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Finally, all it takes is the possibility of losing a Senate seat in Massachusetts plus tanking poll numbers for House Democrats for Congressional leaders to admit they really only need a simple majority in the Senate to pass health care reform.
“Even before Massachusetts and that race was on the radar screen, we prepared for the process of using reconciliation,” said Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
“Getting health-care reform passed is important,” Van Hollen said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” airing this weekend. “Reconciliation is an option.”
Using reconciliation has been an option for months. Democrats should have started the reconciliation process back in September when it was clear that Republicans had no intention of working on a bipartisan bill. The bill would have been signed before Christmas if they had gone that route.
Instead, Harry Reid spent months watering it down until it could get 60 votes. Senate Democrats engaged in a terrible process of giving into every one of the insane and nonsensical demands from Joe Lieberman, Ben Nelson, and Blanche Lincoln. They removed some of the most popular components, made it clear the Senate was bought by the big health insurance companies, and showed that the Senate Democratic caucus is a completely non-functional group.
Democrats made the bill terrible to win Joe Lieberman’s, Ben Nelson’s, and Blanche Lincoln’s support. And now Van Hollen admits that they did not need to. They could have passed a bill without giving into this handful of conservative senators. It was always possible to pass a bill with a public option, and it is still possible. Instead, they are going to force people to buy an expensive, low quality product from the same poorly regulated private insurance companies that helped ruin our health care system in the first place. I would not want to be the one selling that decision during the next election.
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As I’ve said before reconciliation is not going to happen but if it were used it would be used solely to impose the corporate will.
(The oligarchic will, actually…)
There’d be a lot of sweet nothings added in order to obscure that fact, possibly even that fig leaf of a public option after it had been safely watered down into uselessness, but the corporate shit sandwich would lie at the core of a reconciliation vote.
But that would mean a little too much exposure for comfort for even these leeches so reconciliation won’t happen.
But if events were somehow forced to reconciliation then they’d pass the corporate version regardless of how it looked.
Of course reconciliation is the backup plan. Harry Reid almost used it a month ago when Lieberman rejected the Medicare buy in – “let’s not do it his way” – see today’s NYT mag.
Reconcilliation HAS ALWAYS BEEN a very real option. Isn’t the Obama Administration’s agenda clear to everyone by now? Obama has relied upon old style Chicago polital muscle to turn much needed HealthCare Reform into a immense & thoroughly corrupt giveaway to PHARMA. This is obvious & irrefutable.
Had Obama acknowledged HealthCare Reform needed only 51 votes, he couldn’t possibly sold Congress a Bill that is so one-sided. (Think about it – Obama’s trying to MAKE Americans buy something from PRIVATE companies WITHOUT putting in place ANY realistic controls on those companies!) Not enough? If he only needed 51 votes would Obama have been able to shut down Dorgan’s amendment? This has been a set-up from day 1 & we’re the chumps.
I strongly believe Progressives’ only bright light in this very dark tunnel is if Coakley’s defeated & House Reps. finally get the message – we voted for “hope & change we can believe in”, we will not settle for less.
What about the argument that you hear about the standard use of reconciliation. That the history of using reconciliation is not used to create legislation as the new health care reform is doing ( can not block those with pre-existing conditions, drop people when they get sick, parents can keep kids on until 26 yada yada). That reconciliation is used to expand all ready existing programs or standing legislation.
Let’s say that this was Reid/ Pelosi’s game plan the whole time, knowing that the Senate (HoJo, Nelson) would not have the 60 votes and they would get through what they could and then expand through reconciliation.
Senator Harkin kept repeating that they would “revisit” the “public option”
Could this have been the thought out strategy the whole time? Although the caving into Pharma early on was so pathetic
While I would love reconciliation to be used,
the history of this fiasco is that at every step along the way,
the current proposal has been worse than the last one.
My guess is that will continue, even under reconciliation.
Reconciliation will be used to let the horrible (the Senate bill) be the enemy of the almost palatable (the House bill).
I they got some guts and went with Reconciliation eliminated pre-existing conditions got the anti-trust back in and added better abortion language there polls would go back up. And finally if the would open up Medicare for all, I would be happy and so would there base.
The short answer is “You are clutching at straws.”
(metaphor: a drowning person clutching at wisps of vegetation that cannot possibly keep them afloat.)
