Could he be a Republican shill?

To revive an ancient metaphor: the Amerikan duopoly can't survive with a single store, e.g. a "Macy's". Some political systems do, or at least attempt to, but in Amerika the pernicious duopoly so rapidly embedded its roots in the constitutional republican soil that subsequent development had to incorporate this foundation-- figuratively AND literally, as it happens.

Enter "Gimbels", presently played by the Democratic Party. It caters to the constituency too poor or principled to shop at top-drawer Macy's. In fact, there's only one set of investors and stockholders running the stores, despite the illusion of cut-throat competition.

As certain comments in this thread demonstrate, bottom-drawer Gimbels need only attract and satisfy customers compulsively eager to pay "bargain" prices for shoddy and defective goods sold in a dim and flickering light.

Where else are they going to shop? The rented storefront used goods shops and parked-van street merchants operated by Naders, McKinneys, and Sheehans?

Regular Gimbels customers firmly believe that persistently returning substandard merchandise, and making it a point to let no complaint go unvoiced to store management and investors, will inevitably result in incremental but significant and enduring improvement in merchandise and service-- and if necessary, altogether New Management practicing the hitherto-abandoned dictum that the customers, not the proprietors, matter most.

The executives of both outlets look down from their penthouse windows, watching the Gimbels customers stride up brimming with loyalty and determination worthy of a champion Golden Retriever, and smile.

· Yr Obd't Servant

The "Change" and "hope" that this country needs will NOT happen by trusting this Government the way it is now.

This Government is broken beyond repair by any President Senator or Party.

The "Change" and "Hope" we want will only be found by dissolving this Broken Government and establishing a new one.
Millions in the streets will be the only way to bring about the change that is needed.

To continue of this course of trusting the present form of Government to protect you as a citizen is insane.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
-Albert Einstein

See you all in the streets.

To the list of "progressives" who caved please add the name of my representative, Maurice Hinchey of New York's 23rd District. Shame, shame.

Briggs Seekins
briggsseekins.wordpress.com

The current situation is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!!! It's way past time to SHOW our government, the robber baron insurance companies, and the plundering Corporatocracy who really OWNS this country - we the people.

It's time for a National Stand Down from Work Day - to show them that without us, they are doomed! If one day doesn't do it, perhaps a week or two, or a month!!! We don't need to wait til the next election to TAKE ACTION.

This is the only WEAPON we have left to us! They certainly aren't listening to us - they treat us as NOTHING!

Kucinich explains his "no" vote.

http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=153995

Health insurance rates will go up with inflation due to the cost of War and will trump any chance of improvement in the people's lives.

Cheer up, things will get worse.

I remember when the public option looked dead, and people were livid about it, saying without the public option the bill was worse than nothing, Obama sold us out, Democrats are worthless, vote third party, vote out every incumbent, on and on.

Now that it looks like the public option is back to stay, and we're halfway to passing a bill that has one, people are livid and saying that anything except single payer is worse than nothing, Obama sold us out, Democrats are worthless, vote third party, vote out every incumbent, on and on.

Way to move those goalposts there!

You're even calling it "Obamacare" now and railing against Pelosi. What exactly is the difference between you and the wingnuts on Free Republic again?

The monstrosity healthcare bill that passed in the US house was opposed almost unanimously by Repuks and supported by most Demoks. Much of the reason behind these positions had to do with partisanship which produces no benefits for the people and therefore should be banned.

But the Repuks also opposed the bill because it proposed taxes to supplement the premiums of the currently uninsured. The Repuks would prefer that we continue to allow the "invisible hand" of the market work its "magic". Their poorer constituents are unable to recognize the problem in this. Their more mammon-drenched constituents want nothing that resembles sharing of the mammon, the unnatural stuff they fabricate out of thin air.

The Demoks mostly supported the bill for the partisan reason that it can be construed as some kind of historic accomplishment. In fact it's a historic boondoggle, leaving insurers unscathed, though the Demoks claim that it will prevent insurers from discriminating against the sick. It does nothing to reign in costs so costs are very likely to escalate as much as 5 times the cost of healthcare elsewhere, in ten years, according to the threats made by the insurance cartel itself.

The best thing for the people to do is inform our reps that we will vote third party in the 2010 elections if they fail to implement single payer insurance before then.

Yes, friends, it passed, without the Kucinich states' option for Single Payer.

220 to 215.

Deeply disgusting. The California legislature has already voted for Single Payer twice, and our Governator has vetoed it twice. Maybe, just maybe, a Democratic governor will pass a version of single payer next year despite the Federal roadblocks (although I don't expect much from retread Jerry Brown, who leads in Democratic polls.)

But consider what has happened. Most of the 39 Democratic congressional votes against the bill were from Democratic reactionaries. We don't know yet how many "progressive" Dems voted against the bill. I don't even know how Kucinich voted.

What did the reactionaries vote against? For one thing, a 6% surtax (not nearly enough, but better than anything else on offer) on people making over $500,000. Some of it pay for the "Public Option" and expanded Medicaid (which has just cut off my dental care), and some to help the poor pay for (ugh) private insurance.

The fact is that the majority of Congress are corporate and reactionary. According to the NY Times, before the healthcare vote: "The House also approved on a 240-194 vote an amendment that would impose tighter restrictions on using federal funds to pay for abortions." Those people, companeros, were not about to vote for Single Payer. Vote against the House bill, stand on your head, hold your breath, the majority who voted against abortion aren't going to do it, or even think about it.

