unfortunately, this facade of bipartisanship has nothing to do with any genuine desire on the part of Dems to have one or two or zero rethugs on board at the end of the day, after granting them boatloads of concessions, weakening the bill into oblivion. Its all about providing political cover to the Dems for the next election cycle: ‘dear Centrist America, we tried! teehee’

Good evening. How are our colleagues at Netroots Nation doing this evening?

We have had 7 months of a fairly conservative Democratic Congress and Presidency and even in this environment the Republicans have never for an instant acted in good faith. There is no indication though that the Democrats will act differently or that the Republicans will act differently.

I’m so tired of these dipshit Democrats who are always surprised when Lucy pulls the football away.

I hope we can primary many of these idiots out of office.

Teddy!!! I was down stairs, talking to myself. Didn’t there used to be a crew who hung around here at this time of day? I’m confused, again. I just say that to fun ya. Me being blond and all.

I gotta say it, I’m sick of the Obama cool. These people can’t be dealt with that way nor should they be coddled so. More and more, this “bipartisanship” B.S. seems to be just a Democratic excuse to allow the Republicans to water down the bill into meaninglessness. I know I’m going to catch some flack for this but nobody is left of me on most issues and I just have to say that I can’t be more disgusted with how this is being mishandled. If it’s going to be hard for me to motivate myself to vote in 2012, me, who always votes, how much more unlikely is it going to be for all of those new voters who believed in Obama and who ventured out to vote for the first time in their lives in 2008? He’s blowing it. BIG time.

If someone arrived in America directly from the 1950s, they would identify our Democrats as the GOP and the current GOP as the John Birch Society/KKK. There would be no political party they could identify as actual living, breathing Democrats.

Some politicians would be recognizable as Democrats: Sanders, Kucinich, Waters, Grayson. But very, very few carry the banner of the party as I recognize it.

Hey there, blondie, I think a lot of the daytimers are at the Pittsburgh CommieFest, so it’s up to us night-owls to keep the virtual conversation going.

here in Los Angeles, there has been a health care fair and the amount of people swarming to it has overwhelmed those who are volunteering. below are link to the local news stations
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/st…..id=6961125
http://cbs2.com/local/health.d…..23028.html
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/n…..79182.html

What I am empyifizing is that the words need to focus on the need because of such actions that are happening in LA.

Sheeshs Teddy, it isn’t even Happy Hour in Bagdad-by-the-Bay yet! Too early to night time for you.

Oh, look, this asshole is back in the news:

Former North Carolina Senator and Democratic Presidential and Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards is expected to admit that he is the father of the 18-month-old daughter of former mistress Rielle Hunter, sources tell CBS affiliate WRAL.

Edwards acknowledged the affair last summer but has previously denied that he fathered the child, whose name is Frances.

As WRAL notes, longtime Edwards aide Andrew Young initially claimed paternity but is now writing a book in which he will say Edwards is the girl’s actual father.

Hunter testified last week at the federal courthouse where a grand jury is investigating whether campaign funds were illegally used to buy her silence.

The sources told WRAL Edwards could acknowledge paternity before the investigation concludes.

Hi Matt!

I wish it was Happy Hour here but I have a meeting a 6 pm with health education people so is best to arrive sober.

The Democratic message moved off of “need” because so many people who have health care are, probably mistakenly but still, happy with it. Unfortunately, that moved our side off of the moral argument as well. These stories emphasize the moral argument: in the richest nation on earth, no one should go without health care. No one.

But Democrats decided that selling that to an uncaring public wasn’t easy. Well, of course it wasn’t — nothing worth doing is ever easy. But these selfish YOYOs could have been easily shamed at town hall meetings about their own happiness with their own health care if we’d stuck to the moral message: don’t you think everyone should at least have the care you do, in America?

Abandoning the moral message was a mistake.

Agreed. I think the recognition that the Democrats are the New Republicans should determine how we treat them and what we can expect from them. They are not our friends. We should not expect them to be our friends. We should expect them to act very much as they are now, reaching out to Republicans, stiffing us, and selling out to corporations.

Seems like there are just loads of people who are soooooo tired

Politics has forever been about the lesser of two evils. No matter what happens from here on out, the Democrats are easily the lesser. And he who does not choose the lesser, winds up with the greater. It was ever thus.

((((Les Paul))) RIP

Taking anyone in the GOP seriously is a serious mistake. Civility is gone. Discourse is gone. They want no bill.

The GOP is on the ropes as a party and it is throwing everything it has , lies, mistatements, granny, probably the militias, and lots of money, at a “Battle of the Buldge,” last ditch effort to have a victory on health care. They have staked their entire future on this fight and there will be no compromise.

I say, ram the House Bill down their throats.

Totally personal, everyone else stick your fingers in your ears. You know who started calling me blondie, thus my email addie handle….my high school friend, Greg Palast. Just thought you’d get a giggle.

Why are the so called dems going to continue to negotiate with the likes of Grassley?

Unfortunately, the greater and lesser evils now are about how fast we are going over the cliff, not about how to avoid it.