The last time they had a “clever plan” it was the FISA kabuki.
That would be the ultimate irony wouldn’t it.
Reconciliation without a public option would certainly demonstrate that the White House knows how to use power but chooses not to use it for progressive ends. That would not be news around here, but maybe some light bulbs would go on over some other heads.
These Democrats are more insane than I already thought.
This is by no means an attack but a careful observation. They make all these deals and then say, we only need 51 votes. So, why not bring back the things which idiots like Blanche Lincoln, Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson did not like. Get rid of the abortion limits and bring back the public option.
But, no, the Democrats and Obama are quite content on using the 51 vote margin to pass this still crappy-ass bill.
The Dems are pathetic.
I think perhaps the Obama White House may be waking up to political reality and especially if he wants to win a second term and all. This Coakley race should wipe the smug face of Rahm Emanuel away and all other jerky Democrats who have marginalized the progressive and left wing of the Democratic Party.
For it’s in low turnout elections that the left wing of the Democratic Party show up in droves compared to those centrists who prefer the bigger elections……
I hope somebody can wipe the smug out of Mr. Emanuel and other glib characters in the Obama White House such as Mr. Gibbs and David Axelrod…..It’s obvious these novices in the Obama White House are running scared right now and are a very confused bunch without any real personal or political backbone or real convictions other than political expediency.
But we can’t use reconciliation, because… because… *blubbers*…
My understanding is that if they use reconciliation, it sunsets in 10 years, at which point whoever is running things can just let the whole thing disappear if they wish. This is not a prospect that makes me feel very optimistic.
i dont know if it is better to let them Dimocrats lose in MA, and then it would push them to reconciliation and realize that the progressive base is more important than faux centrism.
Everyone in the middle loves a fighter, not a push over, especially if the alternative to fighting is a WH and party that talks tough but ALWAYS rolls over for corporate interests.
Just when is the WH and Congress going to stand up to Billy Tauzin’s Pharma and the laundering of AHIP money through Chamber Ads???
The trouble with betting on a Coakley is that with the Dimocrats, you never know if a loss will so cow them that they will run from the field and just give up.
Now there’s no doubt anymore that the Democrats are shameless corporatist sellouts who have betrayed the American people.
They wouldn’t use reconciliation to pass a public option or anything else that would be something of real health care reform, but they will use reconciliation to ensure that their friends in the insurance and pharmaceutical industries get all the gifts and giveaways at the American people’s expense.
reconciliation is used to expand all ready existing programs or standing legislation.”
exactly
So Medicare buy in from age zero is the budget recon proposal, along with Medicaid expansion.
The rest of the ins rules can be put into a separate bill, which also establishes risk sharing so those underwriting rules can fly without a mandate, and since they are popular the GOP will vote for them (the gov pays for running the risk pool system – so there is a give away the GOP will vote for – indeed subsidy to buy could be a bi-partisan part of the bill – or not – it does not matter as long as there is no mandate since it will pass eventually and indeed may not be needed given Medicare buy-in).
If Coakley loses maybe Rahm and Obama can wine and dine Olympia Snowe for the sixtieth vote.
sorry but i’m stupid, can i just ask wtf ever happened that 51 ceased to beat 49, and now some greased pole of “reconciliation” must be climbed to simply apply math? honest to fuck, i really don’t get it. oh, and filibuster schmilibuster.
Budget Recon will sunset in 10 years – but no new useful popular program will be allowed to sunset, and as with the Bush tax cuts for the rich where parts were made permanent, this bill will be made permanent in the future before the 10 years run out.
If they’re going to use reconciliation and in fact it does sunset after 10 years, it would be a great time to put in everything that democrats want (I mean real democrats not the Lieberliar types).
If it’s working the way it’s supposed to work no one will have the nerve to take it away. The plan will be in operation for 6 years (they could move the date up as well) at the very least.
I don’t believe anyone could have taken social security away after 6 years — so let them try.
maybe losing wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all. whether we lose MA or not makes very little differences. The only differences this time is that B.O can’t use the 60th vote rule to get his corporate agenda going.
well, i haven’t been here in awhile and I’m pissed. i’d feel better if i could just call somebody an asshole and get that off my chest but i don’t know who.
Allow me…;)) I think I can give you a few
Yea, maybe they will be forced to pass legislation afterall.