So we have a choice. We can waste our energy calling the "progressive" Democrats sellouts, or we can figure out a way to organize against corporate rule. The floor is open to suggestions about how to do that.

A Funny Thing Happened on the way to Healthcare......this is the Everything But Healthcare Bill!

IT PASSED.

Very sad.

Most of the progressives caved in to the corporate Democrats.

Here is the link to the Roll Call:

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll887.xml

This Massa is a brave cat. I'm not saying he's all that progressive or anything, but he spoke boldly abt get out of Afghanistan, and now this. Maybe he needs some education on Zionism, but he certainly seems like a good guy to have on your side.

So should we call our reps and tell them to vote no? I think I answered my own question. "Think like the disease," i.e. help them f themselves up. I'm on the phone to Jackie now.

You can go here

http://www.massaforcongress.com/

to donate to Massa's 2010 election campaign.

I don't live in New York but I am sending a check. Obama and all of the current Democratic office holders in my state will never get another vote from me but I'm willing to do what I can for true progressives like Massa.

http://mobilizeforhealthcare.org/

President Obama has a knack of digging himself into deep, deep holes. Afghanistan is one of these and Health Care Reform is another. (In case you question the Afghanistan hole, it began to be dug when he averred that the war there was not a war of choice but a war of necessity. While this was only a statement, sending 20,000 additional troops to Afghanistan was an action and actions trump speeches).

The GOP has made no secret of its intent to topple President Obama from his pedestal by failure to pass Heath Care Legislation (and not winning the war in Afghanistan/Pakistan soon or leaving Iraq a bloody killing field).

Obama's team knows that failure to pass such legislation now may indeed be his political Waterloo. Consequently Obama's administration and his unflinching supporters in Congress must pass a Health Care Legislation, any Health Care Legislation no matter how watered-down, no matter how flawed, no matter how much at risk to fail eventually.

They also know the power of the slogan "who lost Afghanistan"? They know that "Who lost China"? was followed by the notorious McCarthy era.

The digging of the deep hole was in this case the valuable time lost trying to mollycoddle a handful of Republicans which, ultimately was reduced to one: Senator Olympia Snowe from Maine. Time was lost even after it was apparent that Olympia was not going to vote for Obama's package. Time lost is time lost; there is no magic wand that can retrieve it for you Mr. Obama.

It is impossible to know whether any of Obama's opponents during the primaries would have done better. Unfortunately they were correct when they claimed that Obama was too inexperienced to be President yet. It is becoming painfully clear that this is the case.

If Obama does not get a decent Health Care Bill on his desk during his first term no amount of rousing hot-air speeches will save the Democrats in 2010. The loyalists will remain loyalists but much of the base and independents will walk away or stay at home and 2012 may even get worse.

Meanwhile, Obama must understand that the Republicans in the Senate will unanimously oppose every one of his major initiatives. If Obama does not throw down the gauntlet now and let them be obstructionist with filibustering if he cannot muster 60 votes he must let them filibuster day and night, 24 hours, 52 weeks, 354 days if necessary from now until the next elections. His 60 votes depend, among others, on the continued ability of Senator Byrd to attend and vote and on Lieberman always voting with the Democrats. Obama's legislative agenda is built on quicksand if he avoids fighting.

Obama has always voiced opposition to single payer since running for president. Where were these groups when Nader was running? We here on CD have said it all along that the "public option" was a scam.

Wake me up when Obamacare dies or passes !

And never forget, the "tea-baggers" aren't! But are, in fact, corporate-sponsored carpetbaggers on their sickened body politic of this republic of We, the People, ALL!!

I agree 100%. If private insurance has any input whatever into the bill you may be certain that the bill will increase their profits.

Single Payer or nothing! A true single payer option would put the private insurance companies out of business within one year.

Single payer or single term.

Public option is not an option.

Thank you Mr. Massa.

Eric Massa ---- Your best hero in Congress

These brave people are being reamed on HuffPo right now, as one of the updates listed those who would vote against the bill, and there was Eric Massa. They were being called traitors and one post after another saying anyone voting against this bill should be voted out of office. I was frankly amazed that these were the majority of the comments -- it's like all the advocates just disappeared overnight. Not totally gone, though. The posters who are standing tough are getting reamed and called all the usual names in the book for anybody who doesn't bow down to Obama's wishes.

I saw Eric Massa's name on the list and I felt proud. He is a staunch single-payer advocate. And I believe this was the reason he ran for office.

I've NEVER seen how the "Obama plan" is REFORM???

I read where Universal in Canada started with only one province adapting it and then it spread like the proverbial wild fire. I believe that this is what Kucinich is trying to accomplish with his state option in an otherwise shitty bill.

Weiner also decided against a vote on Single-Payer because it would be OVERWHELMINGLY voted down at this point. They want the state's choice FIRST and let the snowball roll!

I'm surprised that in another thread here many of you berated Weiner, Kucinich, and others for backing down. Folks, they have a plan. They know a LOT BETTER than us what's going on and we know from their pushing for Single-payer that they would never back down at all. Get off their backs!

Rep. Tammy Baldwin:
Now is your chance to stand for me and the rest of your Wisconsin constituents by voting no.

So which is it? Fighting for the health decision making power of your people or fighting for the increase in control Obama's bill gives corporate America?

You have to choose.

We been sold down de river alright

Hmm, this might explain why Rahm Emanuel has been humming Stephen Foster's now politically-incorrect but still compelling tune: Massa's in de cold, cold ground!

· Yr Obd't Servant