The yeas have it, 219-212, without, of course, a single Republican voting for it. More later, but for now, what Josh Marshall said:
If the bill passes, and should the worse befall the Dems and they wake up on November 3rd having lost both houses of Congress, they can look back on all the work in the 2004, 2006 and 2008 cycles and say, it wasn’t wasted and it wasn’t for nothing. This bill will be by far the most significant piece of social legislation in almost 50 years and will achieve, albeit imperfectly, something progressives have been trying to achieve for going on a century. If the Dems lose their majorities in November, they’ll be able to say: we worked this hard, we built these majorities, and this is what we did with it.
Even more though, I come back to the central lesson of the Social Security battle in 2005, which was the realization that the key condition of political success is almost always a genuine willingness to lose well.
[…] A genuine willingness to lose means just that: you might lose. You might lose big. And the dynamics of a mid-term election, amidst crippling unemployment and an energized right, have certain unavoidable implications. But I suspect the effect for the Democrats of actual passing this legislation will be considerably more positive than people realize.
The Dems spent some political capital, and the result was history.
yeah, and it will be repealed in 2012
manoshit @1,
That would require a Republican president and a Republican 60 seat majority in the Senate. Good luck with that.
The Repukes lost ugly tonight. See, e.g., whining @1.
@2 Obama will still be president in 2012, so they’ll need enough votes for a veto override.
Roger Rabbit Poll
I’m now accepting wagers on how long Repubs can keep their collective temper tantrum going before they collapse in an exhausted heap of sweaty bodies. Place your bets:
[ ] 1. Six months
[ ] 2. A year
[ ] 3. Two years
[ ] 4. Three years
[ ] 5. Five years
HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR
GOP Congressman Yells Stupak Is ‘Baby Killer’
Here’s the latest CNN update:
“11:08 p.m.: CNN’s Brianna Keilar reports: A Republican lawmaker shouted out ‘baby killer’ as Rep. Bart Stupak explained why he would not support the motion to recommit.”
Like I said, losing ugly. Republicans have no class, and no respect for democracy either.
Nancy Pelosi has my undying respect!!!!!
Obama= Wellington.
Of course, Republicans don’t object to killing babies whose parents have dark skin and speak a different language.
http://tungcano.files.wordpres....._bombs.jpg
Here are the latest CNN updates:
“11:18 p.m.: The House votes down the Republican motion to recommit the bill.”
“11:30 p.m.: The House has passed the package of fixes meant to reconcile differences between the bill the House passed last year and the Senate bill it passed earlier Sunday night.”
I don’t know. I mean the bill is a step forward, but I don’t really see anything in it that is worth the loses we might face. A public option would have been.
@11
Precisely.
Utter hypocrisy is their organizing principle.
The fools who do the bidding of the conference of Catholic Bishops and various and sundry fundies is not about “unborn children” – it’s a nasty melange of misogyny, blastocyst fetish and rank political calculation.
No sign of our trolls. I hope they all left the country.
@15
Ugh – the mess from all those exploding heads – that bunker where they all hang out and masturbate to the ‘writings’ of Pam Geller and Michelle Malkin must be a REAL mess right now. It must be like something from “Scanners”
The vote on the reconciliation package was 220 – 211.
Sheriff Hairspray did more than just vote against it. He made a floor speech that seemed to receive the approval of the teabaggers in the gallery.
I don’t think there’s video available yet, but it didn’t sound particularly “moderate” to me.
@2
That would require a Republican president and a Republican 60 seat majority in the Senate. Good luck with that.
well first goldy, let me say thanks for calling me manofshit. now i know you have as much class as your scumbag posters.
second, thats the point . the dems and obama are history in 2012.
third, why dont you now ban me, you fucking scumbag.
@16 I spent most of my Vietnam tour within artillery range of North Vietnam. I heard a tale about an underground bunker that was built with its entrance tunnel facing north. I was told 17 Marines were inside when a shell flew right down the tunnel into the bunker, and they simply filled it with dirt.
@1
1. People are going to decide they like being uninsured? They’re going to decide that pre-existing condition waiting periods were a good thing? They’re going to decide that having 50% fewer bankruptcies in America is a bad thing? They’re going to decide that staying at a shitty job or having both parents working full time (or both of those) to keep the kids covered was a good thing?
2. Please list the 1st world nations that have decided to drop universal coverage once adopting it.
3. The reason this thing was fought against as hard as it was is that, like the civil rights laws, once you adopt universal coverage there is no going back.
Here is the e-mail I just received from the Democratic National Committee describing what we just did with our votes and grassroots activism:
For the first time in our nation’s history, Congress has passed comprehensive health care reform. America waited a hundred years and fought for decades to reach this moment. Tonight, thanks to you, we are finally here.