Primrose, you and papau seem to think that 10 years from now, sane and responsible people will be running the country. I wish I shared that optimism.
No kidding, rules can’t be broken for progressive legislative goals, but it is no problem at all to dispense with them for conservative/corporate ones.
By definition I am a Masshole, but for Van Hollen, we can drop the “M” ; )
I logged in to this site because i am concerned about the completely counterproductive leftnut politics of which it seems to be the origin. yes, obama has corporate ties. HE IS A BETTER ALLY THAN THE TEABAGGERS. He is also a savvy political operative that will work to achieve liberal goals. Please pressure him from the left, we all do. But, please do not betray the rest of us to do it.
“Democrats made the bill terrible to win Joe Lieberman’s, Ben Nelson’s, and Blanche Lincoln’s support.”
I think that was just the cover to please the corporate lobbyists between blaming the likes of Lieberman (Obama’s mentor) and the Republicans while setting up the false 60 vote non-requirement. Simply go nuclear and turn the Senate into majority rules, so you don’t even has to worry about the downside of using reconciliation.
The question is, of course, if they go to reconciliation will they give us a real public option.
And, if they won’t, then, my 2c, they can put reconciliation where the sun don’t shine.
The last time I checked the tea party wasn’t trying to turn us all into serfs. If you want serfdom, get your fill at a ren fair.
In other words, do just enough to register disapproval, but not enough to topple the applecart.
We have tried that. It seems not to have worked.
Welcome to The Lake.
One possible future problem: if the dems do this now, and then the repubs manage to take both houses of congress and THEN go after Social Security to use it to cover their asses for another shot at letting Wall Street run hog-assed wild, what can we do about it?
If SS goes, we’re the fucking Weimar Republic in 1930.
We are not your problem. The Dems have lost the independent voters. That is your problem. Perhaps if you could log in to the WH web site and pressure them to move left to bring the indies back that might get us somewhere. Thanks!
He who hesitates is lost.
Faint Heart never won fair maiden.
You have a lot of cathcing up to do. Lotta history here. But welcome.
So the Dems are going to use Reconciliation to pass the Obama Plan as is rather than use Reconciliation to pass the Public Option? Heck with Reconciliation we probably could pass National Healthcare now.
It’s the new new math, that they learned under Shrub’s wonderful system ‘No Political Idjits Left Out of Office’. /s
How do you spell corrupt? c-o-n-g-r-e-s-s and p-r-e-z.
In this world there are two kinds of dog owners… those who walk their dog and those whose’ dog walks them. Democrats are the latter. So the democrat dogs in congress and senate really want the corporations to promise they will fund their campaigns and offer them lucrative post “national service” jobs doing bribery or otherwise wielding influence. But those dirty dogs have a problem… they pretend to represent the interests of we the people (the dogs owner) and they pretend to do our bidding… So those democrat dogs have to sell us on the shit sandwich (I like that term lol) that they’ve promised to deliver the corporations. The gist of these democrat dogs sales pitch is this: vote for us… we’re not as bad as the other guys and we really promise to look out for you in the future (snicker snicker). Ya right… some people are morons and buy that incessant slick willy weasel sales pitch. But not every democrat and progressive is a God damn moron! Most who have actually owned a dog (rather than vice versa) know that “behavioral science” is actually quite simple… YOU DON’T REWARD BAD BEHAVIOR! INFACT YOU DISCIPLINE FOR BAD BEHAVIOR AND YOU REWARD FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR!
If Democrats ever hope to get their dog in control they had better tune out the pied pipers, and do exactly what the situation calls for: boot every last one of those turncoat assholes to the curb! We can’t let those turncoat bastards screw us over again and again and again! I say start the impeachment; ObamaRahma has got to go!
PS GO BROWN
If SS goes, there will be pitchforks and torches in the streets, because that’s most of the retirement funds for this country. They pushed IRAs and 401(k)s as a way of getting people to not depend on SS, but SS is way more reliable than the alternatives.
So here’s my Q: If PhRMA and insurance corps don’t want HCR, why are they trying to bail out Coakley at the last minute?
The GOP is walked by its owners also, but they all keep falling off the curb into the gutter.
Because they’re afraid that reconciliation will get them the House bill?
