Dems Go It Alone

And what a plan!

"Fired up!! Ready to go!!"

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Problem is, now they go home. I just faxed a signed letter to my dear Senator from Pennsylvania, Robert Casey Jr.
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"Dear Sen Casey,

I have reviewed the legislation and proposals for health care reform from both the Senate and the House of Representatives. I strongly urge you to vote “no” on either of these two bills or proposals that would have any type of public option contained within the language of the final bill.

I believe that a public option would jeopardize not only my insurance that I receive from my employer, but that of my family. When I say jeopardize, I simply mean that the current insurance that I have will succumb to great pressure from an unfair government backed insurance program. My employer has already informed us that if a government option is passed, he will discontinue our insurance. This is not satisfactory to me or my family.

I believe that we need to first attempt other reforms before we tackle the insurance industry, and attempt to yet again set up an unsustainable entitlement program. We already have Medicare and Medicaid. Both of these entitlement programs cost the tax payers of this great State, massive sums of money. We cannot afford another entitlement program such as the ones Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are proposing.

I also believe that more regulation, or actually the breakup of the monopoly the insurance industry now has on health care insurances would be a great first step. I urge you and your staff to begin investigation of this situation immediately. The health care insurance sector is but one of two industries that enjoys shielding from anti-trust laws. We must also insert language into the legislation that will give State to State competition of insurance a chance. There are over 1300 health insurance companies in the United States. I only get to choose from about 6 of those companies in Pennsylvania, why?

Competition has always been the best solution for anything that has a high cost. Creating an environment where fair competition can thrive is always the best option. I have completed hours of investigation into this issue. We are making a grave mistake if we allow any legislation to pass that will not address the cost of health insurance first.

If all of the non-government funded options are tried, and fail. Then I am in agreement to have a “government option” enacted to bring down the cost of insurance, and afford individuals more choices.

Sincerely,"

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Enough said. Now you shall be voted out if you pass this rediculous crap called "Health Care Reform".

There is no "GOP filibuster", there are 60 Democrats in the Senate.
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There is only the dreaded "Democratic filibuster".

True - and "Spineless Harry" already said it may not pass in 2009. As long as they're sitting on their hands, they might as well force Lieberman and McConnell to camp out on the Senate floor reading "Left Behind" novels into the Congressional record. Doubt it will happen though.

But Stuart, isn't that par for the course?

I'm hoping against hope here that Stuart isn't right, Art. At one point or another, they have to realize that they are getting nowhere with the GOP.
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The longer they take, the more votes get peeled off.
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I'm hoping that they are really going to play chicken. I guess that Reid's post-election backbone has kind of flickered in and out of existance. I'm just not sure what it's status is right now, but they have got to realize that they play into the GOP's hands if they wait.
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After all, the GOP has clearly stated that their intent is to delay it as long as possible!

Labeling the filibuster as a creature of the GOP lets centrist Dems off the hood for their euphemistic "It just doesn't have the votes to overcome a filibuster" pronouncements.
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It's a Democratic filibuster, par for the sh*tty legislative course or not, isn't it?
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Shouldn't the Democratic party have to own up to its obstructionist, centrist membership?

"off the hood"
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That should have been "off the hook", obviously.

I think by now that Obama, and Reid also, should realize that 2010 reactions on the left will be tepid at best if he stays on this course.
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In my opinion, the Dems are not going to gain anything by continuing to play to the right of center, as those votes are being fenced off by the GOP far right.
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At this point, given that the bipartisan strategy has been foiled by the GOP right, it makes the best sense for Obama and the Dems to get back to basics and play to their core.

53_3:

In my opinion, the Dems are not going to gain anything by continuing to play to the right of center, as those votes are being fenced off by the GOP far right.

When we start to do anything about it, establishment Dems will issue talking points to reporters like Jay Newton-Small about how "the far left" is doing the same thing to them that the lunatic popular rightists did to Dede Scozzafava.
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Because we all sat around and cheered Rachel Maddow & Co when she was all concern troll-y about the political advisability of the right demanding accountability from the GOP, we'll be forced into defending a position that's obviously inconsistent.
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Democratic losses will be blamed on us.
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That's what centrist Dems always do; blame electoral defeats on the "uncompromising", "ideological purists" in their "far-left" "activist liberal base".

"it makes the best sense for Obama and the Dems to get back to basics and play to their core"
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But Fitty, what is their "core"--is it their base or the noxious centrists who wield far more power at both ends of PA Ave? Do you think Rahm considers the netroots a welcome segment of the party? Do you honestly think Obama is more concerned about his base than Lieb/Snowe/Blue Dogs? As we await the announcement of troop expansion in Afghan, one is left to wonder: can a single, boldly progressive step ever be expected from this admin?
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[This] shows how far liberals have to go in America, how they are chronically incapable of forcefully espousing what they (ostensibly) believe in:
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"Health care reform is extremely likely to pass in some form. But let's not kid ourselves that it's passing because the Democrats and the public have seen the light and understand that we need to be a more decent society. It's passing because medical industry has been greedy to the point where it's now unsustainable. That presented an opening for liberals to enact some policies they have believed in for a long time. But they didn't do it by making the liberal arguments straight up and have created some kind of strange hybrid system for which the best argument is that it might lead to opportunities for more reform. It's better than nothing. But it isn't liberal and it wasn't designed to be. And just in case, the powers-that-be stuck it to the pro-choicers to make sure nobody got the idea that it was."

can a single, boldly progressive step ever be expected from this admin?
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Not with "Rahm the Impaler" as the WH COS. I am firmly convinced that, as long as he is "directing traffic" for the WH, nothing really good is going to happen.
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He's too much of an insider and "player".

My "True" was in response to 53_3 @ 4:13 pm (TIME Standard Time)

I'm counting Lieberman as "not a Democrat" -- the Dems don't have 60 seats.

If Lieberman filibusters, wouldn't it take 58 Dems + Bernie Sanders + 1 Republican to break it?

I would be in favor of that idea. It is all well for someone like McCain to be against Health Care reform. Does anyone really believe there is an insurance company out there that would enroll him given his medical history? He would be SOL without his government insurance plan and wealthy wife. Meanwhile It's okay by him for the rest of us working stiffs to face what he will never have to. The whimsies of the private insurance market.

Do you think you could remind 2/3rds of a nut about that?
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He didn't just shoot himself in the foot by ranting at Shepardwong on JK's LOL blog, you know...

The HCR that people would like to have is popular, but what they're getting from this process...?
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That's another question.

“Time's Jay Newton-Small, writing on the Swampland blog, gives an on-the-other-hand view. He wonders whether House leaders asked too much of their Democratic rank-and-file followers...”
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Jay, if you're reading this, would you email Gerald Seib at the WSJ and let him know YOU are a woman? (I tried but need an acct. there to post) Wow, the WSJ's standards have fallen, what a ding-dong Seib is for being so sloppy. If you include pics in case he gets snippy and “demands proof”, could you post the pics here too? Thank you!