Consider the staggering scope of what you have just accomplished:
Because of you, every American will finally be guaranteed high quality, affordable health care coverage.
Every American will be covered under the toughest patient protections in history. Arbitrary premium hikes, insurance cancellations, and discrimination against pre-existing conditions will now be gone forever.
And we’ll finally start reducing the cost of care — creating millions of jobs, preventing families and businesses from plunging into bankruptcy, and removing over a trillion dollars of debt from the backs of our children.
But the victory that matters most tonight goes beyond the laws and far past the numbers.
It is the peace of mind enjoyed by every American, no longer one injury or illness away from catastrophe.
It is the workers and entrepreneurs who are now freed to pursue their slice of the American dream without fear of losing coverage or facing a crippling bill.
And it is the immeasurable joy of families in every part of this great nation, living happier, healthier lives together because they can finally receive the vital care they need.
This is what change looks like.
My gratitude tonight is profound. I am thankful for those in past generations whose heroic efforts brought this great goal within reach for our times. I am thankful for the members of Congress whose months of effort and brave votes made it possible to take this final step. But most of all, I am thankful for you.
This day is not the end of this journey. Much hard work remains, and we have a solemn responsibility to do it right. But we can face that work together with the confidence of those who have moved mountains.
Our journey began three years ago, driven by a shared belief that fundamental change is indeed still possible. We have worked hard together every day since to deliver on that belief.
We have shared moments of tremendous hope, and we’ve faced setbacks and doubt. We have all been forced to ask if our politics had simply become too polarized and too short-sighted to meet the pressing challenges of our time. This struggle became a test of whether the American people could still rally together when the cause was right — and actually create the change we believe in.
Tonight, thanks to your mighty efforts, the answer is indisputable: Yes we can.
Thank you,
President Barack Obama
@20
My enduring respect for you and your comrades who served in that particular hell.
However, I would never compare the poor souls who gave the last full measure with the punk trolls who clog the discourse here.
@22
Heal, baby, heal!
@19 “why dont you now ban me, you fucking scumbag”
He won’t ban you, silly! We want to kick you around some more.
@19 Actually, you won’t have a Republican president in 2012, no matter what happens in the 2012 election.
As for the GOP’s odds of gaining 29 senate seats in the next two elections, I’d say they’re zilch.
So keep on bloviating, you silly ass. This is no more reversible than the abolition of slavery, or the enactment of Social Security and the Civil Rights Act.
Before you get all excited over the health care bill you may wish to read this NYT article from today.
“The answer, unfortunately, is that the budget office is required to take written legislation at face value and not second-guess the plausibility of what it is handed. So fantasy in, fantasy out.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03.....f=homepage
Nice Stephen, nice.
Somehow I doubt the members of Devo were/are conservatives. From what I remember conservatives looked down on new wave bands and thought they were “a bunch of faggots.”
From the nitwits at Red State:
@28
Stephen, Stefan, whatever.
@23 “However, I would never compare the poor souls who gave the last full measure with the punk trolls who clog the discourse here.”
True enough. I served with men who endured the entire Siege of Khe Sanh, fought the Tet battles in Hue, and were on my base when it was taking 3,000 rounds a day of enemy artillery. They told me what it was like to spend days at a time in a slit trench, and said if you climbed out of the trench for any reason, you low-crawled to wherever you had to go, because if you stood up you were sure to catch shrap — the air was full of it, all the time. I knew a guy who got hit in the elbow by a piece of shrapnel that followed the bone of his upper arm into his body, bounced off his shoulder blade, and exited through the front of his chest, tearing out half of one of his lungs. One of our sergeants won the Medal of Honor. Heroes, all. These trolls don’t have any idea what real patriotism is.
But my most enduring mental image of Vietnam came during my flight from Long Binh to my unit up north. I was hopscotching from one jungle airfield to another aboard C-123s and C-130s, flying with cargo. At one of those places, I saw a company of infantry lined up along the edge of the airstrip waiting for … God knows what. They were in full field gear, with packs that looked like they weighed 60 or 70 lbs., leaning on their M-16s. They were dirty, mudstained, squatting back on their heels — all sound asleep. Never before or since have I ever seen human beings so dead-tired. They were sleeping the sleep of the dead, sitting up. I will never forget that.
HA!!!
