for all.

I continue to say that the problem is fundamentally that Obama and the Democrats don't have the courage of their convictions and, because of that, they are still playing on the Republicans' field. Either the Dems believe that the government has a role in providing health care or they don't. Say it. Over and over. Explain it. Over and over. And guess who must be the one doing those things? The guy with the bully pulpit. Instead, he sat on his ass like a spectator while Joe Lieberman dismantled health care reform and, quite possibly, the Democratic Party as well. No doubt, however, we'll see that presidential muscle now -- threatening labor, ostracizing Howard Dean, insisting on party discipline only now that the legislation has been crippled. Frankly, it is sickening.

Despite the in fighting and obstructionist "king of the hill" being played by the DINO's and Lieb's, The full brunt must fall on the backs of the republicans. They have LIED at levels rarely seen. No one especially the MSM have even attempted to bring a fare, honest discussion. They would rather report on the T-baggers screaming unsubstantiated, (Beck inspired) rants into what ever camera that shows up. So what have we got now? A horrible health bill that does nothing but fatten up the insurance companies that caused the whole mess. The problem is that with a miss-informed public, the most humane act we could commit in modern times has been busted by the Republicans and lobbyists. My fear is that if this bill fails it won't be a taint on the Republicans regardless of the facts. More will die, more will go broke and even more won't give a flying fuck!

Howard Dean is a blowhard. No wonder Obama didn't give him a post. Dean's a nutjob.