When you pursue bipartisanship despite this, it is not a virtue but a weakness. The cost is death of thousands of people who voted for obama. Repubs senators did not elect him. This is a betrayal of voters, and the weakest president in history when elected with over 70% mandate for public option. Same with banks. We need a leader.

Jon, you have called this precisely correct.

You might as well be a tree falling quietly in the forest for all the difference truth-telling seems to make these days (daze?)

The Kabuki must go on.

DW

Thank you DW. Every now and than the meme finally bubbles up.

Rahm needs the GOP SO much to negotiate the HCR bill away from Progressives and towards something more acceptable to his corporate financial backers.

I’m starting to suspect that Obama is simply a place-holder whose sole purpose is to convince the American voter that nothing can be done.

From the perspective of our rulers, a public truly convinced of the futility of hope would be ‘progress’.

I might add, that on that count, he’s doing a bang-up job.

Yes yes yes yes yes…..NO!

from the Vicar of Dildo..Joe Liberman.

The Dems put themselves into an impossible no-win position. “New” democrats (aka stupid Democrats) mistakenly believe the cans sell their base a bunch of lies then court the corporations for campaign funding and post elective-office cushy jobs peddaling influence. Eventually they expose themselves as the liars (backstabbing traitors acutally) that they all are. (Few noted exceptions Kucinich Kaptur etc.) Obambi is definitely a “New” democrat. Heres the start of a good book that says it much better than I:
http://www.stopmebeforeivoteagain.org/stopme/
Democrats need to go the way of the dodo so progressives can begin to form governable coalitions within the one party system.

It is hard to picture how adopting a few Republican ideas and making some minor modifications

It was adopting Republican ideas into HCR last summer that sent the bill from 70% support to less than 40%. Putting even more Republican tenets into it should drop it to Bush even Cheney level numbers.

Good analogy, and I couldn’t agree with you more. If it looks like a duck & quacks like one, etc. BHO sure looks like this is deliberate for whatever mendacious reason.

Speaking of “bang up job,” I feel like banging my head against a brick wall. Right now that seems like a whole lot more fun than watching/listening to this ka-puke-i show.

Obama stands at sidelines and is mute all the while Republican fascism rolls over the country in blitzkrieg fashion.

What more could we ask from a Dem leader?

Republican fascism? It’s a corporate supremacist ideology that’s driving all this. This ideology may be stronger among Republicans, but there plenty of corporate supremacists among the Democrats, too.

OT

If you haven’t yet voted for 2010 FDL Fire Dogs, please consider voting for John Hall (NY19 R+3).

See my FDL Fire Dogs: Vote for John Hall (NY-19).

One of John Hall’s Facebook supporters calls attention on his Facebook wall to calculations Nate Silver presented at the end of 2009; in 2009′s Most Valuable Democrat Is… (Dec 23, 2009), Nate listed John Hall as one of the 25 MVDs (Most Valuable Democrats).

Indeed, judging from Nate’s chart, what makes John Hall so valuable is the same thing that now makes him so vulnerable: he’s a two-term solid progressive in a R+3 district.

Please make John Hall your first choice for 2010 FDL Fire Dogs, or at least one of your three when you vote!

The kind of kabuki that engenders no confidence that things like this will be dealt with swiftly in the public good:

“The Department of Health said late Monday there appears to be ‘a very large area’ at the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor contaminated with radioactive tritium, and contamination levels continue to rise. [..]
He said the area of contamination was roughly from the reactor building to the Connecticut River. [..] The first indication of the contamination showed up in November in one of three 2007 monitoring wells and the levels quickly rose starting in January. New wells, closer to the reactor and turbine buildings, show contamination in extremely high levels.”

- from “Tritium hot zone expands” (http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20100209/NEWS02/2090342/1003/NEWS02)

voted for Hall on the first day. Really like him.

great comment. it probably is true that they need and other or a boogieman to scare the left into something they dont want.

The OBAMA Hope a Dope continues.

Obama and Rahm are not friends of progressives.

Progressives must not let the TROJAN HORSE name Obama stop the progressive movement.

In 2008 the nation wanted a leader who would govern from the left, not the center right. (the elites knew this, and created the TROJAN HORSE name Obama to demoralize the left and progressives)

Corporate supremacist ideology…defines Republican fascism. I don’t think it’s Dem voter ideology..just a few greedy Denocratic leaders. The bad guys and gals Ds and Rs are really Republican fascists.

