The Democrats' scam becomes more transparent

[Jefferson23]

Friday, Mar 12, 2010

By Glenn Greenwald


(updated below)

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about what seemed to be a glaring (and quite typical) scam perpetrated by Congressional Democrats: all year long, they insisted that the White House and a majority of Democratic Senators vigorously supported a public option, but the only thing oh-so-unfortunately preventing its enactment was the filibuster: sadly, we have 50 but not 60 votes for it, they insisted. Democratic pundits used that claim to push for "filibuster reform," arguing that if only majority rule were required in the Senate, then the noble Democrats would be able to deliver all sorts of wonderful progressive reforms that they were truly eager to enact but which the evil filibuster now prevents. In response, advocates of the public option kept arguing that the public option could be accomplished by reconciliation -- where only 50 votes, not 60, would be required -- but Obama loyalists scorned that reconciliation proposal, insisting (at least before the Senate passed a bill with 60 votes) that using reconciliation was Unserious, naive, procedurally impossible, and politically disastrous.

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But all those claims were put to the test -- all those bluffs were called -- once the White House decided that it had to use reconciliation to pass a final health care reform bill. That meant that any changes to the Senate bill (which had passed with 60 votes) -- including the addition of the public option -- would only require 50 votes, which Democrats assured progressives all year long that they had. Great news for the public option, right? Wrong. As soon as it actually became possible to pass it, the 50 votes magically vanished. Senate Democrats (and the White House) were willing to pretend they supported a public option only as long as it was impossible to pass it. Once reconciliation gave them the opportunity they claimed all year long they needed -- a "majority rule" system -- they began concocting ways to ensure that it lacked 50 votes.

All of that was bad enough, but now the scam is getting even more extreme, more transparent. Faced with the dilemma of how they could possibly justify their year-long claimed support for the public option only now to fail to enact it, more and more Democratic Senators were pressured into signing a letter supporting the enactment of the public option through reconciliation; that number is now above 40, and is rapidly approaching 50. In other words, there is a serious possibility that the Senate might enact a public option if there is a vote on it, because it's very difficult for these Senators to vote "No" after pretending all year long -- on the record -- that they supported it. In fact, The Huffington Post's Ryan Grim yesterday wrote: "the votes appear to exist to include a public option. It's only a matter of will."

The one last hope for Senate Democratic leaders was to avoid a vote altogether on the public option, thereby relieving Senators of having to take a position and being exposed. But that trick would require the cooperation of all Senators -- any one Senator can introduce a public option amendment during the reconciliation and force a vote -- and it now seems that Bernie Sanders, to his great credit, is refusing to go along with the Democrats' sham and will do exactly that: ignore the wishes of the Senate leadership and force a roll call vote on the public option.

remaninder here: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/

[DebbieCDC]

1. K&R

Exposing the bunch of frigging cowards in the Senate for what they are

[laughingliberal]

2. We love Bernie! nt

[Jefferson23]

3. Yep, we do! n/t

[closeupready]

7. He's terrific.

I wish he was my Senator.

[Mithreal]

41. +1 Don't really like to use this word for politicians, but

[Jefferson23]

59. I know what you mean, but the term is appropriate, no doubt about it.

[bluethruandthru]

4. I want to know exactly who is not supporting a public option!

Then I'll ask them why they feel that the profits of the insurance companies are more important than the health of ALL Americans.

[laughingliberal]

5. I think we can ask that of every Senator & House member who has not voiced support for it

and I think we should.

[bluethruandthru]

9. I would really like to know about Mark Warner.

He's been very wishy-washy on the issue..but last I heard was "leaning toward" supporting it. I've already written him and given him hell because he and I both have Type 1 diabetic daughters...in fact they've met...but his daughter never needs to worry about paying for the high cost of health care..because Warner's loaded! My daughter, on the other hand, is facing the loss of her health insurance (my policy) because she's about to graduate from college.
I've asked him why he has the "I've got mine..so who cares if you get yours" mentality. I'm happy to ask him again...if he's not supporting the Public Option.

[laughingliberal]

12. Good job! I'd keep pounding him.nt

[ShortnFiery]

6. The tripping point is in The Senate. We do NOT have 51 senators for PO. There's enough

support in the House so I don't know what Pelosi is smoking. :shrug:

[closeupready]

8. The irony is that Pelosi stated last summer, "I am for the strongest possible public option."

I think this is the video where she say it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HODL4dCSdjw

:rofl: Bunch of BS.

[Jefferson23]

10. Sickening, isn't it?

[upi402]

50. "I am for the strongest possible public option" -Pelosi

at 13 seconds in. :puke: Clinton-Democrats

[tabatha]

11. You need 60 for a new bill.

[sabrina 1]

36. They don't need a new bill, they need to put in a PO which

is within the rules for Reconciliation since it is a budgetary matter.

