Republicans appear ready to stand by the obstructionist strategy that failed to defeat health-care reform. “There will be no cooperation for the rest of the year,” McCain said on Monday. “They have poisoned the well in what they’ve done and how they’ve done it.” Senator Judd Gregg, meanwhile, said that the “the institution of Congress has been fundamentally harmed.” Gregg acknowledged, however, that health care could no longer be a winning issue for Republicans by November: “It’s very possible that people will not be as focused on this by next November.”
Read more at THE HILL.
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
With much work left to be done — financial reform, immigration reform — this should be an attractive strategy to prove to most voters they aren’t capable of conducting the business of the people.
Maybe if they want things to go their way they should work hard at attracting enough votes to win at the national level and make their own ‘changes.’
This is my favorite part: “There will be no cooperation for the rest of the year,” McCain said during an interview Monday on an Arizona radio affiliate.
So why doesn’t he just say, same old, same old? As if they’ve cooperated since Obama took office. Good grief! Dem’s worked more with Reps when Bush was in office, and he never deserved to be worked with.
What Obama failed at was his desire for bipartisanship. I truly hope he’s learned his lesson, because it’s certainly been taught…the hard way and to the detriment of this country after the weakening of what would have, could have been a good health care bill.
Damn, I knew that. Why is he taking up our time saying so?
I honestly won’t be surprised to see one of them lay down on the floor kicking and screaming, throwing a tantrum.
I’ll repeat a portion of my post on the thread titled, “What we’re losing without noticing” here. It’s how successful I think they will be with this strategy —
With regard to adult conduct, civility and the passing of health care legislation, the improper conduct and lack of civility the Republicans are showing will do greater harm to their cause than anything else. It will far overshadow any and all the weaknesses of this bill. Republicans look like the recalcitrant children they have become and that won’t be attractive to any voter outside their very small base. If they continue on the path they’ve promised of not just “No, but HELL NO,” they will do themselves in much faster than any other method could accomplish the same.
We aren’t the only adults concerned about how acceptable lack of civility is becoming! And we certainly aren’t the only voters who want the adults to be in charge!
“It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.” — Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Unfortunately, Republicans hate Franklin Delano Roosevelt and I have come to the conclusion that Republicans have no conscience or shame so they cannot be made to feel bad about their behavior.
After all, everything is about them – isn’t it?
Well, in a word, yes.
They’ve also proven their memories are faulty but I still remember they didn’t have any place close to enough electoral votes to win at the national level in 2008. It’s a long way off to 2012 but their current behavior isn’t going to attract voters outside their tiny base.
Obama 365
McCain 173
Dem pickups (vs. 2004):CO FL IN IA NV NM NC OH VA
GOP pickups (vs. 2004): (None)
“Just How Unpopular Is The Health Care Bill?
In the later phase of the health care debate, the argument most often heard from Republicans has been this: The American people have rejected this bill; we are only their messengers.
The verb “rejected” is often amplified with words such as “overwhelmingly” or “resoundingly” or “again and again.”
But with all that bad publicity and all the doubt generated by a year of debate and opponents’ vituperation, the latest Gallup Poll showed 48 percent against the bill and 45 percent in favor.
That does not look like overwhelming rejection. In fact, it’s within the margin of polling error.
Moreover, the 45 percent level of approval was achieved despite the same poll’s finding that the respondents believed the bill would only improve health insurance and health care for two groups: those currently uninsured and those with low incomes. Clear majorities of respondents thought everyone else, including doctors and other health professionals and the middle class, would suffer.
What would happen if the bill’s image were to improve, even slightly, in the days and weeks ahead? What if the passage, and the proliferation of positive details about the actual bill, were to lift its approval in the Gallup above 50 percent? What would be the primary Republican argument in that case?”
more here —
http://www.npr.org/watchingwashington/2010/03/just_how_unpopular_is_the_heal.html
For once the truth was on their side, it is true the majority was against this “bill”.
But they could not be honest when the truth was on they side though.
I believe the majority was against it because it had been so watered down and showing the power of the big insurance money. That the majority knew it was nothing to do or help them.
But the Republicans did not make that point, they painted it as if they did not like the bill for their reasons stated.
I used this example before, there is a Mexican restaurant on E. Harry.
I had quit going there because of their smoking policy and will not go back though I like the food.
Now perhaps PP does not like Mexican food so she said she will not eat there.
I come along and say that PP and I will not eat at that restaurant because of their smoking policy!
Hardly the same reason for the same action is it?
“Clear majorities of respondents thought everyone else, including doctors and other health professionals and the middle class, would suffer. ”
I find it VERY ironic that people think that doctors and other health professionals will suffer from this bill. This is EXACTLY the bill they wanted. They wanted mandatory health insurance–they got it. They wanted to keep the same Medicare rates–they got it. They were afraid of Medicare for all because they knew it would drive down the amounts that they would be paid and they were equally suspicious of a public option doing the same. No worries for them on that front with the bill that passed!
Don’t cry for doctors and hospitals, America. They are doing Ju$t Fine.
I expect “my doctor” to retire. He’s 57. He said that if the bill passed, he’d retire. Fine with me. I hope he enjoys the Florida sunshine. At least he can afford to retire.
Wicked, maybe your doctor will retire. If so, I don’t think it will be because this bill has a negative effect on his business, but he can use it as easily as others are using all those words that end in ‘ism’ (none of which they know they meanings of) or Armageddon among other childish rantings the sore losers are screaming.
Believe me, he’s welcome to leave! I hope he takes his office staff with him.
In a new CNN poll released today, 59 percent of Americans say they oppose the health-insurance reform bill passed Sunday night, while just 39 percent support it. (13 percent say they oppose it because it isn’t liberal enough.)
