On a serious tip..

[choie]

can somebody please tell me, seriously, why Lieberman has been given all this power?

[Ken Burch]

1. It's probably the Scientologists' doing.

n/t.

[Schema Thing]

2. People in Connecticut suck even worse than Texans

I say this as a Texan.

[FiveGoodMen]

3. I don't think he has.

Nearly all of DC is bought-off and Lieberman is just taking one for the team by admitting what he's really up to.

He appears to have power because the others are all hiding behind him.

[valerief]

4. That's what this lopsided game looks like to me, too. They are all getting

what THEY want. Fuck us.

[Jamastiene]

7. Good Cop/Bad Cop

Yup.

[bemildred]

5. Lieberman is just the designated fall-guy.

He is already toast politically, so he is taking the fall for the Congress not doing what the public wants. He will be richly rewarded for his performance later and outside the public eye.

[Jamastiene]

6. They are just trying to ram it through at this point.

They know what they are doing is a watered down bill. They just want to pass it at any cost. That way they can repeat endlessly that they "reformed" health care in 2010 and 2012.

So, whoever wants to throw some pork into the bill or cut some real help out of it can do so now, just to get it passed, come hell or high water.

It follows the "I'll get around to fixing that later." idea. Only, there is no guarantee they'll ever come back and fix this shit later.