Greenwald's article is right on the money. Especially this:

but Obama loyalists scorned that reconciliation proposal, insisting (at least before the Senate passed a bill with 60 votes) that using reconciliation was Unserious, naive, procedurally impossible, and politically disastrous.

I remember that well. And I remember suggesting it and being told exactly what Greenwald says, that 'you don't understand politics and how they work. Reconciliation is impossible in this case'.

Well, now their deception has been completely exposed as they rush to use the procedure to pass the bill THEY WANTED all along. A bill only the Insurance Corps could like, with NO PO.

Anyone who can't see the deception now, doesn't want to.

[flyarm]

39. "Anyone who can't see the deception now, doesn't want to." ..orrrrrr

Is on someone's payroll!

Thanks Sabrina!!

[rhett o rick]

79. Says who? Reconciliation can be used for budget bills that will reduce the deficit. nt

[laughingliberal]

14. It's funny how we had a more than 51 in the Senate back when 60 was the magic number, huh?

More pro wrestling, I wonder?

[freddie mertz]

18. "Funny" as in transparently obvious. This has been a boondoggle since day 1.

And I think the Dem leaders responsible for it should be held accountable in every way we can.

Payback will be pyrrhic.

[laughingliberal]

19. that's what I meant. nt

[freddie mertz]

21. I knew. I am just very, very pissed off right now.

I want to get even with them after all this idiotic game-playing.

Will no one rid us of these corrupt, incompetent "Democratic leaders"?



"OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!"

[FiveGoodMen]

54. I'm with you.

[waiting for hope]

88. Great pic .. I just saw Alice in 3D ..

Appropriate.

[Dr.Phool]

124. Isn't that an oxymoron?

"Democratic leaders".


And I agree. French Revolution Severance Packages for all!

[GinaMaria]

43. We can only hold them accountable at the ballot box

and by giving or withholding campaign donations.

[CrispyQ]

131. Accountability is so last century.

With the recent SCOTUS ruling, they don't need our campaign contributions. And with electronic voting, which the dems have been strangely silent on, they don't need our votes.

Voting is merely the facade they maintain, to lull the People into believing that someone is fighting for us.

[Blue_Tires]

69. +1

[inna]

26. It's all a sham. Total Kabuki theater.

Glenn describes it all here: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/02/23/democrats/index.html

Democratic Senators found themselves in a bind, because they pretended all year to vigorously support the public option but had the 60-vote excuse for not enacting it. But now that Democrats will likely use the 50-vote reconciliation process, how could they (and the White House) possibly justify not including the public option? So what did they do? They pretended in public to "demand" that the public option be included via reconciliation with a letter that many of them signed (and thus placate their base: see, we really are for it!), while conspiring in private with the White House (which expressed "sharp resistance" to the public option) to make sure it wouldn't really happen.

The votes and public support are there. It's a matter of will, not votes. The only thing in the way of Public Option is "sharp resistance" from the Senate leadership and the White House - which, "in private, was doing everything possible to ensure its exclusion from the final bill (in order not to alienate the health insurance industry by providing competition for it)."

[CLANG]

83. According to this, we very well may have 51 - we only need 50 (+VP)

http://whipcongress.com/
"51 senators are likely to vote for a public option in reconciliation if it passes the House first"

[dmr]

95. Except Pelosi said Friday that the PO won't be added to the House bill n/t

[CLANG]

123. That's why I hate her guts.

[CrispyQ]

132. "Drain the Swamp" Pelosi.

"Impeachment is off the table."

[inna]

17. The White House, for one thing.

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/02/23/democrats/index.html

Ezra Klein, who is generally quite supportive of the White House perspective, reported last week on something rather amazing: Democratic Senators found themselves in a bind, because they pretended all year to vigorously support the public option but had the 60-vote excuse for not enacting it. But now that Democrats will likely use the 50-vote reconciliation process, how could they (and the White House) possibly justify not including the public option? So what did they do? They pretended in public to "demand" that the public option be included via reconciliation with a letter that many of them signed (and thus placate their base: see, we really are for it!), while conspiring in private with the White House (which expressed "sharp resistance" to the public option) to make sure it wouldn't really happen.

...

As I wrote back in August, the evidence was clear that while the President was publicly claiming that he supported the public option, the White House, in private, was doing everything possible to ensure its exclusion from the final bill (in order not to alienate the health insurance industry by providing competition for it). Yesterday, Obama -- while having his aides signal that they would use reconciliation if necessary -- finally unveiled his first-ever health care plan as President, and guess what it did not include? The public option, which he spent all year insisting that he favored oh-so-much but sadly could not get enacted: Gosh, I really want the public option, but we just don't have 60 votes for it; what can I do?. As I documented in my contribution to the NYT forum yesterday, now that there's a 50-vote mechanism to pass it, his own proposed bill suddenly excludes it.

