If this is the best we can do after the nation pours its collective hope into something, it really is the end of empire. And everyone in town, at one level or another, seems to know it.

Heckuva job, Bart.

One of the strangest and most annoying Republican talking points on the Democrats’ health care bill is that’s it too long. We’ve heard this from them almost non-stop, since the House bill was introduced last year.

Progressive Caucus whip Diane Watson’s office tells her constituents that she’s “willing to hold her nose and vote for a bill that had an individual mandate but no public option,” according to a FDL activist call report.

Some are calling this health care bill a “good bill.” Tom Harkin is trying to sell this bill as a “starter home” with a “solid foundation.” Those who think this Senate bill is built on a strong foundation are either too invested to acknowledge its complete failings or don’t understand the many key components missing from this bill that are necessary to produce a properly working system.

As Marcy Wheeler has diligently demonstrated here, here, and here, that’s simply not true. Not only will the uninsured not be able to afford the insurance, affording medical treatment with that insurance, as Marcy notes, is a completely different matter.

As psychiatrists who provide critical psychological counseling and support for many patients living with HIV/AIDS in San Francisco, Drs. Tsai and Rosenlicht have observed firsthand how “evergreening” by the pharmaceutical industry has adversely affected their patients. They respond here to Rep. Anna Eschoo’s recent comments indicating her continued support for the biologics bill.