You want to know which Democratic Senators oppose the public option? Try doing a bit of research.

Ben Nelson (Nebraska)
Blanche Lincoln (Arkansas)
Mark Pryor (Arkansas)
Mary Landrieu (Louisiana)

Joe Lieberman (Independent – Connecticut)

Besides these are about 10 Democratic fence sitters like Evan Bayh (Indiana).

Further, the projected deficit over the next decade will be roughly 9 trillion and this is not taking into account the total accumulated debt. This massive debt burden crowds out any chance for spending in furthering of the public good. And yet we have Reid, Pelosi and Obama bent on proceeding basically along the same economic way.

It is simply astounding that people can look these facts in the face and still believe that with just a few minor cosmetic corrections the free market based economy as it stands in this country is basically sound. The willful stupidity goes beyond sanity.

At the same time foreign holders of US debt will soon cease to extend further loans or do so at increasing interest.

It further strains belief that obvious cost cutting measures such as not for profit financing of health insurance is deplored because it runs counter to the same free market mess which has led the country into perhaps irretrievable debt.

We simply can not, for the sake of our own standard of living, cease to fight to change the health care system including by advocacating strongly for the PO. Thereafter it is necessary to advocate for other changes that will keep the country solvent. It is clear that few in Congress will carry out the needed change in direction and it falls on the public to do so.

The President’s speech this week and the Republicans’ actions since set this up. The President extended his hand to the GOP in the form of tort reform pilots in the states and an open door. Boustany (my congressman) gave a vacuous recitation of the partisan cant, minus some of the theatrics in the days since, Republicans have lurched to still more ardent opposition. I think this is great for the Democrats in the Congress as it strips away (as if they needed it, but apparently they do) the last veneer of the notion of the possibility of bipartisanship in the Congress.

This also sets up well among the general public as Republicans have shown themselves to be so rigid that they cannot accommodate compromise. Having extended his hand in so public a way, and having had it slapped away in an equally public way, Obama and the Democrats have the political cover to say ‘we made every effort to work across the aisle but the minority party was not willing to compromise (or admit they lost the last election).

We need to focus on the House. Make sure that HR 3200 gets passed. Let the Senate pass whatever gets 60 votes. In the meanwhile, we need to work to ensure that we have 51 votes in the Senate (including Biden) for the public option and 218 votes in the House.

We can win this. We will win this. We need to focus on keeping our majorities in line on both sides of the Capitol. After the votes are taken, we can then focus on the tasks ahead in the primaries in 2010.

Yes, there is a crazy world out there and sometimes the gov’t actually is the enemy.

One of my fears is that mandates will be characterized by Republicans as hidden taxes. Can we afford to lose the reform and then also lose the next Congress?