[laughingliberal]

20. It couldn't be clearer. Just infuriating! nt

[freddie mertz]

31. Too bad we can't keep this material and the top of EVERY page?

The so-called Democratic leaders are like a bunch of rotten, sneaky kinds who got caught s=doing something bratty, then try to point to each other and say "it's his fault!" "No, it's her fault1"

Or maybe. like Adam and Eve, they try to convince Daddy that the Devil made them do it.

Like in this famous relief from a 1,00 years ago:



Same old same old. No one wants to get caught.

In any case, I think it's time for all of them to be expelled from the garden and do some honest work for a while.

[Jefferson23]

33. Appreciate that post, another part of the record is important. n/t

[Name removed]

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[glitch]

27. Get the Vichy Dems on the record, Bernie!

Bernie: :patriot:

Vichy Dems: :mad: :grr: ..!..

[Mithreal]

65. 51 IN THE SENATE!

http://whipcongress.com/

[ThomWV]

13. K&R

[NightWatcher]

15. Alright Greenwald, under the bus with you as well

it's actually quite cozy down here. All of us fucking retards have snacks, drinks, Michael Moore's loading up the movie projector and Dennis Kucinich will be back by later

[JHB]

34. Is Krugman under too, or does he get a seat this week?

I keep losing track...

[flyarm]

45. ahhh hell the assholes threw Glen under the bus long ago!! There are some incredible Democrats under

that bus now!!

soon all the "real democrats" will be under the bus..maybe the bus people can start our own party??


We can have a party- party too!!....Umbrella drinks for everyone under the bus!!


(This is so disgusting..i have no words anymore!)

[Chef Eric]

96. Eureka! That's it! The Bus People Party! nt

[Gin Blossom]

71. Wow, cool! You guys are so Unserious - what a great party!

After my head started hurting trying to understand all those dazzling chess moves on the bus, I wondered where you guys hung out! After the movie, can we spew our drunken far-left vitriol and do that "But I Wanted A Pony" conga line dance I've heard so much about? Hey, isn't that Howard Dean on the sofa by the left rear wheel? And how come the bus doesn't seem to be moving - what's up with that?

[sendero]

75. If this is hard for you to understand..

... put down the crack pipe because many of us noticed this months ago.

[Echo In Light]

16. k/r

[freddie mertz]

22. K & R. Time for us to fire some "Democratic leaders."

Let's start with Pelosi and Durbin.

But let us not stop there.

The list keeps growing, and growing...

[Marr]

23. Yep-- when Kennedy's seat went to the GOP, it meant the party had to

put it's cards on the table.

I really don't see how any of the boosters remained after that. It really couldn't be spelled out much more clearly.

[seabeckind]

127. I've decided they didn't want 60

Otherwise they wouldn't have an excuse anymore. On the surface they didn't want brown but behind the scenes...

Covers their ass for a couple years. Which seems to be all they've managed to accomplish.

[dmr]

24. Every time I think I get a handle on what's going on, they manage to conflict further.

I know many in Congress have worked their asses off, but there are those who I'd love to scream at, and I am so freaking angry at them.

I will not forgive them if PO, so close, yet so far, does not pass.

I don't appreciate Congressional fantasy dances.

[Vinnie From Indy]

25. they supported a public option only as long as it was impossible to pass it.

I wrote that exact thing three months ago on DU.

It seems abundantly clear that the President and some in the Senate campaigned on a public option platform when the vast majority of Americans were clamoring for changelicious hope in the last election knowing full well that they would do everything they could to make sure that did not happen. Obama did knowing he would never see a bill on his desk with a PO.

There is no doubt in my mind that the Obama people cut a deal not only with Big Pharma, but with Big Health Insurance as well. Both sides agreed to appear to be in opposition when in fact the whole thing was theater. Granted, there are unforseen circumstances in this affair, but the HCR saga has been for the most part an elaborate play.

[stillwaiting]

29. Absolutely agree.

It's ridiculous watching so many of them trip over themselves to blame each other for why there's no public option.

The Senate blames both Obama and Pelosi.
The President has put the onus on the house and the senate. Completely.
The House blames both Obama and the Senate.

It is MADNESS that they don't think it's as transparent as it is.

The Democrats blame each other almost as much as the Republicans do. Funny that.

[laughingliberal]

97. Let's not forget the deal to keep the PO out was also a promise to the hospital industry. nt

[Enthusiast]

101. Vinnie, I must agree

with you.

I feel these secret deals are unacceptable conduct by a president and legislature. It is unacceptable conduct, dishonest and unconvincing to the point of being insulting. And I also feel there have been many deals, not only with pharma and health insurance but also Wall Street and the military industrial complex.