Keith leads with the Grassley story. I love mixed-media synchronicity!

Speaking of “abandoned” . . .

From yesterday at the LA Times:

A homeless man spent the night camped outside the Forum, hoping to finally get glasses to help him see better. An unemployed grocery clerk waited in desperate need of root canal surgery. A former auto mechanic came with an aching back.

One by one, about 1,500 people made their way through the Inglewood sports arena, where dozens of volunteer doctors, dentists, nurses and other healthcare professionals are providing free medical services this week.

Remote Area Medical Foundation is a trailer-equipped service that has staged health clinics in rural parts of the United States, Mexico and South America. It brought its health camp to urban Los Angeles County on Tuesday to begin an eight-day stint that the group’s officials described as its first foray into a major urban setting.

Organizers expected big crowds, in a county with high unemployment and an estimated 22% of working-age adults lacking health insurance.

On Tuesday, the turnout was so large that hundreds had to be turned away. . . .

Lots more at the link, plus video.

We’re all gonna die!!!!!

Obama may well deliver on insurance reform but don’t expect anything transformational. Grassley and the insurance lobby can play ball with Obama. The elites taking care of the elites.

But at least we have good death panels to hook us up. Nice, huh?

Cool. Totally.

Here’s Sam Stein, HuffPost, today from the Gibbs press gaggle:

Undaunted by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley’s declaration that the Democratic health care agenda might empower the government to “pull the plug on grandma,” President Obama still hopes to achieve a bipartisan reform bill, his spokesman said Thursday.

Press secretary Robert Gibbs chose his words carefully on Thursday when asked to respond to comments made by Grassley, who is one of three key Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee tasked with crafting compromise legislation. Despite being heavily wooed by the White House, Grassley took up the fundamentally dishonest “death panels” line of attack at a town hall meeting on Tuesday.

Gibbs suggested the Iowa Republican talk to his Republican colleague, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska who deemed the death panel rumor an offensive myth designed to “gin up fear in the American public.”

But Gibbs wouldn’t go any further, telling reporters during Thursday’s briefing hat the White House remained committed to working with Republicans to get health care reform passed.

“Obviously the president is continuing to talk to lawmakers in hope that the Finance Committee can come to some kind of agreement,” said Gibbs.

Probably not everyone but somewhere a mother, father, son, daughter will likely die because of the half-assed health “system” in the U.S.. Americans are too frightened by change and would rather stay the course as the nation goes over the cliff.

Fukin A

And we don’t need no stinkin’ panels to tell us so!

every day

You neglected to add the “Whoopee,” part. Funny, my brain was singing that song in my head this morning, on the early post. Of course.

My husband could die. He will be on medicare in 12 months. I hope he lives that long.

Of course the Dems will act differently. Obama is passing out KY Jelly by the case and explaining how best to use it to reduce the discomforts of “bipartisanship.”

Ha. I only hope that it’s not the best thing they can put on my tombstone.
((Mare Mare))

I hesitate to return to CJ&F in fear that the Dragon will show up and we’ll skip back into nostalgia land :)

Let you and your husband hang in their marymccurnin!

We’re all gonna die!!!!!

I just checked my calendar.

It’s not on my to-do list at the moment.

Oh, you. Honestly, I think everyone here enjoys it when you two do. We will never forget.

It happens every day. Not to mention families that are forced to give up everything they have to keep a child, parent, etc. alive. The stupidity in this country is astounding. Unless you’ve had to use your healthcare to any extent with a chronic illness or taken care of an aging parent you have no idea what it’s like to have the life of your child in the hands of an insurance company who has the power to overrule your doctors opinions.

I am sick, but not surprised, that there are so many visible veterans at almost every one of these idiot town hall protesters.

We get KY out of the deal? This plan is getting better and better…

Mass stupidity equals fuckery. We have all been fuckeried by the birthers, deathers, townhall thugs and our own party.

Astroglide is wayyyyy better.

Well, fuck it then.

Who has the time nowadays to attend one of these things, anyway? Mostly retired folks, it looks to me. Lotsa vets, and their spouses, who are threatened by what Howard Dean just called “generational change” in America.

That’s the really good plan.

The retired folks in my congregation were saying the same thing on Sunday morning about some of the white-haired protesters. “Makes me ashamed to be old,” said one of my little old ladies, shaking her head sadly. “After watching the news last night, people are going to think all us little old ladies are nuts.”

I promise not to.

It’s Barbara Walters’ preference, per Kathy Griffin.

And by the silver tongued Obama.

It is time to open a death panel for stupid politicians.

The only thing I don’t get is that I AM ONE OF THEM now (old). It’s like old people from 40 years ago have been in pods and just emerged.

Commander Cody
From the album Too Much Fun, © 1990

Everybody’s dancin’ and truckin’
Everybody’s swingin’ and fuckin’
Truckin’
Fuckin’
Everybody’s doin’ it now

You can see ‘em dancin’ and truckin’
You can see ‘em swingin’ and fuckin’
Truckin’
Fuckin’
Everybody’s doin’ it now

Down in Berkeley on the street
You can hear those dancin’ feet
See the people everywhere they go
You can see ‘em singin’ “Hi de hi de ho!”