On its face, that’s great news for the Republicans, and suggests that President Obama has a tough selling job in the weeks and months to come. It certainly gives the GOP some footing in their argument that the Democrats have overextended and will face a backlash come November.
However, a couple of other numbers in the poll ought to undercut that optimism. Asked who they trust more to handle changes in health care, Obama or congressional Republicans, Obama remains the clear favorite, by 51-39 percent. That will be important, because once this bill clears its last congressional hurdle, Obama rather than Congress will be seen as its chief defender and proponent.
Conversely, the leading critics of the bill will continue to be congressional Republicans, who lack Obama’s credibility. In fact, even congressional Democrats outperform Republicans in Congress on health care. Forty-five percent say that given the choice, they would trust Democrats, while 39 percent would support Republicans.
(13 percent say they oppose it because it isn’t liberal enough.)
And that’s where the phony dichotomy that I’m always on about comes in. What does it mean to say that the bill isn’t LIBERAL enough? And why should anyone worry about whether the bill is conservative or liberal as long as it solves the problems it was written to solve?
The problem with THIS healthcare “reform” isn’t that it doesn’t fit my liberal sensabilities, it is that it DOESN’T SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
We still have insurance companies gauging us with ever-increasing premiums, which was a stated problem from the beginning, but we have now rewarded them by mandating that every man, woman and child must have insurance. Doesn’t solve the problem–makes it worse for many.
So, in return for that big payoff, the government is going to end the practice of recission and force insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions. But, nobody ever said they couldn’t charge them exhorbitant rates. There is no provision for a cap on rates or rate hikes for those people. Stated problem–partially solved, MAYBE and/or maybe made worse. It’s a wait and see.
In the end, if there are any winners at all, it may be only the Democrats and/or Obama and the insurance and healthcare industrialists that fought so hard for mandatory coverage and so hard against any sort of government-controlled health care program.
And the dichotomy of liberal/conservative was again used, and is continuing to be used, to analyze this issue at a great injustice to the true problems that needed solving to begin with.
Sad, so sad.
Michael More at his best:
Yes, my Republican friends, even though you have opposed this health care bill, we’ve made sure it is going to cover you, too, in your time of need. I know you’re upset right now. I know you probably think that if you did get wiped out by an illness, or thrown out of your home because of a medical bankruptcy, that you would somehow pull yourself up by your bootstraps and survive. I know that’s a comforting story to tell yourself, and if John Wayne were still alive I’m sure he could make that into a movie for you.
But the reality is that these health insurance companies have only one mission: To take as much money from you as they can — and then work like demons to deny you whatever coverage and help they can should you get sick.
So, when you find yourself suddenly broadsided by a life-threatening illness someday, perhaps you’ll thank those pinko-socialist, Canadian-loving Democrats and independents for what they did Sunday evening.
If it’s any consolation, the thieves who run the health insurance companies will still get to deny coverage to adults with pre-existing conditions for the next four years. They’ll also get to cap an individual’s annual health care reimbursements for the next four years. And if they break the pre-existing ban that was passed last night, they’ll only be fined $100 a day! And, the best part? The law will require all citizens who aren’t poor or old to write a check to a private insurance company. It’s truly a banner day for these corporations.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-moore/the-great-thing-about-the_b_507852.html
I finally, belatedly saw “Capitalism: A love story.” There were only 2 surprises for me. First, the “dead peasant” life-insurance policies. The second: the degree of successful grassroots resistance to the system, and Obama’s support for it.
That was early 2009, Larry Summers be damned!
Since then popular anger got morphed into the “Tea Party,” and cooped by the Republican party.
But the popular anger it still out there, and it can still change the course of history, when we simply to play by our wealthy corporate master’s rules.
A people’s revolt I think is every more in the air, and I think the legislation we’re seeing in Washington is being dragged along, kicking and screaming, for the ride.
Take America back, one house, one workplace, one signature, one phone call, or one letter at a time. I’ll certainly want to see if Dodd’s legislation is worthwhile (perhaps out of guilt?). We’ll see.
A bone I am tossing to the Prices’:
If guns kill people,
Spoons make Michael Moore fat!
ITS GENETICS… ITS GENETICS! and super sized big macs with a large drink and five of those wonderful apple pies!
Pleasepleaseplease, make the GOP run on this in November. Make them try to repeal it, or use it to show how mean the Dems are.
And please, let the Dems run on a platform of how the GOP is siding with the bailed-out bankers, instead of working for financial reform.
Paint the GOP for what they are: paid lackies of the corporate elite.
Health Care Bill Spurs Assassination Calls on Twitter
The Secret Service is investigating two Twitter users who, apparently angered by the passage of the health care reform bill, took to the Internet Sunday to call for the assassination of President Obama.
“ASSASSINATION! America, we survived the Assassinations and Lincoln & Kennedy. We’ll surely get over a bullet to Barrack Obama’s head,” wrote one Twitter user, who goes by the handle Solly Forell, and identifies himself as a conservative blogger and “‘authentic’ African American.”
Soon after the first post, Forell tweeted another message actively encouraging someone with a “clear shot” to kill the president.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/health-care-bill-spurs-assassination-calls-twitter/story?id=10170233
Does this moron honestly beleive he can get away with threats like this? It wouldn’t have taken the FBI more than 15 minutes to get his information from Twitter. I’d lay odds that he’s in a small room, sitting in a chair, being questioned right now. Or he’s wearing one of those pretty, white, tight coats so he can hug himself.
I can’t remember who it was but I heard someone pose this question to McCain in response to his statement that there would be NO cooperation:
“Why are you running for reelection?”
I thought it summed up the situation quite well.