(I am deeply disappointed in not receiving a pony.) :sarcasm:

[seabeckind]

129. Exactly ... n/t

[disillusioned73]

28. Isn't it a shame.....

that you can count on one hand the Reps & Senator worth a damn anymore;

Sanders, Grayson, Weiner, Franken & Kucinich

Maybe there are more.... they sure are quiet when we need their voices heard the most...

[cali]

99. Yes, there are quite a few more. Just because you don't know them

doesn't mean they don't exist: In the Senate you can add Sherrod Brown, Pat Leahy and Sheldon Whitehouse- for starters. In the House you can add Peter Welch, Michael Capuano and a couple of dozen others. No, it's not enough, but you need to pay attention beyond the MSM. Just because they don't broadcast their voices doesn't mean they aren't speaking up.

[seabeckind]

128. Maybe not broadcasted is a better description

The media presents what we are intended to hear.

[joeybee12]

30. Agreed it's galling how stupid Durbin and his ilk think we are...n/t

[Enthusiast]

102. It is a clear indication

how truly out of touch they are.

[seabeckind]

130. I disagree

I think they know exactly what the commoners are feeling.

It just doesn't matter to them in comparison to the non-commoners.

[bvar22]

32. I has reached the absurd stage.

The fact that any of these elected representatives can stand in front of a TV camera and ask for our support in NOW laughable, worthy only of deep ridicule. The FRAUD is now OBVIOUS to even the most casual observer. Those who do NOT see it are in deep denial.

When ONE of the handful of honest Democratic officials STANDS UP and points a finger at the corruption, he is furiously attacked by the corrupt hypocrites....even on DU.

Its time to run the Money Changers OUT of the temple (our democracy).

"By their works you WILL know them."

Brand Obama was an extremely successful Corporate Marketing Scam....nothing more.
Team Hillary was NO different.
"They" hedged their bets.


LESS than 35% of ALL Americans support Mandates without a Public Option.
Good luck selling this piece of shit to the American People in 2010.
I'm NOT buying.

[WVRICK13]

104. Me Either

This has become a Health Industry bill not Health Care Reform. But then I never suspected anything different. After all, who are they going to support individual voters or corporate campaign funds?

[harun]

35. I hope Sanders does this. Anyone know how likely that would be

from him or have the article that states he might do this?

[Jefferson23]

38. This is from Bernie:

Bernie Sanders: I’m Prepared To Introduce Public Option Amendment

The public option just might get its straight up-or-down vote after all.

Senator Bernie Sanders, in a brief interview in the Capitol just now, confirmed to me that he’s willing to commit to introducing an amendment that would add the public option to the Senate bill’s reconciliation fix.

This is important, because as far fetched as this seems, if this amendment is introduced, a vote on it would be very hard for the Senate Dem leadership to block. The only thing that could stop it from happening, according to Senate expert Robert Dove, is for the parliamentarian to rule that it’s not germane to the Senate bill somehow — something that seems unlikely.

remainder: http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/bernie-sanders-im-prepared-to-introduce-public-option-amendment/

[GinaMaria]

47. this would be giving them more than enough rope to hand themselves

exactly why Durbin doesn't it introduced as an amendment. If they have to vote straight up or down on the PO, the liars will be exposed. Do it Bernie. If only for the opportunity to expose them. There's a good chance these corrupt bastards will pass this and complete another theft against the American tax payers. At least, expose them for the insurance company sell outs that they are. They never supported a PO (Durbin, I'm looking at you). Make them show everyone who they really are.

We really need to clean house. We need to rid the party of the GOP fungus and disease that has spread through the democratic party. There is nothing democratic about this behavior.

[Jefferson23]

49. I doubt many Dems would disagree with you, and I will add, at this

point, it is the exposure of the scam that may carry some weight. Sadly, they do not seem concerned enough!

Thank you for the response.

[harun]

81. Would be HUGE if Sanders did this, expose the traders Bernie!

[Jefferson23]

37. For what it is worth, take a moment and email this article to your

Senators. Please, let them know what you are aware of regarding the public option, and the choice they are about to make.

[DisgustedInMN]

40. Sen Sanders is the best. n/t

[WillyT]

42. Big K & R !!!

:kick:

[agent46]

44. Badly scripted Reality TV?

Definitely not Kabuki, maybe more like Butoh.

[flyarm]

46. Bernie the Great!!..Thanks Bernie!!!

[upi402]

48. Berni is making history, I suspect

"Democrats" will ruin the party. I really see it as over-with, and fairly soon. And the only place we can go is somewhere that we see as responsive to US.

[GinaMaria]

51. make them show us who they really are, Bernie!

Stay out of Durbin's reach and expose these undemocratic scumbags.