Taxation without representation!

When will the corporation get the right to vote?

I’m sorry that I was so sick for most of the time that the voting was on. I would have started campaigning for him from the first day and made sure he was in the top five from day one!

My only reason for not calling it Republican fascism is that it’s an ideology that exists in both parties. In other words, voters shouldn’t vote for the candidate with a “D” after his or her name as if that solves the problem of Republican fascism. It doesn’t always solve it at all.

I think the first time I saw the term “corporate supremacist ideology” was in Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine.

Republicans “no means no”
http://crooksandliars.com/

Is this where Obama is playing 11 th dimensional chess? Will he be able to turn around and say I tried everything to pull them into the process. I can still dream

One would imagine so, Jon.

But, have we any proof of this “Bubble-up” theory?

Is it as pithy as “Tricke-down”?

Does it have “traction” or is it (as so much is today, but wishful thinking?), I ask because I’ve seen little evidence, “down here” to suggest that there is any receptivity “UP THERE”.

;~(

DW

Advocates for single payer are arrested. ARRESTED! The health insurance companies and the Republican Party and the Democratic Party must be destroyed.

Hall has introduced a lot of good bills for vets. That makes him one of the good guys to me.

take off from @10 and @11

All things, so to speak, “are for a reason… ” In this case the novelty of this presidency enjoys phenomenal acquiescence and overindulgence. So he is empowered to flop around and be the doorstop you mentioned. And the whole circus that is his inner and outer contingent.
What was sought after the deconstruction years, was only… more, space, to let it all percolate. What the next stage may be, that’s the 64$ ?? another Pearl event?
It is too easy to lose sight of the monumental divergence from: “our hitherto acceptable norms of human conduct,” That are in transitional stages even now.
All that was wanted is a plug in the pipeline. perfect!

I only mentioned all of John Hall’s work for veterans near the end of my diary, but the image shows him successfully getting over $100,000 in VA benefits for a WWII veteran who waited over 60 years to get them! He presented the check to the WWII veteran in 2008.

That was only one of the reasons I like John Murtha so much. He understood the true costs of war and our need to be there for those who pay so much when serving our country.

within the one party system.

Would that be the Communist Party?

Yeah, and so have anti-war protesters. It’s called civil disobedience, where the object of the exercise is to be arrested.

Obama will not give in to the legislative demands from Republicans.

Um, no. The Senate bill is what it is today precisely because of giving in to Republicans. And pseudo-Democratic Republican DINOs.

Insurer Denies Life-Prolonging Treatment To Five-Year-Old Boy With Cancer

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/02/09/insurer-boy-cancer/

I totally agree with you.

Did I miss something, what part of the Senate Bill is progressive?

The idea that the GOP does not want to vote for this HCR scam Bill is a Joke, at the end of the day, the Senate Bill is a Republican Bill.

Obama is not a progressive.

Agreed. Another reason why the Democratic and Republican parties must be destroyed.

OR:
After all the nail biting and inside baseball the current administration is just buying time, for the monumental rearaingement of the deck chairs here on the poop deck… or for the peeps to adjust to their new seroundings, with the new understandings, that are in the works, etc etc… Thanks again.

To be replaced with what?

Obama is not a progressive.

That’s the second time you’ve said that on this thread. Are you just now figuring that out?

To be replaced by men and women who are responsive to the needs of the people and loyal to the constitution.

That doesn’t tell me anything. Surely you can be more specific than that.

That is a pretty good question, SD.

What do you think the extant political parties should be replaced with?

Something similar or something vastly different?

Dare we (someday, in the far-distant future, ya know, “looking forward” and all) dream of actual, participatory democracy, or do we remain dependent upon the high priests to carry the message on high, kind of like having a priest carry your messages to Gawd so that HE won’t be offended by uncouthness etc.?

One doth wonder …

DW

The problem is that Obama does not want to do anything ‘too disruptive.’

But the choice for Americans re: HCR is clear. We move towards government control or towards individual control our health care insurance purchases. Both option are inherently disruptive to the status quo.

Limited government, tea party activists are now hard at work influencing the debate and participating in primary elections by nominating candidates that seek to curb the expensive expansion of the federal government.