Everybody’s dancin’ and truckin’
Everybody’s swingin’ and fuckin’
Truckin’
Fuckin’
Everybody’s doin’ it now

I am sick, but not surprised, that there are so many visible veterans at almost every one of these idiot town hall protesters.

Any theories? Perhaps a habit of taking info from “superiors” at face value?

BTW, guess which enlisted-man Number One Son is being actively pursued to enroll at West Point?

A great great band!

Annapolis, puh leeze.

Too much Rush and way too much Fox.

He’s already Army. I had no idea that West Point would, or even could, reach out to enlisted men.

He’s suddenly being recruited hard.

Yea,my theory is that there are a lot of bitter Nam vets who have never gotten over losing friends and feeling they were sold out. As much as I am proud of my VVAW involvement a lot of these dudes felt that we were a very small percentage and that we manipulated the media. They are going to make sure they are heard. I also hesitate to say this about my brothers but project 100,000 took that many into the military every year for 5 years that couldn’t meet basic military standards. The mensa society it ain’t.

I think they’ve gotten comfortable in the last 40 years and have become the frightened seniors of our youth. Bought into the being defined by what they owned, where they worked shit. Sat on their asses and watched television instead of staying, or getting, involved in their communities. It was easier to let others make decisions for them.

Some nice LTE potential there, Peterr.

Quite the honour. Big decision seein’s how that’s a minimum 6(?) year commitment after graduation.

Howard Dean is exactly right. We have been through this before, probably many times. I remember when the oldsters thought rock and roll *gasp* was going to be the end of this country. Those were the people who fought in WW2. Now we have a whole new set of oldsters – disapproving, cranky, mean-spirited, and just plain old and out of touch. We will survive it.

They can reach out ok.

And that too. Lotta angry Nam vets at VA.

And there’s all these crazy kids with their hippity-hoppity music being disrespectful to David Broder!

Wasn’t it ever thus among the old?

Hip hop is going to be the end of the country. *g*

I belong to a local Nam vets outfit and when Platoon came out these guys were running around screaming that the dope scene in the bunker was bullshit and “never would have happened” in our outfit. Now these are vets who HAD to have known what was going on with dope in the Nam but they just didn’t want to believe what they knew.

This here’s one-foot-in-the-grave rock n’ roller who’s disrespectful to David Broder.

Actually I wrote about the cultural divide in the military in my diss. It was just America over there.

But do you understand hip-hop? My 14 year old granddaughter listens to it and I can’t understand a word. I do think the singers are cute, though – yes, I have seen all their pictures. “Look, grandma, isn’t he gorgeous?”

I also think there’s a feeling of “I fought for it” and I can hardly blame them. But this is my second time around to see this sort of thing and I hope no one has to do it again.

I been hopin that for a while but I guess life is full of little disappointments.

“The mix was so amazing; incipient saints and realized homicidals, unconscious lyric poets and mean dumb motherfuckers with their brains all down in their necks; and even though by the time I left I knew where all the stories came from and where they were going, I was never bored, never even unsurprised”.

M Herr
Dispatches

Yeah, I understand it. Couldn’t stand it at first and it’s still not at the top of my list. My radio station has a Native American music show on Sunday nights. They started playing some NA hip hop. Very political and got me to pay attention to other stuff I heard. With rock n’ roll they called it the beat, with hip hop it’s the rhythm, to me anyhow. Street poetry, an extension of Gil Scott Heron in the day.

I still have people ask me why I wear my hair long. I just say, “I like it that way and I earned the right to wear it any way I choose.” I don’t add the thought, “You got a problem with that, motherfucker?”

Even better — a couple of the little old ladies knew I had been to Cleaver’s “Coffee with Cleaver” event, and asked me “What’s the best way to get in touch with my congressman — write a letter to DC?”

I said “No, letters are nice, and a phone call would be better, but the best would be to go in person and have a nice long, polite conversation with the congressman’s staffer in the local office right here.”

One got a twinkle in her eye, and said “Oh, yes” as a smile crept across her face. “And I know just what I’m going to say . . .”

I saw her today, and she said “Oh, me and a couple of the gals stopped in on Congressman Moore’s office on Tuesday afternoon. After all the shouting on TV, we were nice, polite old ladies for the young whippersnapper at the office, but we weren’t shy about expressing ourselves either. We had a . . . I believe the phrase is ‘frank exchange of views’.”

Awwwwww, MAN! You’re soooo mean! Ya just gotta give the new Pres. more time!

FunnyWheelieDiva
Snark-a-riffic!

What a great book.

Amen!

The whole point is for you not to understand it.

Thank you, Teddy. I declare myself so far left that I am an Eisenhower Republican. Sometimes gets a laugh; sometimes just a vacant stare.

yes, but when is the question. moreover, more likely sooner than later because of healthcare and how this whole process has been represented. shame on those who fight for some they need, because – yes they too are going to die with out any healthcare.