[Swamp Rat]

52. ROLL CALL!!!

:kick:

[KoKo]

56. YEP...they still think they can get away in Secret: "ROLL CALL!"

Good to see you, Swampy.

[flyarm]

53. MY VOTE GOT STOLEN in 2008..for this crap.........

James Roosevelt, who was chair of the Rules and Bylaws Committee that decided to dock Michigan and Florida half of their delegates and award 4 of the delegates Clinton won in Michigan to Obama, as well as all of the uncommitted delegates, is the CEO of a health insurance company – Tufts Healthcare. Okay? Got that? The guy who made sure that Obama had the necessary to delegates to win the nomination – even to the point of assigning delegates another candidate won to him arbitrarily – is the CEO of a health insurance firm.
And what Roosevelt wants in a health insurance reform, is a reform that relies entirely upon private insurers. He does not want a public option. He wants a plan like Massachusetts has: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/04/09/healthcare_lets_build_on_what_we_know/

[KoKo]

57. It's really Bizarre what we are going through these days...

"Through the Looking Glass?" I don't know anymore.

[dionysus]

61. ROFL!!!

:rofl:

she lost big, fair and square, get over it...

[liberation]

77. No kidding...

... how some people think, that a former Goldwater Girl and president of her Alma Mater's College Republicans chapter, would have been any different is, at this point, beyond delusional.


We were forced to choose between a former republican and a dude who thought that Reagan was the bee's knees, as the front runners for the "Democratic" party. I used quotation marks, because I grew up in a Dem home... and frankly this is not the party my family talked about during my political formation.

[flyarm]

86. that is not the point. here read it yourself..or google it yourself!!

do some googling..you will find lots on James Roosevelt, Jr. and the DNC Ways and Means committee on the delegate decisions in Michigan and Florida..
http://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=James+Roosevelt%2C+w...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

http://www.tuftshealthplan.com/visitors/visitors.php?se...

Senior Management Group
Our mission is to set the standard for outstanding quality health care, service, and value. Our dedication to excellence makes us one of the leading health plans in the nation. Meet our senior management group.

James Roosevelt, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer


James Roosevelt, Jr.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Roosevelt joined Tufts Health Plan in 1999 as senior vice president and general counsel and held that position until June 2005, when he became president and chief executive officer. As the general counsel, he presided over the legal department and the company's compliance, privacy and government relations functions.

Before joining Tufts Health Plan, Mr. Roosevelt was the associate commissioner for Retirement Policy for the Social Security Administration in Washington, D.C. He has also served as chief legal counsel for the Massachusetts Democratic Party and as co-chair of the Rules and By-laws Committee of the Democratic National Committee, for which he currently serves on the Change Commission. Mr. Roosevelt spent 10 years as partner at Choate, Hall and Stewart in Boston. He is past chairman of the board of trustees for the Massachusetts Hospital Association, past president of the American Health Lawyers Association and past chairman of the board of trustees for Mount Auburn Hospital. Currently, Mr. Roosevelt serves as chairman of the board of directors for Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, and as a member of the board of directors and co-chair of the policy committee at America’s Health Insurance Plans. He is a member of the Massachusetts Heath Care Quality and Cost Council and the board of directors for the Rhode Island Quality Institute. Mr. Roosevelt is also a board member at Emmanuel College and the Kenneth B. Schwartz Center, and is co-chair of the board of directors for the Tufts Health Care Institute. In November 2008, President-elect Barack Obama appointed Mr. Roosevelt to his transition team to co-chair a review of the Social Security Administration.

Mr. Roosevelt received his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his A.B. with honors in government from Harvard College. He has also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/03.aspx

The DNC weighs in on Michigan
Posted: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 10:40 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: Democrats
From NBC's Mark Murray

DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee co-chairs Alexis Herman and James Roosevelt issued the following memo to members of the committee:

"We have recently been asked whether the legislation as proposed by Michigan would fit within the framework of the National Party’s Delegate Selection Rules. Our review of this legislation indicates that it would, in fact, fit within the framework of the Rules if, it were, passed by the state legislature and used by the Michigan State Democratic Party as the basis of drafting a formal Delegate Selection Plan. If a formal Delegate Selection Plan is received we will convene a meeting of the RBC to consider such a Plan."

[flyarm]

121. what you got a problem with the Boston Globe, MSNBC,and TUFTS Health Plan telling you this?

what is so damn funny about the CEO of a Major Health plan being the one deciding to strip delegates from states ..delegates that represent you and me..Delegates who decided who our democratic nominee was going to be..and the same health care organizations that are going to reap billions upon billions of $$ and are the gate keepers to our health????????

You do know why our votes were stolen in Fla don't you?????

Because we citizens of Fla had the audacity to fight our state legislature to remove DRE voting machines from our state..and the republicans tagged on that bill a date change to our primary..you do know that don't you????????????

