I guess the lessons of last year have not completely set in. All the lies about "death panels" and "death books" and all the right-wing lunatics shouting like idiots at town-halls must be a distant memory. That is because it seems as if the President seems determined to repeat the failures of last year. Has he not learned when you reach out to Republicans all you do is pull back a bloody nub??
With the state of the economy and the healthcare fight, Republicans all over the airwaves see themselves as poised to make huge gains in the House and Senate late next year in the mid-term elections. However, here in the real world, a place that seemingly does not exist in the Republican mindset the numbers may tell a different story. While President Obama and the Congress have lost some of their shine and popularity, it appears as if the American people simply despise the Republican Party, their leaders and tactics.
As some of you that read here regularly may have noticed, I have not refrained from ripping into Democrats and Congress here lately when I feel that they are wrong. Unfortunately, too many times here lately I find myself almost as disgusted with Democrats as Republicans. However, this is not something I take particular pleasure in. I would much rather be talking about the good things my party is doing for our country and today I finally get a chance to do that, although as always it is tempered by the fact that many elected Democrats are quite simply bought and paid for, gutless, and belong in the elitist, uncaring party on the other side of the aisle, the Republicans.
The opponents of Progress in our country are showing just what they are made of. There latest target is Tom Periello of Virgina. Think what you want of him but this guy has made some gutsy votes. On one important vote he has already taken a stand and sounded like a real Democrat in doing so. Now for his efforts it appears that the Chamber of Commerce may be running illegal ads against him and that the classy folks within the delusional "Tea-bagger" movement may burn him in effigy, of course right along with Nancy Pelosi.
Well, we have a healthcare bill passed in the House. While I have very mixed feelings on the bill, it is at least a step in the right direction, albeit a baby step. However, as while I wanted the bill to be stronger and fear it's fate in the "House of Lords" known as the U.S. Senate, I will not sit idly by as Conservative idiot "pundits" lie about the process which gave birth to this historical vote.
Washington, DC – Today, Representative Anthony Weiner (D - Brooklyn and Queens), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, released the following statement on his decision to withdraw his single payer amendment to H.R. 3962, the House health care reform bill: “I have decided not to offer a single payer alternative to the health reform bill at this time. Given how fluid the negotiations are on the final push to get comprehensive health care reform that covers millions of Americans and contains costs through a public option, I became concerned that my amendment might undermine that important goal.” “I am going to continue to press the case for health care reform in every venue I can. And I also will continue to press for a smarter, less-expensive, more-comprehensive alternative to the employer-based health insurance system we have today.” "I've discussed the issue with Speaker Pelosi, Chairman Waxman, and agree with them that the health reform bill is so close it deserves every chance to gain a majority." Click here to read the statement Speaker Pelosi released supporting Rep. Weiner's decision.
According to a post on Pennsylvania blog, House speaker Nancy Pelosi will allow a mere twenty minutes of debate on single-payer, albeit indirectly.
The debate will actually be on an amendment put forth by Anthony Weiner, Democrat of New York's 9th District, which would effectively transform the corporate giveaway that is HR 3200 into something very close to the single-payer form offered by Dennis Kucinich and John Conyers's HR 676. According to David Swanson, the debate on the Weiner amendment is being used as cover for dropping Kucinich's amendment, which would allow states to create their own single-payer health insurance systems.
This is probably our last, best chance to improve what is shaping up to be a disastrously bad bill that will force Americans into buying unaffordable insurance. Click on the House Telephone Directory link, call as many representatives as you can, and demand that they pass the Weiner amendment. This may be our only shot at getting something that will work for all Americans, instead of simply further enriching Big Insurance.
House Democrats joined the Senate in unveiling their version of healthcare today. Although nothing will provide the real solution like single-payer most hopes were that the House version would be more Progressive. Those hopes were partially dashed as the House version had some good and some not so good. In the end, it appeared as if at least in the House this bill has a good chance to garner the needed votes.
You know how we hear from Republicans and some Democrats how we cannot have real healthcare refomr because of the devestating effect on small business?? How small businesses all over the country will just wither and die?? As usual these folks do not know what their talking about. What really is crushing small business is completely different than they try to convince their minions.
Despite the consensus in the media that the junk reforms of Max Baucus' Senate Finance Committee are written in stone to become law, many believe they do not go far enough. In the House, there is still plenty of support for a robust public option. They seem to realize mandating coverage without a vehicle to drive down costs is political suicide for our party. For her part, Speaker Pelosi is still pitching the public option.
Nancy Pelosi has long ruffled the wingnut feathers. Just the mere mention of the city she hails from, the dreaded "San Francisco" is enough to make most of the rabid right bust a spring and foam at the mouth. Now it appears a war of words is ensuing between the right and Pelosi over well, war.
It is no secret that many Progressives are getting fed up with the direction, or lack thereof in Afghanistan. We inherited a failed war in which the previous administration dropped the ball. We may not be able to pick it up no matter how hard we try and the harder we try we may dig ourselves as deep a hole as Bush dug himself in Iraq.
Nancy Pelosi has the unenviable task of trying to reconcile Blue Dogs with Progressives in the House. This is made harder by the fact that these Blue Dogs seemed to be opposed to any bill that asks the wealthy or businesses, all of whom have walked all over working America the last several decades to sacrifice anything. Meanwhile, Progressives realize it will take sacrifices from these folks to achieve any real reform to healthcare.
On the top of the Republican hate list either just over or just under Barack Obama is Nancy Pelosi. Being from the vilified city of San Francisco, it seems every self-righteous wingnut in the world loves to hate Nancy. While I do not always agree with her, this unending attack and vilification from the right has actually whipped up a little sympathy for our Speaker of the House, I just wish she would quit playing footsies with these folks and fight them with all the resources at our disposal.
With all the fanfare we have known for quite some time now that the Baucus "compromise", which none of those we compromised with supports would not include a public option and would impose mandated coverage. While being hailed in the press as the only way we can get a bill it appears as if several Democrats even in the Senate may be opposed to it, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has lukewarm support at best.
Last night we heard a speech from a young, charismatic Democratic President that undeniably inspired many within our party. We all heard how even a Congressman in a joint session of Congress showed the disrespect Republicans everywhere have shown in townhalls, disrespecting their elected leaders and neighbors by shouting over others even when it was not their turn to speak. However, despite feeling the obvious disgust at an extremist that is just determined to not hear the truth I came away with the impression that yes, maybe Progressives can work with these people and maybe they should.
With the Senate and Max Baucus appearing to be ready to "compromise" and the White House leaving it hanging in the air whether they will fight for a public option the hope of Progressives and those who desperately need real reform falls to Progressives in the House. While I hope the President will come out swinging for a Public Option tonight, all early report are that he will not. However, that does not leave the idea without its defenders.
You know, one of the most infuriating parts of the healthcare debate is the fact that folks are saying that all of us as Democrats and our leaders want to march seniors and sick children in front of death panels consisting of Hades, Beelzebub, Satan, Lucifer, Hitler and Attila the Hun who will in turn euthanize with great malice and vengenance.
With Healthcare Reform not getting done before the August recess Nancy Pelosi is setting the tone for the battle to win hearts and minds in the coming month-long debate. In the process of laying out the battle plan she is displaying a fighting spirit that helped sink George W. Bush's attempt at privitization of Social Security. An idea that has since proven if enacted millions of Seniors would have lost their livelihoods in the economic collapse.