The Black Keys, Chrissy Hynde, and Devo Rally For Obama
http://politics.ohio.com/2008/.....for-obama/
The Black Keys opened. They are really tight live and played a great set. In between songs they talked about their Akron roots. It was a perfect opening act. Chrissy Hynde played an acoustic set with another guitarist. She doesn’t really need a band because her voice is so good. Chrissy got a little more political than The Black Keys and talked about the need to elect Barack. It wasn’t any deep policy discussion, but was still an enthusiastic endorsement. I had no clue what to expect from Devo.
@28 There’s no end to wingnut meanness, is there? Stefan is pissed off because 32 million more Americans will have health care, for less than what Bush’s recreational war in Iraq cost.
7. Roger Rabbit spews:
It was likely someone in the gallery Rog.
@27: Douggie makes a worst case argument for the next 10 years claiming the bill will add $562billion to the deficit over that time. Here are a couple of things to consider:
1. This is less than we spend on defense EACH AND EVERY YEAR.
2. This works out to $52billion/year–peanuts.
3. Tell me what GNP and federal outlays will be over the next ten years…then get back to me.
Mr. Eakins article was a remarkable exercise in intellectual dishonesty insofar as he did not make ANY case as to why current CBO assumptions are wrong.
But this is what conservatives do. They lie.
@35
Let’s hope.
Social Security—Unfunded Liability of $54 TRILLION
Medicare—Unfunded Liability of $47 TRILLION
Yeah folks like them\
They were entitlements bought on the credit card.
Democrats appeal to peoples greed and weakness of wanting to be cared for.
Obam-MaoCare..
The battle is just beginning.
Legal challenges.
Constitutional issues.
Will be a real exercise in the letter of the law.
Rog ought to love what’s next!
Lawyer’s dream.
A muddled mess.
@36
Half of all bankruptcies in the US are do to healthcare costs. Think of all the cash having 50% fewer bankruptcies will add to the economy.
Note to Republicans (especially you, Mr. Boehner):
Your bullshit didn’t work.
You fucked up again.
You lost.
Deal with it.
@39: That makes absolutely no sense. The cash does nothing (the net add to the economy in a bankruptcy is zero since private liabilities and assets, by definition, balance), but keeping people employed and working does add to future wealth. Insofar as personal bankruptcies disrupt the use of these resources, then the fewer bankruptcies the better.
A same healthcare system would take this into account. Therefore, a system of national healthcare is a more rational system.
Q.E.D.
ban me you fucking low life scumbag
KKKlow: “Social Security—Unfunded Liability of $54 TRILLION”
This is a lie.
@38
And Republicans appeal to fear and bloodlust, you ass.
@35
You pulled that bit about ‘someone in the gallery’ out of your ass.
Rep Campbell, a Republican, reported repeatedly and in detail, as published at TPM, that the person was on the floor of the House. He was seated behind and to the left of Campbell, and had a southern accent. He also indicated that the shout came from where the Texas delegation sits.
Obey, who was presiding, also confirmed that it was a Member, but wouldn’t identify.
Go back to your bunker, you’re due for your meds.
“ban me you fucking low life scumbag”
OK. You’re banned, you worthless jew-hating fuck.
Psst: I’ll lay you 10,000 to 1 that Obama will be president in 2012….HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!
A black guy is president, and it’s just tearing you apart, isn’t it, you lickspittle shit.
Today liberty was assulted. We will soon become slaves to the goverment. I will not just lie down for this. I will never subbmit to goverment stealing our liberty. I will gladly go to prison before I become a goverment slave.
@41
Maybe a poor choice of words on my part.
A person that goes though a bankruptcy can’t add much to the economy, they can’t buy a house, car (about 75% of cars are bought with loans) and so on.
I’m Stefan the Shark and I hate this, fuck everyone, I want mine. Fuck David Frum who said this will mean nothing in the 2010 elections. I want to go and scorch the earth now. If I can’t have a demo defeat, I will get in my lear jet and crash into the tallest building in Bellevue.
@35 “It was likely someone in the gallery Rog.”
Sorry, Cynical — blocked shot, no score. Both NBC and CNN report it was a GOP congressman:
“Republican abortion foes also said Obama’s proposed order was insufficient, and when Stupak sought to counter them, a shout of ‘baby killer’ could be heard coming from the Republican side of the chamber.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35.....re_reform/
“11:08 p.m.: CNN’s Brianna Keilar reports: A Republican lawmaker shouted out ‘baby killer’ as Rep. Bart Stupak explained why he would not support the motion to recommit.”
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITI.....tml?hpt=T1
@46
Time to move to a third world country as:
Every other first world country already has universal healthcare
The federal government was already the largest provider of health insurance in the US BEFORE this passed and was already heavily involved regulating health care and health insurance.
Once adopted no one has ever given up universal coverage.
