Obama to double down if Brown wins.

[KRonn]

What's funny that Massachussets is the state with a health care system already much like the one proposed by the democrat bill. I guess the fuckers who live there simply don't want the same they already have for the rest of the county. 

And the people of Massachussets dislike Romneycare and don't want to see it replicated elsewhere.  Nor do they want to pay higher taxes to export their failed system.

Romney care is broken. We can't afford it. Even Romney admitted that it didn't have enough cost controls, or ways to keep costs down. I thought it was a good idea to try and insure everyone, but it needs some fixing, if fixing is possible.

[KRonn]

In case anyone was unaware, one way they could avoid a filibuster on health care is for the House to accept the Senate version (already passed there).  But Pelosi just said on ABC that she doesn't have the votes in the House to vote in the Senate version.

That is really disappointing. Unless some miracle can happen now, it seems as though health care is dead at least until 2013.

These guys in Congress can pass something. There's a lot that they can agree on, but if they try to do too much again they're going to have trouble.

[grumbler]

What's funny that Massachussets is the state with a health care system already much like the one proposed by the democrat bill. I guess the fuckers who live there simply don't want the same they already have for the rest of the county. 

And the people of Massachussets dislike Romneycare and don't want to see it replicated elsewhere.  Nor do they want to pay higher taxes to export their failed system.

And the people of Massachusetts also like their health care reform and want to see it implemented nationally.

As always, "the people of Massachusetts" hold a number of different opinions, and only bumper-sticker-mentality types think differently.

[alfred russel]

In case anyone was unaware, one way they could avoid a filibuster on health care is for the House to accept the Senate version (already passed there).  But Pelosi just said on ABC that she doesn't have the votes in the House to vote in the Senate version.

That is really disappointing. Unless some miracle can happen now, it seems as though health care is dead at least until 2013.

These guys in Congress can pass something. There's a lot that they can agree on, but if they try to do too much again they're going to have trouble.

The problem is that the health care bill is interconnected so that just passing a part of it may be a disaster. If you put the idea "Insurance companies can't discriminate against pre-existing conditions" you might have strong public support, even though that would wreck private insurance without an individual mandate.

[alfred russel]

Considering how weak the democrats were in Bush's first term, I think we got a glimpse of what a republican supermajority would look like. It doesn't include socialized medicine, but does have some nice programs to aid pharmaceuticals.

Only Nixon can go to China.

That has merit. Bush certainly wasn't Nixon though.

[KRonn]

What's funny that Massachussets is the state with a health care system already much like the one proposed by the democrat bill. I guess the fuckers who live there simply don't want the same they already have for the rest of the county. 

Another thing, big thing. People are very angry over how this Federal bill was done, all the buy offs to politcians and states to pass it, buy offs to big business and big unions, putting those costs elsewhere like on other taxpayers. Senator Nelson of Nebraska who got a real sweetheart deal fo his state is getting booed by his constituents on the streets, and his ratings have dropped. Even those getting the sweet deal know it stinks. So, of course all this plus more that went on to nudge this pig towards the finish line has a lot of angry people. And we get a Repub in Massachusetts, as one result. Plus other issues people are just as angry over, as even many Democrats are here. I can only imagine the fear Dems feel in more centrist type states. If a Repub can win in Mass, then damn, Repubs can win anywhere right now.

[grumbler]

Romney care is broken. We can't afford it. Even Romney admitted that it didn't have enough cost controls, or ways to keep costs down. I thought it was a good idea to try and insure everyone, but it needs some fixing, if fixing is possible.

Like any system in which public moneys subsidize private inefficiencies, the Massachusetts system allows for some pretty egregious cost increases.  The problem with health cares costs is that the consumer has no one on his side, and faces a whole host of organizations primed to gouge to the max.  In countries with single payer, or a large government role, the government steps in to negotiate a price cap, but where the government isn't involved, or is involved incompetently (as in Medicare/Medicaid), no such pressure on the government exists.

It is not a problem that market forces can solve, no matter how much we free marketeers would love to think they could.

[grumbler]

If a Repub can win in Mass, then damn, Repubs can win anywhere right now.

And the ironic thing is that the Republican role right now, the role for which they are being rewarded, is the role of pure pig-headed obstructionism, because the public is more angry at the noise from the snow shovels two feet away from them than at noise from the avalanche 30 feet away.  The health care "reform" bill sucks, but the status quo sucks as well. 

In my more depressed moments, I realize that the American people get exactly the politicians they deserve.

[Hansmeister]

If a Repub can win in Mass, then damn, Repubs can win anywhere right now.

And the ironic thing is that the Republican role right now, the role for which they are being rewarded, is the role of pure pig-headed obstructionism, because the public is more angry at the noise from the snow shovels two feet away from them than at noise from the avalanche 30 feet away.  The health care "reform" bill sucks, but the status quo sucks as well. 

In my more depressed moments, I realize that the American people get exactly the politicians they deserve.

Nonsense, the Democrats tried to ram it through in secret without ever even talking to the GOP.  There was nothing even remotely worthwhile in either the House or the Senate bill.  Either one would've made the system far more dysfunctional than it already was.  "pig-headed obstructionism" a bill you were not allowed to even see was the only rational response.

The Dems even pissed off olympia Snowe, that was quite a feat.

[Hansmeister]

In case anyone was unaware, one way they could avoid a filibuster on health care is for the House to accept the Senate version (already passed there).  But Pelosi just said on ABC that she doesn't have the votes in the House to vote in the Senate version.

No, due to Article 7 of the Constitution "All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills."  Since the Senate bill included taxes the House adopting it would've been unconstitutional since the bill didn't originate in the House.

[Admiral Yi]

No, due to Article 7 of the Constitution "All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills."  Since the Senate bill included taxes the House adopting it would've been unconstitutional since the bill didn't originate in the House.

The point is interesting and moot both at the same time.

[Hansmeister]

No, due to Article 7 of the Constitution "All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills."  Since the Senate bill included taxes the House adopting it would've been unconstitutional since the bill didn't originate in the House.

The point is interesting and moot both at the same time.

I was actually hoping it would go to the USSC.  i love a good Constitutional law lesson.

[viper37]

Hey, I thought this belonged here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMlPE1lV_5Y&feature=player_embedded

You guys have some funny ads

[grumbler]

Hey, I thought this belonged here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMlPE1lV_5Y&feature=player_embedded

You guys have some funny ads

Loved it!  Thanks for posting it.

[garbon]

Hey, I thought this belonged here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMlPE1lV_5Y&feature=player_embedded

You guys have some funny ads

That's not an ad. That was put together by the guy that did that shoes video a couple years back.