North Dakota Sen. Byron Dorgan will not seek reelection.
Anybody who thinks the Dems won’t have fewer seats in both houses next year than they have this year is crazy, and anybody who thinks we’ll get a better health care reform bill with fewer Dems than with more, is out of their fucking mind.
It would have been nice if the Senate leadership had the balls to go nuclear and do away with the filibuster, but they don’t and they won’t. So the bill we get out of conference is the bill we get. And if we don’t pass anything, the Democratic loses next November will be even steeper than they otherwise would be.
Time to pass health care reform, claim victory, and then start the arduous process of incrementally improving on it bit by bit.
There’s another problem looming. There is a special election in two weeks for Ted Kennedy’s seat in Massachussetts. The Democrat is expected to win, but should there be a light turnout, the Republican could pull off an upset. If that were the case, according to Josh Marshall, the only hope of saving the health care bill at that point would be for the House to approve the Senate bill unchanged, then send it to the President for his signature. Josh is not sure if there are any parliamentary problems with that solution though.
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.c.....usetts.php
Goldy: sad but totally true.
@1: We’ll not likely lose the seat, but get ready for media harping if she doesn’t win by double digits.
No doubt we have passed a high water mark and have lots to worry about, but I think for this election, the message is:
“Remember who broke it. We need more time to fix it.”
We should also not forget that the other side has been reduced to the batshit crazy birchers and Paulites (aka: teabaggers). You highlighted one here the other day, Goldy. As long as they put up crazies like Quist, or do the stupid shit they pulled in NY-23, we’re gonna’ be (relatively) OK.
why not change the senate rules when they are next adopted so we don’t have to keep trying to find liberals in ND and NE and AR and LA? It’s a hopeless quest.
Why do liberals eschew doing away with this rule? One vote, boom, we have change. I thought that was what we just voted for last year…CHANGE.
Health Care , are you kidding what they’re offering is a wheelbarrow full of manure and telling us its a pony or it will be if we can get it to grow a mane and legs… Smells a little like a horse……But it just another pile of S–t. Without a single payer option the Senate bill is just another pile of crap…….
Yo Goldy !! looking for work with patty or cantwell?
this bill is NOT health care, it is extortion from us working stiffs to pay off the f’king pigs who who helped wreck the system … BUT
it is the best we got and let’s not make the enemy of hte perfect the happy of the bad …
or whatever the obama-bot sell outs are selling as pragmatic reality conventional wisdom.
interesting how Stu-Pid-Pak can shove his 13th century horseshit down the mouths of millions of americans, and all the pro-choice crowd can do is piss their diapers about mean meanies being mean.
interesting how Joe LIEscum & Max & Ben & Olympia can hold up 50 other diaper shitters.
ummmmmmmmmm 6 or 7 against 50 = 6 or 7 win!
but, that is ‘conventional wisdom’ and ‘pragmatic’, not pathetic fucking sell outs and political cowards.
yawn.
rmm.
…and we are going to find the votes for improving the health care plan, where, again?
I suspect Rahm Emanuel is very happy.
And this makes it look really bad for banking reform, too–Dorgan was one of the Senators who understood the issue and supported Main street over Wall Street.
1932 in 2012, here we come!
Anyone have a clue what number 6 is saying?
@9
i do..he’s saying jews control the federal reserve
Hey just saw on twitter that you had a new blog post, like that you can stay update with people now
proud leftist,
He reads like a libertarian. But then again Dr Darryl comments tripped you up!
Raven, so Dorgan battled Chris Contrywide Dodd a lot. Must suck for you now Dodd can run wild in the senate.
L.O.M.G.! I would be dis-invited to Queen Anne & Cap Hill soirees cuz I am sick of losing to fascists, AND
I’m sicker of the “leaders” who lose incessantly against the fascists cuz the “leaders” are politically fucking incompetent!
o.k. – I’ll fess up to a huge lib dem bonafide deficiency – I do NOT have a professional degree or a graduate degree!
How dare I call pathetic patty and gary the DLC sell out and maria cant-do-shit and ron the worthless and chris the chicken hearted worthless against fascists!
so @9 and @12, I’m not 1 of you holier than smarterer than gooderer than noblerer than everyone drippy libs, so I must be 1 of the fascists!
yawn.
rmm.
@14
i have to admit even my half jew brain cant translate that
@14,
Apparently you don’t pay attention too much. Puddy ain’t one of those “holier than smarterer than gooderer than noblerer than everyone drippy libs”. Proud Leftist is one of those types.
