Mitch McConnell’s opening remarks were written by David Broder

McConnell laments that he doesn’t get the $75 million in pork he asked for in the stimulus.

Did Reid just slam Broder as “a man who’s been retired for years and writes a column once in a while?”

Reid: “To focus on an editorial written by a man who has been retired for many years and writes a column once in a while is not where we should be.”

yup

Looks like we’re gonna be treated to a day of Rethug bashing from the Dem Senators.

Laughing really starts my day off right. Just plain giggling is even better. Go Reid !

SD, I’ve got to get ready for the cat ladies (Dr & her asst). I’ll check back later. Take good notes. Cheers.

Thanks, Jane, as my stupid cable company only offers cspan1 now.

Everything that needs to be said about the health reform bill has already been said. The only thing left to do IS bash the rethug 40. They sure as hell have been bashing the Dems for months. The Dems are the only ones with a conscience and heart to push through the REAL needs of the American people.
At the very least, this is a start at complete health coverage for all.

Broder ostracized, called irrelevant on the Senate floor by the majority leader? Now that’s fun.

Thanks Jane for live bloggin! And of course, for all you do!

Why is Judd Gregg hyperventilating? Where was he when the Republicans pushed the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act through the Senate in 2001?

Blasphemy!

Wow! Did Reid really blaspheme the Dean?!

In the old days, the response by the pious to blasphemy was the rending of garments. Few elements of progress are to be counted as so fortunate as the abandonment of that custom, as the spectacle of the Republican senators on C-Span for the rest of the debate with their garments all rent, would be the last straw in the nausea-induction department. And since there’s probably more blasphemy headed their way from our side of the aisle, by the time the vote is taken, it could really, really get ugly, in ways too horrible to contemplate.

kit bond is an ass. but you knew that already.

Thank you, Jane. I had to come in to work and finish up a few things. Now, I get to clear my desk and follow the debate.

Sessions is his mentor.

kit bond is ass.
Better.

so is sessions

Wow, these Republicans are AMAZING aren’t they? I mean, each and every one of ‘em repeats and repeats and repeats the mantra that the deficit is out of control and we can’t afford this.

Gee, where were these EXACT SAME Republicans from 2001 to 2008 with these EXACT SAME concerns over the deficit and what we can and can’t afford???

ABSOLUTE FUCKING LYING HYPOCRITES. Goddammed I can’t stand these mother fuckers.

Sorry, it just boggles my mind at how they can lie, be complete hypocrites, make shit up, whatever they want to, and yet their supporters still just salute smartly and follow ‘em wherever they’re told to go. Goddammit.

And I’m not even in support of this bill!! But I hate lying hypocrites even more than I hate this bill. AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!

sneaks quietly into the room and whispers “good morning”
“g”

I’m with Sarah Palin on this one. KILL THE BILL. Only then, start over with Medicare for all.

There’s too much evil bullshit hidden in those many pages. If this thing passes, it will take all the fire OUT of the movement for true universal health care, and the insurance companies will be so goddamned rich, they’ll own even more senators and congressmen.

Forrest Gump + Glenn Beck = Jeff Sessions

Someone above says this is at least a “start” at universal coverage for all. No, it is not. It represents further entrenchment of the worst of an unsustainable system. It is designed to kill all future attempts at reform and protect the medical/industrial complex forever.

Sorry. I do get worked up over these assholes.

I really don’t know how they can have followers that allows them to do ANYTHING, say ANYTHING, whatsoever. I’m already pretty sure I’m not supporting Obama next time after supporting him last year because of his actions. And he’s done NOTHING like the lying, all out hypocricy that these rethugs do. Since their followers and supporters let them get away with anything, then they do anything.

I just wanna throw a brick into the television right now. Don’t think it would make any difference whatsoever, but it would sure feel good. *g*

Yeah it’s a bit heavily scripted, isn’t it?

It’s like each one gets to come in and do their stunt bit and then exit stage left.

You really don’t have to say sorry. I thought it was perfect and I just pictured you screaming at the tv. Made me smile. thanks

My son just plugged Wii into the TV so this is a much needed service. When Oren hatch gets up I’m gonna unplug the Wii and go yell at the TV.

Then you’d really get a kick out of seeing me standing here thinking and tossing a brick up and down in my hand. *g*

this reform is crap. its nothing more than sellouts to insurers, pharma etc.

All they’re doing is adding crap on crap just like Mass. They should have gone here with this round of reform which is where Mass. is already going.

http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/181/10/E221

For $848 Billion we could have done a lot better. Dems will pay.

Yeah. My “good” TV is busted so I can’t throw anything through the spare which used to be the Wii TV.

That may well be true, but at this point unless Sarah Palin has more votes in Congress than I think, “kill the bill” might as well be “fly to Mars.”

We may well get there, if Blanche Lincoln and Ben Nelson get their way. At that point, members of the House have said they would do just that. But since all the people we’re counting on to “kill the bill” just voted for the House bill in its present form, this solution is unrealistic at the moment.

We’re trying to encourage a more realistic evaluation of the situation, and discuss a range of options within the realm of the “possible.”

Shorter Thune: Want health care? Get a job.

worse than the too small stimulus but the same bullshit – let’s piss it down to make it bi-partisan and get 0 republican votes. oh yeah, and make the BlueDogs happy.

All the Republics lack is balloons and a clown car.

We’re trying to encourage a more realistic evaluation of the situation, and discuss a range of options within the realm of the “possible.”

What’s that mean, Jane? What cards do we have left to play? The hand is pretty weak at this point, no?

if republicans are smart (most are not) then they won’t go near this with a 10 foot pole and then when unemployment’s at 11-12% in 2010 and healthcare costs are STILL sky high and growing in 2010 they can say four simple words:

” I TOLD YOU SO”

Hey, but it’s teh first step and has never been done and is a step in the right direction and we can always make it better down the road. Right?

Yeah. Right.

Now that I’ve seen many of the worst parts of both bills I’m hoping the vote this evening goes against the bill. For some not even half-assed “public option” Congress, the penultimate corporate interest lackeys, is going to put the country at the mercy of the insurance industry while making huge progress at making abortion illegal again.

We hit the ground running on this one and the lackeys pulled the rug out from under us. Now we can get back up and start working on getting single payer, Medicare for all, whatever you want to call it. It won’t happen next year but we can put single payer on a path to success.

That’s exactly what IS going to happen. Which shows how dumb the Democrats are for coming up with this.

Forrest Gump Bubble Gum + Glenn Beck = Jeff Sessions

That gives me an idea … I’ll put on Wii Boxing when Hatch turn comes …

I’d bet on it except I don’t think I can find anyone willing to bet against it. Jeez, some schmucks report wrong zip codes and they hold it up as evidence that the stimulus is just $ being wasted and thrown down a black hole. they told us so, right?

I read somewhere that Conyers claims Single Payer is alive and gaining strength in Congress.

Wanna bet the Repugs throw a Hail Mary and demand Single Payer, to make the Dems look bad ?

Is Vitter gonna wave a diaper and whine about the price of diapers being driven up by the bill?

They keep talking about how the 800Billion is a LOT of money.

Wasn’t the Bush TARP bill 700B all by itself? And how many billions have we spent in Iraq and Afghanistan? I don’t know the answer, but I’d bet it’s getting up there.

I’ll take that bet.

If you bought one diaper per day, every day since Jesus Christ was born, you still wouldn’t have as many diapers as David “Diapers” Vitter.

Hope so. After this EFCA will get trashed by “our people” and I’m gonna need a break from all this for awhile b/c my head will have exploded – just like I took a break from reading about primaries and caucuses last winter. But the fight will go on.

How’s things on the Gulf coast? Palin gonna be over there? Ms Dimwit is gonna be right near where I work Tuesday night. jeez.

Every time I see that MF my blood pressure gets going too. Democratic governor of New York caught using hookers, resigns. Vitter caught using hookers… *crickets*.

Assholes.

*g*

wait. no TV. I can livestream this right? I’m such a computer imbecile.

You know ,I never could believe that America would become the Land of the easily scared and the home of the stupid.Only 8 short years ago the republicans SCARED America into war of choice in Iraq.(NO WMD HERE ,NO WMD THERE ,AND THEY SPENT a TRILLION DOLLARS CHASING non existent MUSHROOM CLOUDs AND YELLOW CAKE URANIUM THAT NEVER EXISTED.But The republicans did give back to America and it’s families ,4,300 DEAD in Iraq alone and that doesn’t even compare to the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi dead.Then of course they gave us the great depression in the 1920′s,The communist witch hunts of Joe McCarthy in the 1950′s,They gave us the secret bombing in Laos and Cambodia and Watergate in the 1970″s. In the 80′s they sold weapons to Iran for guns in Nicaragua violating the law.In the 1990′s they spent billions of dollars on investigating Clinton and voted for impeachment while New Gingrich was having an affair of his own.Then,they gave you the 2nd great depression last year. Now they are doing everything in their power to stop Obama from doing anything to help the American people because they got their A$$e$ hand to them the last election..AMERICA THE STUPID

LOL

Ratcheer, dood.

Teddy !

I don’t think the Repugs will make it pass, they will do it just to make the Dems look even worse, to their base … like that’s possible.

anybody mentioned yet that socialized medicine doesn’t work in canada and how people are flocking into MI to get health care? or england or someplace?

What do people think of Vitter’s contention that the $750 employer penalty will lead to dumping?

thanks, man

They’re dumb, but they’re not that stupid after wailing about a “government takeover of healthcare” for six decades.

who’s presiding?

going upstairs

Gillibrand was presiding during Vitter’s speech

For BL

Weather’s great. I’m waiting for a call from one of my coworkers. Gotta string an Ethernet cable from the router under the building to my office. Bought a new Windoze 7 machine this week but have to have internet access, which I never had. Always had to go use another machine when I wanted to chat at the Lake. *g* Once I get the new machine up and running I can slap trolls around all day. I don’t think Sarah’s coming to the Tampa Bay area. Thank Wakan Tanka for small favours.

LOL !!! Mebbe Caribou Barbie will make a trip to Toronto … should be worth a chuckle.

Namaste SD !

there was a trollete around yesterday. we don’t usually get those

I typically understand most things that are going on here – but why is the Senate not voting on the House health care bill? Typically they take the House bill, amend it with their version, then send it back for conference.

Instead, they are taking a completely different House bill – and emptying it with an amendment with their own version of Health Care. How do they conference it then?

wow. busy guy.

Jon Walker’s upstairs with s semi-live blog

Get some, Whitehouse.

“very, very hard to find any daylight between the positions of our republican friends, and those of the insurance industry.”

my daughter read all the harry potter books, too.

The difference in the rhetoric between the two parties is quite stunning.

Hell, I read ‘em meself. Great escapism. Fun reads.

Really. Hear all these people Whitehosue is talking about. the R’s are gonna blow them all off. “We’ve heard a bunch of stories today but what about all the stories everyday about how our hard working doctors and nurses save lives>’ wait for it. It won’t be long now. Yeah, yeah

Heh, a co-opted GOP version of a remade filibuster?

Nation wide unemployment just crashed thru to 12.5%, didn’t it?

Ouit here in CA it’s more, and in Sacto County, where I live, it’s easily 16.5% recently reported and as we all know, that means that my county is likely 25% unemployed when you factor in the long term and chronically unemployed who have just stopped looking or reporting to EDD, and have LONG ago had their unemployment bennies run out.

I see NO information that suggest things will get any better jobs wise thru 2011.

Empolyment, or the lack of it, is gonna hang ALL politico’s, thru 2010, and again in ’12, and likely ’14. too.

I don’t think ANYONE is considering the political bloodbath that lies ahead. Voters will stay home, citizens will begin to demonstrate more visibly. It won’t much matter WHO is the majority party.

I think the progs/libs have become better informed, and more aware, but this is a slow, uphill winding train proceeding with our change.

The country, and we the people, are gonna have to end up in the gutter before REAL change is forced upon us all due to survival needs.

Sadly, I don’t think this country has sunk deep enough for real and immediate change to be of necessity and force our elected offals to enact what we need to improve our condition.

But I’ve bought a ticket, I’m on the train, and at this point if my ride won’t actually GET me to the end, I guess, I just got to take the ride as long as I can, and hope things will get better for others down the line.

It ain’t the end life I would have predicted for me and mine 20 years ago, but it’s all we got.

We continue to small down, and lessen our expectations, while finding ways to be happy and have SOME quality of life with less money and less expenditures overall.

On we hope! One and all!