You know how you can “smell” rain when it’s about to fall? It is completely premature but I can “feel” history coming on Sunday.

Oddly, that doesn’t diminish how anxious I am for it to be tomorrow at 2 pm EST.

In the meantime, here is a remarkable speech Pres. Obama delivered today. IMO, this is not the speech of a president who isn’t going to prevail:

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nellie
Member

Latest C-SPAN caller against. Her reason:

“Initially I supported this bill. But now, if this is such a great bill, why is there so much opposition against it”?

*sigh*

KQµårk 死神
Member

My favorite was an idiotic right winger posting how this bill will make all states take all their Medicaid patients off Medicaid and make them by private insurance. Huh if they could do that they could much more easily do that NOW, in fact more states are denying people Medicaid NOW they they would be under this bill. For fuckssake I can’t stand Republicans using programs they opposed and that Democrats created as reasons to vote against this bill.

Khirad
Member

There be someone we all know ‘over there’ who can’t shut up about this. Even citing Dick Morris.

KQµårk 死神
Member

Very good closing argument for HCR on The New Republic.

http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-treatment/closing-arguments

The signature programs of these eras, Social Security and Medicare, work because they address a vulnerability we all share. Everybody is at risk of getting old; and everybody is at risk of misfortune, physical and financial, when that happens. To protect against that misfortune–to insure against that misfortune–all of us contribute. We all give, in the form of financial contributions; and we all get, in the form of financial security. Together, quite literally, we are stronger than when we are apart.

The conservatives protesting on the Capitol lawn Saturday see things differently. Health care reform isn’t about contributing money for the sake of their own security; it’s about having their money taken for the sake of somebody else’s security. When they hear stories of people left bankrupt or sick because of uninsurance, they are more likely to see a lack of personal responsibility and virtue than a lack of good fortune. As my colleague Jonathan Chait has observed, theirs is an extreme version of a view common (although surely not universal) on the right: That individuals can fend for themselves, as long as they are responsible and as long as the government gets out of the way.

There’s obviously a balance to be struck between these two world views. But, broadly speaking, conservative ideas about responsibility and vulnerability have dominated political discussion for most of the last four decades. That will change on Sunday, if health care reform passes. The bill before Congress may be flawed. And the process that produced it may be severely flawed. But it is, nevertheless, an expression of the idea that we–as as society–are not prepared to let people continue to suffer such dire consequences just because they

nellie
Member

Remember my article long ago on “personal responsibility”? This is exactly the kind of thing I was thinking about.

KQµårk 死神
Member

Yup I think of that article all the time.

nellie
Member

Really? Gee. 😳

TheRarestPatriot
Member

Stupak signs ON

SanityNow
Member

hope he didn’t get what he really wanted: a permanent Hyde Amendment.

KQµårk 死神
Member

There is nothing they can add now that is more permanent.

TheRarestPatriot
Member

Listen to this…apparently some of the Libs here are talking obou the Deem n Pass procedure was a complete feign from Pelosi and the gang. They say she/they cooked up the threat to use it weeks ago and had a whip leak it. (those last 3 words sound dirty) This was done apparently to fake the Right into putting their ire and fury over that procedure and not on the pie filling of the bill. so the commercials you see on tv about Dems using this procedure was just to drain the Riht’s coffers on a procedure they weren’t ever going to use! The Right got fucking PLAYED! Never considered that….

SanityNow
Member

if that is true, that was BRILLIANT politricks. Well done Dems.

nellie
Member

Well played. That was excellent!

KQµårk 死神
Member

I thought about that but I just didn’t think Dems could be that foxy.

Blues Tiger
Member
Blues Tiger

*

nellie
Member

Another Medicare caller — keep government out of our healthcare!

Amazing.

SanityNow
Member

ironical isn’t it?

nellie
Member

pathetical, too….

TheRarestPatriot
Member

Okay…first let say I broke down and bought a Churro from a vendor. I also learned that this treat is a funny play on a burro’s tail. Weird…delicious!
also, excuse any typos etc…hard to type, eat a churro and give as many Righties ‘flat tires’ as I walk….accidentally of course…Heee
This is interesting though…the protesters LOOK like a there are a lot of them BUT there are many groups of people here that have nothing to do with them and I think that is plumping their footprint…
Just passed a prayer group calling this Obamageddon.
I will not send them to their maker no metter how much id like to. Oh they’re thick in front of the National historyMuseum…OH….Now I understand….evolution thing maybe?….fucking nutjobs…But…here they are.

nellie
Member

Obamageddon — that’s a new one.