@5 I disagree. This bill isn’t all we could wish for, but it does expand coverage to millions of the uninsured, and it subjects the most odious insurance company practices to regulation for the first time. That’s a lot more than what we have now.
@8 It’s okay with me if Republican obstructionists reduce the value of their assets by another 50%. I’m accumulating cash. I like buying stocks at Depression prices!
@9 I don’t.
@10 I guess that interpretation is as good as any.
@14 “so I must be 1 of the fascists”
Not necessarily, but you could use an editor.
@16 For once I agree with you, puddykins. You aren’t holier, smarter, gooder, or nobler than anyone I can think of offhand.
Mommy, Goldy’s being a conflict avoider again…
Reid, Pelosi, Dicks and far too many other people in DC are there because they care about money, power, and status. Reid, Pelosi, Dicks, only care about healthcare is it relates to money, power, and status. Asking them to pass a real healthcare bill, either right now up front or incrementally, is a asking them to take a hit to their money, power and status in the inner beltway and among the mega rich.
Goldy’s plan offers no consequence for non-compliance. Nothing bad will happen to them if they don’t pass a good healthcare bill and they will get shut out of some of the money and power if they do pass a good one. They aint’ gonna pass it.
If you want a real healthcare plan you have to make the consequences for not passing it greater than the consequences for passing it. It’s the Democratic Base that needs to use the nuclear option.
What you meant to say is “do away with the will of the people” since most polled are overwhelmingly against Obama-care.
Wow, welcome to the vision of democrats. No wonder these assholes will be booted in the next two election cycles. They are as unamerican as they are unthinking.
@22 I agree, but we need to nuke the pukes first, so they won’t have a majority when we get through with the bad Democrats.
@23 Given that you GOP asswipes contributed absolutely nothing to this legislation, but simply stood up and shouted “No!” to any kind, shape, or form of health care reform, you’ll take whatever bill you get. If you have complaints, write them here [ ] and send them here _.
@ 25~ Hard to be bi-partisan when the opposing fucks that claimed they would be “transparent” are hiding behind locked doors with their foot up agains the handle. If you don’t think the standard independent that attended the tea parties and was being called a “tea bagger” by liberal hate sites isn’t paying attention, you’re wrong. It may not sink in fully to some of you fucks entrenched in liberal groupthink, but November 2010 will be the first kick up side your heads as to what is to come in 2012.
Probably better to be the party of “NO, take our time on this legislation” than the party of “we don’t give a fuck what the people think, we’re lowering their standards of care to increase the roles of people who already qualify for plans, but don’t take advantage of it. Let’s just throw everyone into the same shitty health care plan?”.
We’ll see which approach is more prudent soon…very soon.
Remember when Obama said the health care debates would be on C-span?
hahahhhah, and the leftist pinheads fell for that lie TOO!
Dumbfuck @ 26
We will, indeed, see which approach is more prudent. We will, indeed, see which approach to healthcare in this country resonates with the populace. Your predictions on this blog have always come true, haven’t they? Idiocy, Little Ricky, should never be a family value.
@22, 24
All I’m sayin’ is that there needs to be consequences for bad behavior.
The child @ 28 ~ I’ve put you and your anger to bed for the night. You may come back in the room when you’ve attained A) the ability to debate, B) the ability to communicate like an adult or C) the ability to at least be entertaining…
G’night, and good luck, laddie.
@26 ” the standard independent that attended the tea parties ”
I didn’t see any independents at tea parties. All I see at those was rightwing crazies.
@29 And all I’m sayin’ is we need to dole out the consequences in proper sequence.
@30 You can be funny when you work at it.
Well if it passes I predict that the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn it. If it does not I guess I will be going to prison. I will not live under a goverment health care.
Where in the constitution can Nancy Pelosi compel anyone to pay a fine for not buying health care. This comparison to car driving insurance is stupid at best. Remember it was ylb arschloch who tried to posit that stupid argument. Well he is an arschloch and very stupid.
@35
Establishing rules for our health care system that require people not to abuse it (by requiring mandates) is clearly within Congress’s right. You and “Renndawg” need to turn off Fox News and study the Constitution a bit more.
So Lee you are taking whackamole Nancy Pelosi and law professor Erwin Chemerinsky’s word, requiring peeps to buy insurance is regulating commerce? So what commerce class is being regulated Lee? It seems this health care “mandate” forces no one to prohibit action. You are others like you are trying to prohibit inaction Lee. Puddy’s inaction is to skip over this health care mandate. Pelosi’s action is to regulate inaction Lee. Puddy is vehemently against this Lee. Why do you blindingly agree to this Lee? Let Puddy put this in terms and phrases so you can understand…
Where has the fucking federal government ever required fucking American citizens as a fucking condition of lawful residence in the America, born or naturalized, to fucking purchase any good or service you meat-headed moron?