And because we fought and became the only state in the nation to Ban DRE voting machines..the democrats punished us by stealing our primary..and our delegates!

And who was the man in charge of doing the dirty work ..none other than the CEO of a major health provider corporation!!! the CEO of Tufts Health Plan..


don't believe it..google is your friend ...go look it up..because i assure you when I am done every dem in the state of Fla will know this..

I already have it going out over the internet..all over Florida..we Dems are pretty organized here In Fla over the internet....

so i wouldn't do too much laughing if I were you..

OH and i have a pretty heady list of Dems myself..since I was a Rapid Responder for the National DNC for 4 years ..;-)

[coti]

55. Yup.

Kinda feels like we're pissing through a rock with the resistance of our Democratic "leaders," but we're making progress.

[merkins]

58. Dear "World's Greatest Deliberative Body"

It's time to vote .. up or down .. yeah or nay.

[Beartracks]

90. They are kind of de-liberating us, aren't they? n/t

[tekisui]

60. knr!

[colsohlibgal]

62. Get Them On Record, Yes/No

I agree that this is fishy there needs to be a vote so we can see who votes no on the public option.

We really need Medicare for all and whatever comes down this time we need to keep the heat on. They can spend trillions on war but no money for medicare expansion? Our priorities are messed up.

[williesgirl]

63. If Bernie does come thru for us, any Dem voting No has had it. End of career and rightly so.

I won't give one damn dime to the DCCC or DSCC if they persist in this sham. rec'd

[Vidar]

64. Too bad we don't have another 49 Bernies.

[Jefferson23]

66. We'll have to work hard for that to become a reality.

[NuttyFluffers]

70. that's a beautiful dream! let's make it so! honor the power of your own vote!

:hug:

[newspeak]

136. maybe we can name the party "Bernie's party"

how's that for a new party? Because I want to be in Bernie's party--I know he runs as an independent, but he publicly states he's a democratic socialist. I'm voting and spending my money on any candidate who acts, believes like Bernie from now on.

[tomm2thumbs]

67. Bernie has got some real guts! Go Sanders!!!!!!!!

Let's see who to vote for (or NOT to) with their votes on the Public Option. Not to mention donations...

[icee]

73. Great post, Jefferson. We got scammed big time by a man

and some corrupt handlers who will shortly fade from public service (sic).

[JDPriestly]

74. Sort of a kind of prisoners' game situation. Not quite the same, but

the choice must be just as tough (:sarcasm:) on the senators.

[jonathon]

76. It is glaringly obvious what the democrats are trying to pull

And, it is incredibly sad that the people will still stand and support them.

[eecumings]

78. No

public option...because corporatists do not want it...and the CEO's and lobbyists own the government. Don't be surprised to see many Repuglians elected in November. The masters have told Obummer and the DLC that democrats will lose seats in both houses of Congress.

[frylock]

80. not one response from ignored..

who's on-call tonite?

[subterranean]

82. I can only guess from watching their behavior...

that some sort of backroom deal was struck with the insurance lobbyists, and they were promised that the public option would not make it into the final bill.

[midnight]

84. K&R The money spent on keeping the American people from health care that

is both accessible and affordable has been a fortune. Why would a group of greedy bastards spend a fortune to keep Americans from health care? It sounds like a hole in our national security.

[Faryn Balyncd]

85. K&R...Act 2 of the scam in the House is to use Grayson's bill as COVER for passing the Mandate....

That is, sign on as a co-sponsor of Grayson's Medicare Buy In bill, which should be part ogf HCR (actually if ONLY Grayson's 4 page bill passed and NOTHING ELSE that would be real reform), but make it a separate bill which will be buried, then pass the POS cartel welfare bill and tell the base "I was a co-sponsor of Medicare Buy In but we just didn't have the votes".

If our representatives had any integrity, they would make Grayson's Medicare Buy In a PRECONDITION for HCR.

But alas, most don't.






:kick:

[daleanime]

87. Go get'em Bernie!

:bounce:

[bbgrunt]

89. k and r. I just hope Bernie doesn't have to fly anywhere........and I

surely do hope he has the follow through on this.....

What a total sham this bunch of bloodsucking bastards are!!

[emsimon33]

91. Ah, yes, the Democrats...or at least they claim to be.

[Truth2Tell]

92. More important even than the public option....

is the exposure of the endless stream of lies from our Party "leaders."

We need to clean our house, seriously.

Even with the PO this bill will be a huge pile of corporate dogshit.

Until enough people wake up to the fact that we are continually and deliberately LIED TO by nearly all of these rat bastards, real progress will not come.

PO would be nice, but exposure of the massive scam operation that presently masquerades as our "Democratic leadership" is far more crucial, IMO.