So, you have fun in Timor-Leste.
@45
OK. You’re banned, you worthless jew-hating fuck
why, of all things, do you csll me a jew hater? is that the only crime in this country? oh, wait, yeah.
I really, really don’t believe in the metaphor of “political capital”. Victories beget victories — people like winners.
@38 Interesting figures, Cynical, but it looks like you’re counting future liabilities and not counting future FICA taxes.
@42 Why should he? You’re too valuable as a tackling dummy.
@46 Bwaaaahaaaahaaa, you babies are downright entertaining!
http://tinyurl.com/kuztct
so hard to post as tears are welling up for cigna, regence, and wellpoint. so many years in the hinterland for these corporations and now, thanks to the courageous democrats, these oppressed companies and their underpaid ceos can realize their civil rights and pursue the american dream. god bless you and god bless the united states of america.
@49
Depressing, but not surprising. What’s next, challenging people to duels?
@56 Yep, with 32 million new customers, those companies are crying all the way to the bank.
@47 “A person that goes though a bankruptcy can’t add much to the economy, they can’t buy a house, car (about 75% of cars are bought with loans) and so on.”
Ah, you don’t understand how the system works. Car dealers, pawn brokers, and payday loan shops LOVE lending to bankrupts, because they can’t go bankrupt again for 7 years.
@57 “What’s next, challenging people to duels?”
Nope, that’s not how reactionaries fight. They prefer to ambush their opponents. See, e.g., Preston Brooks.
http://www.ushistory.org/us/31e.asp
For once, the little people won. They didn’t win like they could have, but they won. Damn, this feels good.
@59
Yeah, I really feel bad for the bottom feeders that will be out of business thanks to fewer bankruptcies and better banking laws. ;-)
@60
Preston Brooks got his limp and his cane from being on the losing end of a duel.
One small step…
Let’s keep working and make it a giant leap..
Soldier on Progressives..
manofbile,
Banning you would not be right. We, who give a damn, need to see the hatred that exists out there. You provide us a glimpse. Keep it up, you piece of shit.
I guess Stefan didn’t like the comment I posted on his sucky little blog, because he deleted it. It went like this:
No, Stefan, I didn’t expect you to be a good sport about this. You’re not that type. This was evident when you got a poor waitress fired for telling your rowdy kid to be quiet.
It seems Stefan is not only uncivil, but thin-skinned too.
@50
I am not going anywhere. I will not give up my country without a fight. I will not let the slavers take it over.
Don’t be surprised if health insurance stocks bounce upward tomorrow. More customers = more profits.
@67 This fight is over. Next.
hey Roger Rabbit. As long as I have breath this fight is will not be over. I will never give in to goverment slavers.
67
You have no clue what this country’s values are. You are a far right wingnut who hasn’t a clue what this nation’s political values are about. So, go. Go somewhere where your nonsense attracts others who have influence. I don’t know where that might be, but just go. You are history.
Will Limpblows broadcast from Costa Rica soon?
Where they have universal health care?
From the “axis of evil” scribbler himself:
http://www.frumforum.com/waterloo
Well save your breath, bitch. You morons are irrelevant now. Except to provide us someone to laugh at. Enjoy your permanent minority status, or maybe you should go join the Taliban.
This is just too effin’ sweet:
Same link as 73..
I would like to see which part of this bill the Republicans would repeal, if ever they were back in power. They would not touch a single provision. Not one. They simply hate having a black president. Fucking racists.
Jon Stewart’s line to the Republicans: “I think you’re confusing tyranny with losing.”
so now, with 1/6 of the economy under government control, you think there is a lot of fraud in medicare? just wait till on the little bernie madoffs get their hands on a trillion. remember what joe p kennedy said, “they ruin everything they touch”.
too bad the murderer ted kennedy is in a hole and doesnt get to see this. i wonder if his maker asked him about mary jo on his way to hell.
@71
I know what these countries values are. I studdied the values of our founders. I study the values of Jesus. I know them better than you.
Both NBC and CNN report it was a GOP congressman:
lol. two networks that couldnt have cared less that acorn workers were telling people how to cheat the irs. what a joke
46 MRDR
OK. See ya.
38 Cyn
What’s the “unfunded liability” of the DoD?
“…They were sleeping the sleep of the dead, sitting up. I will never forget that….”
My Dad would sometimes announce that he was going to lie down and take a nap for fifteen minutes. He would go to his bedroom, lie down, be immediately fast asleep, and just as promptly wake up exactly fifteen minutes later. When I asked him how he did that, he just said “I learned it in the Army.’
My Dad spent a year and a half in Korea during the war.