Try looking at the situation objectively, not through what you read in the media and you will see that Obama is not, and never has been a liberal.
His ascendancy in Illinois was aided greatly by the Pritzgers, he voted for cloture on Roberts *then* voted against him when he knew it did not count. He speaks *very* well, but he has seldom walked the talk.
I knew all this when I voted for him in the Presidential election, and will likely do so again.
But I have had no pleasant surprises since his election, and refuse to crawl into the “we must support the worst policies of the Democrats because we need to make them look good”
The selection of Rahm Emanuel as COS is a perfect indication of what pressure from the left will be heeded. Large campaign funding is the only pressure they understand. Sure there were record numbers of $20 contributions but none of get squat for it.
I am done contributing to the Dems until I see substantial change.
I honestly wonder how much worse a McCain presidency would be.
I remember some people saying it wouldn’t be so bad if Bush was elected in 2000. Wow was that wrong.
Vote for Coakley.
earlofhuntingdon’s diary is promoted!
Bankers and Colonialists: Krugman on Wall Street; Brooks on Haiti
Gee now that single payer and the public option are history reconciliation is brought on board . And you think playing hard ball is to radical ? Wise up folks , these people will only listen if you threaten their hold on power unambiguously !
Stop coddling the democrats , they could cared less about the progressives agenda , They just let you know that the public’s wishes were unimportant but when the corporations reform is in question they are prepared to do what we are not ….. go nuclear .
We don’t want to be taken seriously obviously or are too timid to risk it .
I thought the Q was rhetorical. Your A is one way to put it, but too fine a point. It’s because they make a lot more profits with any kind of HCR than without it. All those new customers to rip off, no constraints on costs, they’ll get around pre-existing condition restraints lickety split (my favorite words of late), and capture the low income subsidy. Coakley donations are just revealing their real goal.
Aren’t you assuming that they’re talking about using reconciliation to pass a public option or anything else that would be reform?
I read Van Hollen as saying that they’re talking about using reconciliation to pass the crap that’s in the Senate’s bill.
When Van Hollen and other Dems say “Getting health-care reform passed is important,” they don’t mean real health care reform. They mean getting something passed that will make their friends at AHIP and PhRMA happy, something that they will call health care reform, though it is not.
I helped create those Lefty Politics:) and sorry but when a Woman or a President, Political Party etc takes you for granted it is better to say your leaving before you do leave to give them one last chance. One last chance to change their ways to give us a reason to stay/vote Dem.
On Ending the Wars, on Healthcare, on Creating Jobs, on keeping people in their Homes Obama has failed so why vote Dem?
Free access to health care
For all citizens and guests
Based on need
Are there any objections?
Who will deny readily accessible, timely, high quality health care as a right based on need?
Please name the persons you will not treat.
Please name the care you will not give.
Justify the deaths you refuse to prevent.
Make the opposition own denial of care and exclusions
Anyone not covered will still cost everyone more for last resort ER treatments, than early interventions.
You have got to be kidding me. In the era of the imperial Presidency you’re equating a freshman Senator with the President of the United States? You’re losing your grip on reality there dude, take a deep breath.
PJEvans @ 43: I hope you’re right, and, you probably are. That the asshats are STILL toying with trying to get their hands on social security again, considering what we’re going through, is a pretty good yardstick for just how batshit crazy they are.
…Isn’t all of this moot since Van Hollen is in the House and has little to no control over what the Senate actually does?
If Reid doesn’t want to use reconciliation, does it really matter what Van Hollen says or thinks?
My guess is “no”…
A freshman senator who will only serve for two years to boot !
If a bill is passed through reconciliation that lacks a strong public option my animosity for the democratic establishment will go to a completely different level .
I’ve had it !
swopa is upstairs!
Iraq Continues to Prove Their War Was Never About Us… Well, Mostly
Reconciliation do you think the Senate and Congress would pass Medicare buy in if we choose.Would Obama sign the bill if Medicare buy in came to him.
The filibuster proof majority was absolutely the worst thing that happened as it gave an inordinately powerful voice/vote to DINOs. With 59 votes or fewer, and Republicans voting against every publicly favored bill, Reid will be forced to shoot the undemocratic filibuster in the face unless they want to deadlock the Senate for the remainder of Obama’s Presidential stint.
Go Scott Brown!