[Greyhound]

93. K&R

[saracat]

94. And this is why Bernie isn't a Dem. He has some integrity left!

Thank you ,Bernie.Expose the rats for what they are.I am really angry at my own party and sad and disallusioned.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

105. 59 votes turns into 49 votes.

:think:

[lonestarnot]

106. Tee hee.

Never a doubt. Well maybe a few :)

[kpete]

107. The Democrats' scam becomes more transparent-By Glenn Greenwald

The Democrats' scam becomes more transparent
By Glenn Greenwald | Salon

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about what seemed to be a glaring (and quite typical) scam perpetrated by Congressional Democrats: all year long, they insisted that the White House and a majority of Democratic Senators vigorously supported a public option, but the only thing oh-so-unfortunately preventing its enactment was the filibuster: sadly, we have 50 but not 60 votes for it, they insisted. Democratic pundits used that claim to push for "filibuster reform," arguing that if only majority rule were required in the Senate, then the noble Democrats would be able to deliver all sorts of wonderful progressive reforms that they were truly eager to enact but which the evil filibuster now prevents. In response, advocates of the public option kept arguing that the public option could be accomplished by reconciliation -- where only 50 votes, not 60, would be required -- but Obama loyalists scorned that reconciliation proposal, insisting (at least before the Senate passed a bill with 60 votes) that using reconciliation was Unserious, naive, procedurally impossible, and politically disastrous.

But all those claims were put to the test -- all those bluffs were called -- once the White House decided that it had to use reconciliation to pass a final health care reform bill. That meant that any changes to the Senate bill (which had passed with 60 votes) -- including the addition of the public option -- would only require 50 votes, which Democrats assured progressives all year long that they had. Great news for the public option, right? Wrong. As soon as it actually became possible to pass it, the 50 votes magically vanished. Senate Democrats (and the White House) were willing to pretend they supported a public option only as long as it was impossible to pass it. Once reconciliation gave them the opportunity they claimed all year long they needed -- a "majority rule" system -- they began concocting ways to ensure that it lacked 50 votes.

Read more.
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/03/12/democrats/index.html

[LakeSamish706]

108. No surprise there somehow, and I bet they have done this with other things as well since 2006. n/t

[ProSense]

109. If Greenwald is right,

why is the House playing along?

Here's what Durbin said today.

[Truth2Tell]

141. Because the "leadership" in the House

is just as dishonest.

Wake up.

[depakid]

110. Bait & switch

No question about it at this point.

And in so doing- more than a few Dems (as well as the administration) have lost their credibility as this has played out.

[Cleita]

111. Disgusting isn't it?

They will pay at the polls unfortunately and we will probably get real Republicans in the majority in November. :-( Maybe it doesn't make a difference.

[SlackWillie]

112. Great post, Glenn. Right on!

Tell it brother, tell it all!

[HBravo]

113. Follow the money. nt

[leeroysphitz]

114. Fuckers.

[DebbieCDC]

115. I've been posting all day about Glenn's article since I read it this morning

Shows just what the dems have been up to all along.

[upi402]

116. Pelosi on youtube saying we need the strongest PO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HODL4dCSdjw
@ 12 sec. in

[Edweird]

117. This is why "We'll fix it later" has ZERO CREDIBILITY.

[zeemike]

118. Classic good cop bad cop strategy.

When the facts are that they all dance to the tune that the corporatist plays.
It is brilliant really....now they can raise money to oppose the bad cop....and both sides have their bad cop.

[DisgustedInMN]

119. Hope these..

... worms enjoyed their time in the "majority." It's over for them.

Now, they can go back to what they do best, pissing and moaning about "how bad the Republicans are."

Fucking losers.

[bvar22]

126. These "Democrats" prefer being in the minority.

Its easier to hide, blame the Republicans, and keep the Money Train rolling.

The WORST thing that happened to these "Democrats" was for America to give them large majorities.
Now their treachery has become visible to even the most casual observer.
They are working furiously to lose seats....
and they WILL come 2010.

[IndianaGreen]

120. A vast majority of Americans support a Medicare buy-in or some other public option

A vast majority of Americans support a Medicare buy-in or some other public option but we shouldn't be surprised that the folks in Congress chose to protect the interests of the investor class over those of the working class. One does not have to ba a Christian to appreciate Jesus words about a man serving two masters:

"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

Luke 16:10-13

We cannot have a Congress, or a Democratic Party, which serves both the working class and the capitalist. The way the DLC despises the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, and the way the MSM hates progressives, are manifestations of Jesus two masters dictum.

[GinaMaria]

122. K & R

This deserves a bump.