Ending employer-based health insurance will benefit all of us as we become more engaged consumers forcing the market to respond to our demands for high quality, lower costs and more choices.

Anti-free market progressives will no doubt disagree with this assertion but right now the public has no appetite for expanding entitlements administered by a system that is entrenched and corrupt.

OT, Thom Hartman is interviewing a woman that has a web site

willmarryforhealthinsurance.com

What has the nation become???

Do you perceive any difference between the “public” and the “people”?

SouthernDragon

I was responding to oregondave.

To many of us assume that Obama hates Republicans. Obama does not hate Republicans he is one of them.

Obama always gives in to DINOs and the GOP

http://www.willmarryforhealthinsurance.com/

The future of the nation.

http://www.willmarryforhealthinsurance.com/

Unless and until we have meaningful campaign finance reform party makeup is irrelevant. Parliamentary governments have the same problem. Corporations have increasingly more influence on American’s lives simply because many members of Congress have put their own interests ahead of the interests of the people they represent. It’s evident that the 2 party system is a system in dire straits. We also have to do something about the percentage of people in our country who don’t bother to register to vote, much less vote.

Yeah Jon, I sincerely agree the Morlocks are clearly winning by daring the Eloi to govern. I am gobsmacked to see how this administration did not see their transparent strategy months ago.

Obama’s a neoliberal. What did you expect?

Obama is nothing more than an opportunist who will allow himself to be perceived by anyone to be whatever they want him to be. That may get you elected but it is not leadership. I would respect Obama more as a leader if he were to choose a side and make a coherent argument.

We can have change only when the majority of Americans, not just politicians, agree with the policy proposed by a leader.

Right now, despite the delusions of progressives and this administration the majority of Americans want to scrap this bill or do nothing.

Get the economy back on track and reign in federal spending, promote the private sector creation of productive, sustainable jobs, reform existing entitlement programs and then perhaps we will be willing to place our trust once again Washington DC.

Corporations have too much influence because there is too much control, too much power, too much money concentrated in DC. The only way to limit the influence is to limit the role of the federal government.

What is a neo-liberal? Let’s face it…Obama is simply NOT a leader.

promote the private sector creation of productive, sustainable jobs

So you support rebuilding the country’s manufacturing capabilities rather than outsourcing it? If so, how would you bring manufacturing back to the US?

No.

You could start by cherry picking two men from the useless and corrupt parties under discussion. Kucinich and Ron Paul. One from each party and with differing ideologies. Both well known with long records of service to make it easy for you to Google them. Compare and contrast them to the leaders of their respective parties. I trust that you will learn to distinguish between public service and corporate prostitution before you are half way through this exercise.

Next, try to imagine a political party led by one or the other of these two men. Call it the SouthernDragon Party. Now you are getting the idea.

Neo-liberalism.

As a neoliberal Obama is doing quite well to further that agenda.

Re your 49. So you would shift all the power to corporations by limiting the regulating powers of the federal government? I think we’ve had a good taste of that philosophy since the repeal of Glass-Stegal.

I’ve been a political activist for over 40 years. Ron Paul is a non starter. You might want to refer to Early Morning Swim this morning for a discussion about Paul. I’d like to see what Kucinich could do as a party builder if given half a chance by the corporate media.

Apparently your questions to me were rhetorical. My apologies.

This legislation is crap. There is way too much junk in it that is just a corporate handout so that K-street funds the democrats for 2010 and 2012. That is not what the citizens voted for. Starting over is not a bad idea. The democrats still have majorities, and they still aren’t filibuster proof. And yes accept some of the republican’s good ideas (taking good ideas from any ideology was promised on the campaign trail). I do believe McCain suggested the excise tax (or some variant) on the campaign trail. If a bill that actually works for the citizens comes out of this (rather than a bunch of back table handouts), then it will be best for the country and politics. People recognize obstructionism, but people recognize bad legislation too.

All of my suggestions will no doubt be met with immediate dismissal here but here goes:

Lower the corporate tax rate.
Cut capital gains taxes.
Adopt an energy policy that embraces all forms of domestic energy production.
Allow failing business models to in fact fail.
Ratify trade agreements.