For those who are not Lee here is the normal sentence…
Where has the federal government ever required American citizens as a condition of lawful residence in the America, born or naturalized, to purchase any good or service?
So Lee why do you support imposing this “duty” on Americans? Are pre-WWII “german style papers” next on your silly progressive libtardo agenda? Why should Puddy have to buy something heavily regulated by the federal government from the federal government against Puddy’s will Lee?
Since you are another with moronic mindless memory malady, the CBO claimed an average $15,000 cost for a four person family for something heavily regulated by the federal government. Can you afford that Lee?
Puddy is not in favor of being forced to purchase artificially high-priced policies to subsidize coverage for others? Puddy has enough bills.
Why does Puddy have to enter into this “Pelosi mandate” or pay a $3500 fine? Also doesn’t this abrogate State’s Rights arguments and their control of insurance companies within their state’s boundaries?
You Lee are a mindless brain-dead moron. Suck on that for a while Lee.
Poor Puddy – you mean you have no health insurance? Or are you just pontificating?
How could a fat guy like you not have some health insurance? Are you lying about the health insurance or stupid for not having it?
Which is it?
The Waxxter seems to have given up any pretense of being employed. Either that, or he’s employed as a conservo-troll.
So, people are all up in arms (rightly) about not wanting to pay for Freddie The Freeloader’s abuse of the “ObamaCare” system. So we require everyone to buy into the system so that there can be no Free Loading Freddie’s and people are all up in arms about being “forced” to have health insurance. Never mind the fact that many of this folks being “forced” to have health insurance already have health insurance through their work and that many of their employer’s have a clause in their contract with their insurance agency that every full time employee must have health insurance.
The real question is, when do you stop listening to these people and just do what you have to do?
@29
I really don’t see the Democrats in DC ever passing a healthcare bill that’s worth a damn without the knowledge that by not passing a healthcare bill that they will not be returning to DC.
more worthless bullshit from correctnotright…
Puddy has insurance. Puddy doesn’t believe Pelosi has the right to tell Puddy he has to buy insurance you dumb fool! You are an institutionalized fool. Reading your comments is an exercise in nausea!
Why is congress exempt from this health care bill? Why aren’t HA Libtardos asking this.
Headless lives here providing nothing useful everyday.
Right now Puddy is on a conference call.
This POS HC bill will use the IRS to enforce the mandate to buy private medical insurance. But the delivery of HC is up to state enforcement! Massive subsidies will go to those insurance companies while many of the “beneficiaries” will not see the benefits.
Something with a direct positive gain like Senator Dorgan’s Ammendment to allow reimportation of drugs was a violation of ObamaRahma’s deal with Pharma for campaign funding. It got thrown under the bus by our D’s including both Cantwell and Murray despite “bipartisan support.”
I fail to see a benefit to passing this bill. The excise tax on those who have health care benefits (Chevrolet tax) will also be collected by the Fed’s while delivery of HC left to states.
I got bamboozled by the “change we can believe in” too. Sorry Senator Dorgan you tried to save something here and got shit on…
Notice correctnotright didn’t address the Commerce Clause and Pelosi’s mandate claim. Why is that correctnotright?
The C-SPAN Lie? See Eight Clips of Obama Promising Televised Healthcare Negotiations
Why are the Dummocrapts lying and hiding the final bill negotiations? Was Joe Wilson right after all? CBS News Sunday Morning called Odumba a certified intellectual. Hmmm…
@45
As far as being “bamboozled” goes, you had a choice between person A and person B on the ballot. I’m not real thrilled with Obama but, I’m confident that, given our choices, he was the better choice by a long shot.
If this bill was a horse, it would be taken behind the barn and shot. Our message to our elected’s needs to be clear and in needs to be, “give us a quality healthcare bill or you wont be returning to DC.”
The link below is what I was talking about in #45.
http://firedoglake.com/2010/01.....as-for-it/” rel=”nofollow”>
Watch this video and tell me what you think…
I detest insurance. It is the biggest scam in America. I will never have health insurance until we have real not for profit insurance (medicare for all). If they try to force it on us (for profit insurance), I will just start my own insurance company. Anyone can start an insurance company. I will be the only one insured by my company.
Having said that, I believe firmly that we liberals will pick up, not lose senate seats next november. Maybe I am the only one in America who thinks so, but I stand by my prediction. The election is a long way off and a lot can and will happen between now and then.