Jason Rosenbaum is upstairs…
To the pissed off progressives: Don’t be Naderites
I think both bills do get rid of pre-existing conditions. They just don’t address ever-increasing premiums and deductible amounts, very well.
Why do we trust our politicians anymore? They have proven themselves to be corrupt liars and brigands. I only trust Dennis K and a handful of others that are making me nervous each day. He’s saying this because he sees the writing on the wall…they will lose MA and have to go with 51 votes now. Complete jerks.
The strategy from the left at this point should be obvious since it has been seen to work. The left should make it clear to the Democrats that they can not count on our vote if they intend to pass the punative HCR Senate bill and other anti popular measures.
If they persist in doing so they will continue to be voted out of office since the Republican party is united in their oppostiton. We will continue to push for truly progressive candidates who are reliable and committed to abide by the preferneces of the majority of voters.
The Democrats will be in a true dilemma since ideologically they are more aligned with business intersts than with our own and they will need to choose which interests they will serve. We on the left will in essence need to assume the role of the opposition to business interest party since there currently is none.
We will need to exert the leverage we apparently possess and if the Democrats are willing to lay the blame for the hostility directed their way on the left then we should actually give them something to complain about.
I received a survey from the DCCC recently asking for $$$. On the survey, they asked questions that were progressive–yet, they were not doing any of it at this time even though they’ve had a year to get these things done or at least put on the agenda.
I responded and sent the survey back in stating “When you start acting like Democrats, I will start donating money.” I’ll probably be dead before they start acting like Democrats.
Directive to all Mass. Democrats. Vote for Brown. Fuck the interests of the Democratic party. This would be good for the nation. It would mean going to reconciliation down the stretch on Health Care, etc. The kabuki theater would mercifully end. If there is a God, he would vote for Brown.
It should make you feel great if they passed health care reform with a public option and deleted the anti-trust provision.
Middle class Americans would save a lot of money on premiums over 10 years and the Rethugs would not think of repealing it.
Most Rethugs now say positive things about Medicare for Seniors b/c it’s so popular. Same thing would happen here.
I’m still hoping Coakley loses and the applecart gets tipped over.
This would then force Presidents Obama and Rahm to look at their losing strategy.
Coakley losing is the best way to get a better health care reform bill with a public option and anti-trust deletion.
Won’t help costs and won’t stop the insurers from looting the treasury… and that’s assuming the anti-trust laws were actually enforced after the bill was signed. Hint: that’s not been an Obama administration strong point.
The anti-trust exemption repeal is a “sweet nothing” sound bite that sounds great and yet will do actually do very little to inconvenience the corporations and will do absolutely nothing for the rest of us.
I am just so shocked. While spending months trying to attract any republican to do something beneficial for America all they got was bribe demands from the likes of Baucus and Landrieu and were deserted by such clowns as Liebermann and Snowe. What kind of a gastly bill will be passed under reconciliation? Stay tuned. Since we did close Gitmo we could take the savings from there… to … never mind.
Finally they are willing to do it. But like you said it’s a gutted bill.
Maybe as part of compromise between senate and house, they can put it back in and pass it with reconciliation.
Using Lieberman, Lincoln, Landrieu and Snowe was an excuse so they could get a bill that industry liked and WH agreed with. It was all a created drama.
The anti-trust exemption could be court challenge, there is no legal reason for it. Unfortunately supreme court is dominated by the right and would never pass.
I’m really dubious that the plan from the beginning was to “get through what is possible” in the Senate with 60 votes and then revisit the issue using reconciliation. Occam’s Razor and all that.
What has become obvious is that the plan for healthcare, from the beginning, was to neutralize PhARMA and AHIP at the outset by giving them a sweetheart deals that included no public option, no negotiations on drugs, and no re-importation. Then they completely ignored efforts in the House and declared the Baucus bill the only acceptable version. They took the path of least resistance in order to pass something that could be spun as great healthcare reform.
It was a cynical, despicable plan from the beginning and has Rahm Emanuel’s contempt for progressives written all over it. Emanual and Obama believed they would reap outsized benefits from the affected industries in terms of political contributions and support that would have otherwise gone to GOPers. This was a plan to screw the people in exchange for political advantage from the beginning. The entire thing has been a sickening display of massive corporate pandering of the DLC-Clinton variety.
