Lloyd Doggett takes the pledge to vote against any bill that does not have a strong public option that is available nationwide, with no triggers, and answerable to Congress and the voters.

Harman: “I did make that commitment. In writing, in a press release — to vote against a bill that did not have a strong public option in it.”

Bank of America workers have leveled damning accusations against their employer, claiming that the Bank pressures its employees to burden consumers with debt and enroll in high fee programs. The SEIU’s Stephen Lerner, Former BoA employee Chris Feener, and Max Fraad Wold on the bank’s unsavory practices.

If we’re serious about containing costs, then we have to be serious about the public option.

Last Monday, I noted two particular details of the Obama Administration’s response to news of spiked investigations into General Rashid Dostum’s massacre of up to thousands of prisoners in 2001. First, DOD said it didn’t need to investigate because there was no evidence American personnel were involved.

There’s DOD, which bases its opposition to an investigation on the claim that there’s no evidence US forces were involved in the massacre.

Here’s Michael Steele, lying about how the public option will allegedly cost Americans so much more than what we have now. Here’s Michele Bachmann, undercutting Steele with what to her and her insurance-company buddies is a scaaaary idea: That the public option will be much cheaper that what we have now — so much so that it, in finest Law of the Marketplace fashion, drives the inferior private insurers out of business. Geezo peezo, Republicans! Can’t you keep your health care lies straight?

Crazy right-winger Michele Bachmann from Minnesota, in her floor speech, issued a litany of talking points against the public option, and said that the public option would be far cheaper than private insurance. And that’s a bad thing? Apparently it’s a bad thing for Michele Bachmann and her legion of crazy fans.

• Dog bites man, health care edition.
• Quit bitching and get it done.
• Getting the Blue Dogs to heel.
• Change you can believe in.
• The Golden State: tarnished for good?
• But…but…we’ll be just like Canada!
• They’re all nutcases now.

The most sanctimonious sacred relationship of them all.

Aretha Franklin – Baby, I Love You/Respect (1968, Viet Nam).

What’s on your mind?