The president’s name sure gets a lot of tweaking!

TheRarestPatriot
Member

Now if they could only spell and use grammar properly…it’s amazing

SanityNow
Member

despite the nutjobs, or maybe because of the nutjobs, I envy you your perspective…

KQµårk 死神
Member

They showed earlier on the morning shows only 35 members of Congress voted against SS. Many Republicans voted for Medicare, only 130 something voted against it. The Republicans used this as an argument that this was a more liberal bill. You can argue because of the exclusions this bill was close to the SS compromise but no way is this bill more liberal than SS. The fact is the GOP took a hard right turn. They will do everything they can to destroy any progress in this country. My main point is this bill would be more liberal if the GOP was not so obstinate because even though only Dems will vote for it the opposition party still influenced the limits on the legislation. That said this will be an amazing achievement in the current political climate that everyone should recognize.

escribacat
Member

Yes, KQ. It’s not because the SS and MediCare bills were more moderate; it’s because the repubs were more moderate then.

KQµårk 死神
Member

More moderate and they put country before party. Right now they are complete nihilists.

Khirad
Member

Perfect benediction by Rev. Daniel Coughlin.

nellie
Member

It was lovely, but I always consider these opening prayers a compromise on my part. We all give a little to get a little.

nottoolate
Member

I would have preferred The Vatican Rag (available on youtube) but maybe they will do that at the end.

TheRarestPatriot
Member

Well, I did it. Friday night Vox lit a fire in me and I made a decision. After talking to everyone here and seeing the madness that was taking place in front of the Captital with the spitting and hate and BS,…I filled up the RAV4 and hit the road. At the moment I’m standing in front of the Holiday Inn (free WiFi) about 4 blocks from the crowds in DC. There is a gathering of Hispanics and Latinos all around the Mall with some of the best smelling food I’ve ever smelled. Lots of tents and stalls out in front of the Smithsonian castle where I came in on the metro.

There are assholes everywhere and I’m doing my best not to slap the shit out of some of these protesters. I’m going to go out in a minute and try to find supporters of the bill and hang with them. It was probably stupid of me to drive here, but I felt compelled to be a part of this. I will try to find WiFi spots as I go and check in every so often. Talk soon….

Khirad
Member

Keep us updated, I’m so humbled by you and ashamed!

escribacat
Member

Thanks for the eye witness accounts! Don’t spit on anyone.

nellie
Member

Cool, TRP. You’re our witness.

KQµårk 死神
Member

Bravo TRP! Way to take a stand brother.

SanityNow
Member

AWESOME! I wish you had a live web cam taped to your head so we could watch real time.

nellie
Member

REALLY interesting comment from Roll Call reporter — to whom I must apologize (even though he doesn’t know what I said) because he’s shaping up as a great commentator.

He’s saying health care will be the central issue of the 2012 presidential election. Because of the schedule and the GOP threats to repeal the bill, 2012 is likely to be about whether this bill ever gets implemented. Even if the GOP retake the House and Senate and pass legislation to repeal the bill, the president will never sign it.

So suddenly I’m wondering whether the 2014 implementation date is a political calculation to give cover to the 2012 election.

Khirad
Member

Probably not to the same degree, but I had considered this.

SanityNow
Member

I really believe it is logistical necessity that the implementation takes so long. I think it would benefit Dems much more if implementation could be sped up not delayed. Just my gut reaction.

nellie
Member

Bart Stupak is a yes.

escribacat
Member

WOW.

SanityNow
Member

what did he get for that yes? anything? if all he got was an XO reiterating that the Hyde Amendment is current law and will be observed, then I am fine with that. Any XO that codifies Hyde ad infinitum would be abhorrently wrong.

nellie
Member

It seems he got an executive order that repeats what the Hyde Amendment says. He must not trust the Hyde Amendment. Very weird.

