Blanche Lincoln is addressing the Senate right now. She’s touting the Senate Finance Committee bill – which she voted for, by the way. She wants the final bill to be closer to the “common-sense, deficit-reducing bill” in the Senate Finance Committee, and that she will work hard to do that. That seems to tip that she’ll vote to proceed debate, since otherwise, could you fix the bill at all? We’ll know in a moment.

Eve Gittelson is in Little Rock covering the event today.

I think the entire progressive blogosphere can get behind the Senate Majority Leader on this one:
“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) Saturday morning criticized a Washington Post columnist who called Democratic healthcare bills ‘budget-busters.’”

It is important to remember that this is not the debate about the Senate health care bill, the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” This is a debate about whether to allow the bill to come to the floor where it can be debated and amended. The Republicans are threatening to use the Senate’s unlimited debate clause to prevent the bill from coming to the floor where it then can be debated. They are threatening to never stop debating (this is what a filibuster technically is) the vote on the motion to proceed. This is how the Republicans plan to use their right of unlimited debate to actually stop any debate on health care reform. When trying to explain how the Senate has become a broken, undemocratic, unconstitutional perversion of its original self, I recommend using this as an example.

The signers of the Manhattan Declaration are an interesting bunch. Whether they are Roman Catholics, evangelicals, or Anglicans, they share a strong bent for purity, both inside and outside the church. We’re going to be hearing from them for a while.

I’m kinda fried after following Polly Ticks all week. Making myself an omelet. (I wave my magic wand, point it at myself, and say: “You’re an omelet!”) Coffee’s ready, and there may be bacon sizzling somewhere. Got steel cut oats going for you vegans out there. Don’t mind the scent, that’s just shallots I chopped [...]

Senate convening CSPAN 2.

The Republicans decided they’d rather hear themselves talk than have the bill read aloud.

While the House health care reform bill is the one favored by progressives, it also happens to be more small “c” conservative than that Senate bill. This is not about the public option, the size of government subsidies, or regulation. The House bill is more small “c” conservative because it would do a better job of maintaining a health care system similar to the one we currently have. The reason for this is the employer mandate.

Let’s share some of the memories or traditions that you still carry on.

Featuring new videos from Charlotte Gainsbourg with Beck and White Denim.