David Sirota is right – the two major political parties are BOTH owned by corporate interests. Where’s the Grange movement when you need them?
I don’t think they will do anything until their healthcare is no longer guaranteed by taxpayers. We have to eliminate it somehow.
Until the industry money is out of election funding, this will continue. It has corrupted our entire democracy.
Worse, this bill will entrench the corporations in the government…
… which is why the oligarchs… the plutocrats who exercise de facto control over the corporations and yet comprise less than >1% of the population… they will see to it that the core of this bill goes through no matter what else passes.
And the bill is designed to insure that there will be no going back.
They had their chance and blew it. The time has passed for HCR, yet again. Isn’t it clear by now that Obama had NO intention of getting a progressive bill to his desk? I don’t even listen to him any more. I see his mouth move and turn the channel. This includes my congress people –Levin, Stabenow and Dingell. They all caved. The system is so corrupt, I doubt change will ever be possible unless we have another civil war, a revolution or a major cataclysmic event that turns much of the country to rubble. Save your money, grow your own food, and vote the incumbents out.
You are right. If this current health care bill passes, it’s all over.
The medical insurance companies and big pharma will be so entrenched there will be no going back.
Progressives please stay home in the MA race. It’s the only way to call the bluff on the Rahm’s of the world.
Last chance imo.
that makes sense. All ready existing programs
I am a peasant trying hard to understand. Just considering that due to all of the failings in the past to reform health care that the alleged effort to “incrementally” shift the perverted system is the only way to get it through. Just considering that they know a great deal more than me
Pelosi may be our best bet. She was consistently for the public option. If she does not have the votes or there is sufficient opposition from a couple of dems just as stubborn on the opposite side as the senate ones, may be there could be a better compromise between the chambers.
I thought they were not going thru another vote, ping-pong ing the legislation.
Medicare for all would have been so much easier.
Why is the Coakley thing really such a big deal (well other than the HCR bill)? In 2010 the Dems will lose at the very least one seat, and with it the magic, bogus, 60. So Martha’s win only delays the inevitable by a year. No significant legislation is going to be taken up before the elections. Nothing progressive is going to pass with Joe Lieberman being given all the power (or lobbyists, whichever) so–so what?
… And what does it tell you when you realize that “they” are indeed incrementally shifting the plan… but in the direct opposite of the direction you wanted it to go?
And when you realize that now, in addition to heading in the opposite direction, “they” are tipping it over the edge of a steep hill from which there is no climbing back up?
“Incremental” is what you wanted to hear when you realized something was seriously amiss and thus “they” told you “incremental!”
“They” told the truth… and in doing so “they” lied.
You’ll get “incremental”… the way the boiling frog got “incremental.”
I definitely questioned the “incremental” rap. Kept asking how do you move the other way (towards a public option or medicare buy in) after you have all ready put billions in the pockets of the insurance industry and Pharma?
Just keep remembering when Clinton stood on the stage at NN09 shaking his finger at the crowd. Reminding us of the failures in health care reform in the past
And apparently the Big Dog’s solution now to his failure to stand up to the corporations back then is… to give up and kneel to the corporations.
imo the public option in competition with private insurance was a bogus policy based on neoliberal fallacies and precapitulation was a bogus strategy. and that’s why they had to put so much effort into selling it to progressives.
my mistake was thinking that the po would be killed via flawed or absent regulation rather than outright. i didn’t think the dems had the guts to do it in plain sight like that. my bad.
Isn’t Dennis K. cool?I’m from the Cleveland area and we love him,he’s always opposed the war.And any idiot should realize without a strong public option a mandate is politicle suicide.I’m really torn on the Mass. election.It would suck for BO to be a lame duck, but if he keeps on making bad policy,maby he should be.
It is a big statement to how inept these pollutions are that they are only now admitting this, after fully neutering any chance of having meaningful healthcare reform.
In the end, I think this is more of an indication that the Democrats don’t want true reform any more than the Republicans do, as they are getting paid from the same lobbyists…
The problem is, the Dems always take away the wrong message from these defeats.
The slaughter of 1994 was a DIRECT RESULT of NAFTA, and Rahm thinks it’s because health care didn’t pass.
Democratic voters are staying home & independents are switching BECAUSE the Dems are making slimy deals with Wall Street & the Health industry parasites.