SanityNow
Member

he absolutely does not trust the Hyde Amendment because Hyde is not permanent law: it needs to be renewed with every appropriations bill. Stupak wants it to remain permanently. If it becomes permanent, it erodes the foundation of Roe v Wade.

nellie
Member

Now I get it. I really was beginning to think the man is daft — which he may be, but not for the reasons I thought!

escribacat
Member

So he got a comfort blankie but nothing “real?”

nellie
Member

Basically, yes. 😆

choicelady
Member

Marcy Kaptur is voting YES. There are cautious rumours that there are enough votes. Don’t know what is happening with Stupak, but there cannot be a deal in the way of an amendment since that would start the clock back on the 72-hour run. That is why no amendments were added, not even from flaming liberals, yesterday in House Rules. Don’t know if anyone else watched, but it was a remarkably civil interchange, even when Republicans said they’d been ‘left out’ and Dems said Reeps were ‘obstructionist’. The funny interchange among members was absolutely heartening. THEY at least seemed to lift the discourse to a very high level and engaged with collegial respect that made me almost cry with relief.

We could be a nation once again IF this sort of behavior were the norm.

Well, it’s almost 2:00 EDT, and I’m moving on to watch. At the critical moment, however, I will be the token Christian in a synagogue discussing health care from a moral as well as pratical viewpoint. I have someone posted to call my cell phone with the vote total on reconciliation so I can announce it, but how weird is this – caught in the headlines of history. I hope I’m up to it. Got goosebumps!

If it passes, and I think it will, I will be thinking of you, KQ and e’cat. This one’s for YOU. (Youze in the Pittsburgh parlance of the plural second person…)

nellie
Member

March 25th is Nancy Pelos’s 70th birthday. That woman looks great.

choicelady
Member

Wow – she sure does! I’m closing in on her in a few years. Hope I hold up that well at 70!

Khirad
Member

It’s amazing.

SanityNow
Member

she must love what she does. She does look great.

nellie
Member

C-SPAN pre-gavel commentary is disappointing. The guest doesn’t seem to understand the provisions of the bill and doesn’t answer questions with the most relevant information to the caller. His name is Steven Dennis — he’s a Roll Call reporter. A reporter from Roll Call should be doing a better job.

Like the rest of the media, he knows all about the process, knows less about the provisions in the bill.

UPDATE: He got better. :mrgreen:

SanityNow
Member

it is astounding that with so much lead time, weeks of lead time, it seems that most people and people who are charged with reporting on the subject and having opinions about the subject, have clearly not read any of the versions of the bill very deeply, comprehensively…or at all.

Ironically (and facetiously) , the only people I would give a pass on actually reading the bill are Republicans like Cantor, who have stated all year long that they will vote NO no matter what on any issue on which Democrats are in favor…so their really is no reason to actually know what is in any bill brought before the House or the Senate by Democrats in their case.

Any self respective member of the Fourth Estate should be ashamed for not having read these HCR bills however.

nellie
Member

I was just about to post an update to my comment. He’s doing a better job. He muffed a couple of questions (just when I started listening), but he must be paying more attention to the questions because his answers are pretty good now.

But as far as the rest of the media is concerned, you are spot on. I expect more from The Hill and Roll Call.

Something interesting — the callers pro bill and even undecideds are very articulate. The callers against the bill don’t even seem to understand what their objections are. Their calls are illogical — talking points mixed with personal situations that would BENEFIT from the bill.

escribacat
Member

Which CSPAN are you watching, Nellie? CSPAN 1?

nellie
Member

I just went to the site and clicked the link to the congressional session on health care.

http://www.c-span.org/Watch/C-SPAN.aspx

Khirad
Member

Did you hear that caller – he doesn’t have insurance, his wife doesn’t – but he’s still against this ’cause of big gubmint socialism.

Seriously – this what we have to ‘reason’ with.

nellie
Member

Exactly. All the callers against have been like this. Talking points + I really need insurance.

It just shows how people can be brainwashed into believing something that hurts them.

nellie
Member

Eric Cantor, “There will be no Republican votes for this bill.”

Khirad
Member

Is it not somewhat ironic that Joseph Cao said he would vote against it “on principle” this time, never mind that his constituency wants it?

There went the tired “polls” argument. I agree with him, vote on principle – it’s the right thing to do.

No word yet on the arm-twisting that went into keeping his vote ‘no’. I’m sure the GOP will get back to us on that.

nellie
Member

It’s sad. Cao had a proud moment. And now it’s gone.

SanityNow
Member

I want to know what sort of absolute control over its members that the Republican leadership so clearly has and exercises that not a single Republican has any free will of their own any longer. Death threats? Threats against family? extended family? I don’t think I have ever seen such total lockstep discipline in action by any party…since maybe the National Socialists in a particular European country not too long ago.