No, my questions were not rhetorical. I’m looking for specific ideas on how to reconfigure the political landscape. I’m not particularly interested in what contemporary politicians are saying or doing. I’m looking for fresh ideas, not the proverbial rearranging of deck chairs.

I won’t dismiss them out of hand. I want to see your thoughts on just how those suggestions would benefit working Americans, not the elites. Any type of trickle down economic theory I will dismiss out of hand. On trade agreements, will your trade agreements favour the bosses in the US or the workers in other countries? This should give you an idea as to where I stand on some issues.

No. We need to restore a balance that is now currently tipped in favor of the entrenched interests and politicians in the DC Wall Street corridor. Why do you think there is such an anti-incumbent, anti-establishment sentiment growing in this country? Washington is too big, too bloated, too corrupt and it is failing. Scaling back the centralization and consolidation of money and power in DC is the first step. GM should have been allowed to fail…along with AIG and many other banks. Fannie and Freddie should be abolished. Repaid or unused TARP funds are poised to become a slush fund for the federal government. Goldman Sachs is more powerful and profitable than ever thanks to Washington DC and who benefits?

Now we’re going around in circles.

I’m goin’ back to work.

Namaste.

I’d have to disagree with you on a few points;

Limited government, tea party activists are now hard at work influencing the debate and participating in primary elections by nominating candidates that seek to curb the expensive expansion of the federal government.

Actually, I’d say it’s a bit early to describe what tea party activists are doing in quite this way. While I believe that tea partiers have a right to their anger, I’d say they have a ways to go in terms of informing themselves, and that’s what’s necessary before they decide where, and how to expend their efforts.

I’d be much happier if I thought that the tea party rank and file had a clear idea as to how it is we find ourselves in the miserable shape we’re in, as it is, the jury is still out as to whether they’ll find leaders who are worthy to be followed.

Paying to listen to Sarah Palin is not exactly encouraging on that point.

Ending employer-based health insurance will benefit all of us as we become more engaged consumers forcing the market to respond to our demands for high quality, lower costs and more choices.

We’re just not engaged enough?

I don’t know, I’d say that between myself and my employer, I’m about $10-12K per year engaged at this point.

I’m engaged enough to understand that Americans are paying about 30-40% too much for healthcare, and that’s primarily because phony free-market ideology has so far meant that we have no access to anything remotely resembling a free-market.

Anti-free market progressives will no doubt disagree with this assertion but right now the public has no appetite for expanding entitlements administered by a system that is entrenched and corrupt.

Why do you insist that progressives are anti-free market?

Show me a free market and I’ll show you what an enthusiastic participant I am.

The last I heard, almost 70% of the public was in favor of a public option, that is, the right to band together to form a group large enough to bargain for a better price.

Isn’t that the way free-markets are supposed operate?

The way I look at it, if everybody was in the same group, we would have the best bargaining position, and we could get a handle on the rising cost of health care which is currently doing it’s share to strangle our economy.

I agree that Health Insurance Companies are entrenched and corrupt, that’s why we have to free ourselves and our government from their greedy influence.

If I may, Indie:

The elites define both what the “public” is and what the “public” deserves, thus “public” policy.

It is now “public” policy, that money is equated to free speech, and that corporations are, in fact, people, however fictitious, with all rights before the law – yet you and I know they can’t be jailed, executed, or suffer pangs of conscience, nor must they die.

The “people” had no say in this at all, for if voting could change anything, or make a real difference, it would be illegal.

And “that” would be “public” policy.

Where is “people” policy?

Bluntly, what policies now benefit the “people”?

Lastly, it is the “people” who legitimize a government, not the “public”.

The “people” confer, the “public” receives.

This is not parsing, this is political reality.

DW

OK. Here is an idea that you won’t hear from Democrats or Republicans. Organize and mobilize the working class. Politically, we are up for grabs you know. Actually this is a very old idea with an historic record that you can judge for yourself. But it is an idea that is simply not discussed because the interest of American workers is opposed to the interest of the Oligarchy. If you are looking for a way forward that will be acceptable to the Democrats and/or the Republicans (servants of the Oligarchy) you are wasting your time.

Great Point

This is why the right hates organizations like ACORN.

The tea party at its core is a segment of the angry working class.

Oligarchy of the USA has for years been trying and may have succeeded in the destruction of the middle class.