@67: You are too damn stoopid to even realize why this is important and useful for our country.
Can you even explain your pathetic opinions? Do you even think about things or do you just parrot the crap on Faux News?
@81 Woman of falsehood: You mean that video that was faked and the guys that are now indicted for other illegal activity?
Hahaha- you are so damn stoopid, I hope they don’t ban you because I love your bigoted nonsense – just shows the bias, ignorance and total jackass side of the republican idiot faithful.
Thanks for proving how dumb your arguments are and how they are based on pure, limbic system hate for other people. I love having a wimp like you representing republicans!
85 cnr
It doesn’t matter who many times their lies are shown to be lies, they will conintue to repeat them as if they were true,and millions of people across this great nation believe fervently that ACORN employees and indeed ACORN itelsf as a matter of policy was aiding pimps set up an illegal business and cheat on their taxes.
I am still waiting for the first post insisting that the House bill was passed unconstitutionally, as though the self-executing rule and “deem and pass” were used. I am sure that many people, again, believe fervently that this is true.
That is: “It doesn’t matter HOW many times their lies are shown to be lies,…’
And don’t forget in the “credit where credit is due” department:
Nancy Pelosi, one of the most effective Speakers of the House ever. In 14 short months, she has passed HCR, an economic recovery package, a Wall Street reform bill, student loan reform (twice), and cap-and-trade. Besides the Lily Ledbetter Act and a slew of other smaller legislation.
Here’s a funny one: now, because there’s nothing left to oppose, Republicans are going to be fighting the reconciliation package tooth and nail in the Senate. But the funny part is that this is the legislation that repales the crappy parts of the Senate bill. To use the GOP framing, it’s the Cornhusker Kickback, and Louisiana Purchase, and so on.
So Republicans are now fighting to PRESERVE the very things they were excoriating Democrats for passing in the first place. They don’t even have a side they’re on except for “Whatever it is, I’m against it.”
The Dem ads should be good: “Why is Senator David Vitter fighting to protect special deals for Nebraska?”
@70 Feel free to piss into the wind to your heart’s content.
@78 “so now, with 1/6 of the economy under government control, you think there is a lot of fraud in medicare?”
While there undoubtedly is fraud in Medicare, I see no evidence it comes anywhere near the degree of fraud in that bastion of capitalism, Wall Street, and what there is all comes from the private sector.
The fact is, Medicare is a much better deal than any private insurance policy, which is why seniors — even those who opposed the health care reform bill — love it. In fact, the reason they opposed it is because it takes away money that was used to subsidize Medicare freebies.
Making old people mad by confiscating a little bit of the socialism they’ve been getting and giving it to the young who pay Medicare taxes isn’t exactly what I’d call a ringing endorsement of conservative economic principles.
@79 It must bother you to no end that Ted, faithful Catholic that he was, had a “Get Out Of Hell Free” card.
@81 So typical — when the facts don’t go your way, attack the news organization. You guys are precious.
@84 A man doesn’t know what “tired” is until he’s been a grunt.
#94: As a student of history, I’ve always been amazed at the amount of abuse an average foot-soldier endures – regardless of what side he was on.
http://www.stripes.com/02/nov0.....aul37.html
I wish I had a link to the Mauldin cartoon where a wearie Willie & Joe are trudging across the countryside, muttering: “They run, we try to catch them. We catch them, we try to make them run….”
@95 For the Nam grunts, the worst part was trying to make it through a whole year knowing their company had a 100% casualty rate and no one ever made it through a year. The only question was whether you’d live long enough to get pulled out of the field after being wounded for the third time. The trick was to get the required number of survivable wounds without losing too many body parts, or the wrong ones.
Back in the 70’s, I knew a guy who lost an arm in Nam. He was a medic, and a mortar round got him. I asked him when he learned he’d lost his arm. He said, “Oh, I knew right away, because it was blown clean off.” Then I asked him how he felt about losing his arm. He said, “I was happy, because I knew my war had ended and I was going home. The round that got me killed seven guys. I was the sole survivor.”
That’s a hell of a way to live when you’re 20 years old, but that’s what our inept political leaders asked these young men to do, and they did it.
So how do you rationalize this in your mind? How does the average citizen make sense of this? Simple: Hate the war, love the warriors. Love them, hug them, embrace them. They’ve earned your respect and affection. But if no one else will love them, surely God will, because they’ve already served their time in hell.
Texas Republican Neugebauer says he shouted ‘baby killer’ during House debate
Do you think any of the trolls will ever acknowledge that they were wrong? I doubt it … after all, even Rep. Neugebauer doesn’t. The usual passive-voice “mistakes were made”: