Do you think the “realist” have something? Do they desperately want to get something through before the holdiday period because they fear the liebaggers will have more time to destroy what they have put together?

Is fear motivating them/

Civil rights marches too.

Just seems the ability to hide behind concepts like “Peace through war” have become so much more sophisticated. Don’t know but the amount of thuggery and the ability to walk seems more out of control than ever before. Doug who?

Some countries put elected officials’ assets into a black-box trust while they serve office; specifically so they can’t use their political pulpit to influence markets for their personal enrichment.

Ed Shultz looks drained.Like almost all of us who are immensely disappointed by the Dem Part and it’s pathetic leadership.

Boy, Jane, I don’t know how you do it. I come in here, day after day, read the blogs, read stuff at some other sites, watch KO & Rachel, and get more depressed by the day.

Things seem so horrible on EVERY front: if it’s not the “demise of the public option,” it’s Obama’s “peace through war” crap.

It just feels like we’re losing on every front, and there are so many fronts to lose on!!!

I feel horribly, miserably discouraged. I lived through Nixon, Vietnam and the 60′s; through Reagan, and like everyone here, through Bush. But i swear this is as bad as I’ve ever seen it, specifically because those who were supposed to be our allies and our heroes have turned out to have feet of clay or be outright enemies.

Thank you for all you do. I’ll continue to write and donate, but God, this feels awful.

I suggest that what is REALLY needed is publicly funded elections. Otherwise we are going to be fighting with lobbyists again and again. The Senator from AETNA has demonstrated that he can orchestrate quite a delaying strategy by merely threatening a filibuster.

I’m hoping this doesn’t become necessary, but if Obama does give in on his principles, I’ve got an idea of who could challenge him in 2012 on the left and hold his feet to the fire: Ed Schultz/Jane Hamsher! Seriously, you take the radio/TV world Ed represents, the activist/blog world Jane does, and that’s millions upon millions. We’ve got to organize and use our leverage. Or Howard Dean could just run again. His appearance on Rachel was like Jane pt. 2 for all the times he mentioned her. This line said it best, though (paraphrasing):

“We’re basically on the same side. I don’t always agree with her, but her role is vital because someone has to hold them accountable.”

I could not say it better myself, even if I sometimes think Jane hits Obama and even Reid a little hard, I almost always agree with her on the underlying policy in question…and most importantly someone always has to be holding Obama accountable and Jane’s often one of the most effective at doing that.