Comments on: Pelosi Laughs At House Progressives, And You Should Too

By: Mason

Mason — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 03:49:50 +0000

I despise the Democrats and I hate the Republicans. I can’t stand Obama. I have no confidence or hope that the government will ever change. I know two things for certain. The government is corrupt and it is my mortal enemy.

By: Jeff Kaye

Jeff Kaye — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 03:13:32 +0000

Go get ‘em, Jane.

For those of use who have fought for years on the torture issue, with little or no accountability, it is painful to regard the struggle for universal and affordable, quality healthcare. The entrenched powers, whether they reside in the Pentagon, or in the plush boardrooms of major insurance companies, don’t plan to give an inch, and the progressives in Congress are reduced to Greek chorus status, plaintive witnesses at best, whose protestations of justice denied, or looming tragedy are laughed off by the doomed hero or heroine, and the whole pathetic affair galumphs to its inevitable conclusion.

By: AngelsAwake

AngelsAwake — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:34:48 +0000

Zappa made a very wise comment there.

It’s going to be us. It’s got to be us… the Millenial Generation, the New Guys. We’re the ones who’ll have to clean this shit up, because we’ve seen where this is headed, and we’re angry enough that even Congress has to hear us.

By: eggroll

eggroll — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:43:14 +0000

Frank Zappa noted that politicians constitute the entertainment wing of the the military-industrial complex. Assuming no efficiency gains, which in itself would be a scandal, the amount of money at issue is about a tenth of annual pentagon spending (on budget and off). I guess this is entertaining until you or somebody in your family gets sick. Certainly, it is a sad comment on American culture.

By: TarheelDem

TarheelDem — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:22:38 +0000

More complicated. Blue Cross/Blue Shields were co-ops of doctors to permit doctors to receive payment from folks who couldn’t afford the big lump-sum of payments. They became nonprofits providing group insurance, and as non-profits they were able to provide lower premiums than private insurers so they gained a major share of the market in almost every state.

The around the Millennium some “genius” formed a company to buy out a Blue Cross/Blue Shield and take it private, arguing that it would promote efficiencies. Among those who succeeded was Anthem, which acquired BC/BS in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, then Connecticut and who knows how many more.

Some states resisted. When BC/BS of North Carolina wanted to sell, the state said that they would have to pay the state the equivalent of some portion of the asset value of the taxes that they avoided by being non-profit. That undid the deal.

I don’t think they went bust, I think that some cagey private investors saw a cash cow and found a way to milk it.

By: DeanOR

DeanOR — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:31:31 +0000

ChePasa, Something actually is better than nothing from the viewpoint of the short-term interest of some citizens. Medicare Part D is a good example. I opposed it, but I currently benefit from it. It is, of course, a giant bailout to Big Pharma, and in the long run no one other than Big Pharma benefits from that. If what gets passed now through all the compromising turns out to expand the number of people with insurance, that’s good, but if it is done through a giant bailout to Big Insurance and even higher health care costs, we’re screwed. I can hear the conservative line now: “They Californicated America with this health plan that is bankrupting us”. I’m not looking forward to President Palin.

By: ThingsComeUndone

ThingsComeUndone — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:28:58 +0000

Diary dude and I hope it gets front paged we need to research Nancy a few hundred or thousand (we really don’t like Nancy here) FDLers all with different areas of expertise looking at Nancy once we get some pointers where to look?
BWAHAHA!
Feel free to blog whore with a link if you decide to write about Nancy and see me on a thread:)

By: ThingsComeUndone

ThingsComeUndone — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:24:57 +0000

News to me that could be the GOp’s secret plan though.

By: DWilson

DWilson — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:18:20 +0000

Long Gone are the days when it was etched in stone “Its The Law”.
This will be successfully challenged in the Federal Courts and its implementation will be blocked.
I feel like McCain and Palin were elected!

By: TarheelDem

TarheelDem — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:15:06 +0000

What the Progressive Caucus knows is that the progressive netroots number only several 100,000 and of those only a percentage do more than talk.

Just look at all the excuses for not pushing for single-payer and then using the public option as the backup position in case that push fails.

Just look at how well folks show up to push their representatives. Compare the numbers showing up to heckle Lloyd Doggett with the number of progressives willing to turn out to push their member of Congress.

Can progressives really build a popular movement? Are they really willing to work for it? Or are they always looking for leaders to do it for them?

The fate of the healthcare bill will show what the truth is. If you are for single-payer, now is the time to go all out to get it. There is the Wiener amendment and there is the Sanders bill in the Senate. Can you whip those to success? You have three weeks. That’s it. If it doesn’t happen then AND if a strong public option fails, that’s it for a generation. You want reality; that’s the reality.