This notion that everyone loves the health insurance bailout bill except “they” (liberal purity trolls) seems to be a real idee fixe for Obama, and I’m not sure why.

If you’re one of the 99ers who doesn’t know how your bills are going to be paid after the end of the year, give Jared Polis a call and ask him. This deal will be great for him. Maybe he can tell you why it’s good for you, too.

Washington DC: phone 202.225.2161, fax 202.226.7840
Boulder: phone 303.484.9596, fax 303.568.9007
Frisco: phone 970.668.3240, fax 970.668.9679
Thornton: phone 303.287.4159, fax 303.287.4385

Please watch every minute of this. Olbermann’s Special Comment about the McConnell-Obama tax cut deal is deeply and profoundly right.

I think this could lead to the belief that the bill has become a Christmas tree. Harry Reid’s push to legalize online poker in the bill adds to that as well. And nothing will take down this bill faster than cries of “pork” and “the cornhusker kickback” (in this case, actually having to do with corn).

The Senate will hold four cloture votes today. Now, when the Senate holds chained cloture votes like this, it’s typically a sign that they don’t have the votes to move any of them. The DREAM Act is in there, third out of four (the 9/11 health bill, which has more of a chance of passing, is after it), and the outlook is bleak, especially given the Republican kamikaze of the lame-duck agenda.

If those fail, the Senate could proceed to the defense authorization bill, according to the calendar. That’s the bill that includes the legislative repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. They would reconsider the cloture vote which failed in September.

This tax deal is the public option fight all over again, but not the way Obama falsely tries to spin it. Both times, Obama had no intention of fighting for his promise. Both times, he argued that in order to obtain some help for regular people, he was “forced” into endorsing a huge transfer of wealth to the ultra rich and big corporations.

Jim DeMint (R-SC) metaphorically joins Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the chorus of senators promising to blow up the Obama-McConnell tax deal.

It appears the Democrats in Congress are tired of playing along with Obama’s view of “bipartisan.”

Well as long as deficits don’t matter AND the poor are the only ones who do not benefit you can reach compromise in Washington if it involves a tax cut.

Brian Beathard — Damn It, I’m Vixen, animation by Michael Auger.