In a conference call with political bloggers, Senator Arlen Specter (Still-Fresh D-PA) reported that in a recent gathering of the Senate Democratic caucus, he suggested his colleagues pledge to stick with the party on a cloture vote when the merged health care reform bill came to the floor. Much to Specter’s surprise, according to him, his idea was not embraced by his fellow Dems. And, perhaps even more surprising, Majority Leader Harry Reid approached Specter after the meeting (again, according to Specter), and thanked him for stressing a point that Reid, himself, admitted he was “reluctant to make.”

Several months ago, I helped persuade encourage Jerry Nadler to take the whip count pledge.  So I'm particularly thrilled to see that's he's standing firm as iron these days. From the way he's talking, he's a changed man--delighted he took the pledge, and knowing full well the critical nature of the pledge project.

This is the reason we fight. Don’t give up, don’t get sidetracked, don’t be swayed, never forget. This is about people’s lives.

The other day, I was getting my hair cut. Over the years, the receptionist and I have become fast friends. We lamented and mocked George Bush, and when Barack Obama won in 2008, I brought her a bottle of champagne.This lovely young woman who has carefully watched over the small establishment for many years, has become one of my barometers into the psyche of a large segment of the population. Politics, the economy, how people are cutting back (no pun intended), is what we discuss.

"it would be irresponsible at this time to commit to taking a position on a bill when we don't know what will happen, but this has no bearing on his very strong support for a public option."

Ryan Grim at the Huffington Post is reporting that in a closed door meeting of the Senate Finance Committee, John Kerry proposed including a ten-year trigger in the healthcare bill.

The special interests, all aligned against the urgent needs of the American people, are spending $1.4 million a day so that they will prevail and we won’t.

In SURVIVING AMERICA’S DEPRESSION EPIDEMIC: How to Find Moral, Energy, and Community in a World Gone Crazy, Bruce Levine talks about “the societal sources of despair." He attributes much of our national malaise to a “not unreasonable” response to the pressures of corporate authoritarianism and “community malnourishment.”