Jon, are you kidding me? Obama will not give in to the demands of the republicans on this. Are you sure about that? When it comes to the repubs vs the democrats my money is on the republicans everytime. Obama is so desparate for a bill to sign he will do almost anything to get one. Maybe he shld offer to share the presidency with McConnell if they let him pass a bill.

It’s Obama’s fault, no matter how you look at it, though. Didn’t you hear Dr. Flowers on “NOW!” last Friday?

He should have used the OFA grass roots, and the other liberal activist organizations, to bulldoze the country into single payer momentum, communicating directly with the people, a la FDR.

Meaningful reform can never come without risks, and risks by leadership. Obama provided neither.

CONCLUSION: He doesn’t really give a shit about “reform,” only the illusion of it. He and the White House are the obstacle.

What he’s pushing for now is not worth fighting for. If we keep our powder dry we can take on this issue again in another year or two–before the current legislation would even take effect!

The assumption is that Senate Democrats want to govern in a progressive manner. But all except for a few that we have been counting on to speak up and help lead the way have been all but completely silent except to tell that we must accept what we know is bad. I can’t help but surmise that what all but a few Senate Democrats want is the political cover of being “forced to accept” a bill that gives the Incos what they want — or perhaps better yet from their standpoint, be “forced to accept” nothing at the Incos’ behest.

They can easily prove me wrong and pass a good bill through reconciliation if they are sincere about reform.

This is why the right hates organizations like ACORN.

I’ve see no evidence that the current Democratic Party thinks highly of ACORN either — or appreciates all ACORN has done for them. But that goes for all orgs that expect Democrats to deliver progress — MoveOn and FDL for example (What’s up with dkos anyway? It seems to have “moved on” from the health reform debate, at least on its front page.)

Obama’s Folly.

Obama’s attempt at bipartisanship is like a driver trying to negotiate a highway toll with the toll taker. It is a preposterous activity because the toll taker is simply following orders from some higher authority.

For Obama to think that the Republicans and Democrats in Name Only have the authority to change the toll THEIR authority has demanded in maintaining the Status Quo is likewise preposterous.

On the other hand, one may imagine Obama trying to negotiate with Big Pharma and Big Insurance’s Sock Puppet.

In either case, Obama is playing the Fool’s role.

Why not contact him and have him send out a plea to his email list like Kucinich did? It will bring in more people than may be hanging out at FDL at any given time. They get to see what FDL is all about and their candidate gets some money and phonebanking and the vets get their advocate.

Starting to suspect that Obama really does not know how to govern, how to be president, great as organizer, professor making speeches, but takes no stand or takes it and next day backs out saying public option not essential, really not sure where he stands on anything because of it, repeatedly appointed industry friendly person in key positions or those who caused the failures, back door deals.
Need a leader.
His hope and change didn’t work out at all for middle class, worked out great for industry, and the rich.

Anyone else watch that old British comedy “Yes, (Prime) Minister”?

That’s very much what I think of when I think about how Rahm has been calling the shots: the person that you think is in charge is not really in charge. The “permanent Washington establishment” (as Greenwald calls them) are the real power mongers.

Obama’s not blameless, but to assume that he’s even really in charge of the country may be naive…

WH and senate dems have turned healthcare into a circus.
Over 70% wanted po but Obama keeps asking or saying maybe not, we don’t have to.
Repubs don’t and did not have to matter into this at all.

Ending with Richard Nixon, the U.S. has avoided electing governing type personalities, and have instead chosen One-Trick Ponies as Fearless Leader of the Free World. But none have been such.

When one realizes how much total control the powerful have over the Legislative Branch, isn’t it counter-intuitive to think they somehow couldn’t or wouldn’t control the Administrative Branch as well?

Obama is clearly a pawn of the powerful, no less than the worst president ever, or the Democrat who allowed Wall Street to repeal banking laws and allowed massive media consolidation, to Poppy, who tricked Saddam into marching into Kuwait, to Reagan, who ruled Washington Society (The State Diner Part) with the help of a personal astrologer, to a nuclear scientist turned peanut farmer who had no idea how to lead, to a Ford, not a Lincoln, who simply had no idea.

It’s a freakin’ miracle we haven’t totally destroyed ourselves.

BUT WAIT, there’s more …