[samurai7]

125. Someone mentioned the word disillusionment.

That about sums it up. Anger, betrayal, and profound disappointment also come to mind. At least it's good to know there are still some good Democrats in Congress, like Sanders, Grayson, Franken, Kucinich, Weiner, etc. We need to get more people like them voted in.

[Lothrop]

133. Kick and R

[JohnnyHardhat]

134. Meet the new boss - cynical politics at its worst

Within 5 minutes of assuming office Obama, and his team began making deals with insurance, phamra, and doctors to get a health bill passed. The only problem is that those deals created a bill that provided very little benefit to the people that supported (remember we once wanted change?) Obama's and other Dems campaigns. In fact he sold away many of his own promises in those deals. Congressional leaders were then brought in by the WH to discuss the deals and were told to draft a bill that followed a particular path, which did not include a public option. Single payer? No way!!

But... Democratic leaders and Obama had been telling us for years that at least public option (many legislators had been supporting single payer) was needed, and progressives and independents supported them in the voting booth. They had a public relations problem. With no public option or single payer they would be letting down their constituents. "Don't worry fellow Dems!" the WH told them, "Whatever we put together for a health bill is better than nothing, and your constituents know it, so it will look like a win and a historic vote."

Of course they can't pass a public option, contain costs, or re-import drugs from Canada- those promises go against all the back room deals that sold real reform down the river. But the legislators we helped elect won't tell us that. They'll say "sorry, we just don't have the votes for that right now. But we will in the future. Lets just get something done and we'll fix it later."

Its BS and the worst type of politics imaginable. At least we know where the Republicans stand - they're against everything. But our own guys are lying to us. We've been played.

[harmonicon]

135. this is what I've known all along. Is anyone actually surprised? (nt)

[Jefferson23]

137. SATURDAY, UPDATE # 2

Here's Chris Hayes, Friday night with Rachel Maddow, explaining who really killed the public option (while pretending, vociferously, to favor it):

As I've noted before, the column I've written which has produced the highest level of hate mail over the past year (in terms of volume and intensity) was when I compiled the evidence back in August that the White House was working to ensure there'd be no public option in the final bill at exactly the same time Obama was publicly insisting he favored it. The very idea that the President might be saying one thing in public and doing the opposite in private was outrageous and conspiratorial; a politician (or, at least, Barack Obama) would never do such a thing. Yet all along, that's exactly what the White House was doing, and it continues to do exactly that even though there is, at least, a significant chance that there are sufficient votes to enact the public option. That's the reason their explanations and excuses make no sense: because the real reason there's no public option -- they don't want one -- is the one they can't or won't admit.

video here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35846081#35846081

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

138. I have just had it will all the lies. I am re-registering as an Independent and

if my Congressman votes for this POS, he is not getting my vote this fall.

[Jefferson23]

140. We are all so rightfully upset, and I don't blame you for wanting to

register as an Independent. But keep in mind, in your state you may be excluded from primary races as an Independent. For me, funding Progressive Dems, not the DNC, will be my alternative.



But I know, the lies are beyond disgusting.

[RexS]

139. Our Congress is full of cowards.

And I guess liars too, if they ever quit suckling on the lobbyist teet for a vote.

[Dems to Win]

142. Infuriating. I wrote to my congresscritters, referencing this article.

Please sponsor and support a Senate companion bill to Congressman Grayson's HR4789, the public option act. And please DEMAND that Majority Leader Reid bring it up to a vote the same day that the Obama corporate insurance subsidy bill is considered.

Glenn Greenwald's recent column about the Democratic leadership's cowardly refusal to include a public option in the Obama plan -- actively whipping against it!-- while paying lip service to supporting it, accurately reflects my understanding of the situation. It is enraging.

Put the public option to a vote! I DEMAND to know the names of the Democrats who are serving the insurance companies, protecting them from real competition, at the cost of American lives.

I am in agreement with Congressman Dennis Kucinich, that the bill being brought to the floor by the White House and Democratic leadership is much more a corporate insurance protection and subsidy act, rather than a universal health care bill.

30 million people will be mandated to buy their products, but will still lack meaningful access to health care, given the high deductibles and co-pays on top of unaffordable premiums, as well as the arbitrary denials of expensive care by for-profit corporations. It is not at all clear to me that working lower-middle class families will have better access to health care under the Obama bill than currently via hospital emergency rooms.

Democracy demands that the people be able to hold their elected leaders accountable. We NEED to know who is opposed to allowing all Americans access to the high-quality, affordable care now provided only to seniors via Medicare.

Please sponsor and support a Senate companion bill to HR 4789 and DEMAND that it be brought to a floor vote. Democracy requires it.

Sincerely,




also posted at http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7909858

[True_Blue]

143. This health care bill mandates people to buy an insurance company product which is unprecedented.

The govt will be telling individuals that they must purchase health care insurance from the health care insurance industry. How is that Constitutional?