Commentary By Ron Beasley
Bernie Sanders may be the Senator from Vermont but he is America's Senator.
Sanders is the only member of the Democratic caucus to publicly oppose the Senate legislation, and it’s unclear if he would still vote for cloture but oppose the final bill. Still, Sanders’ objections raise [...]
John Podesta:
Since Joe Lieberman demanded stripping the public option and Medicare buy-in provisions from the merged Senate bill, some strong progressives like Howard Deanhave argued that without a public option or a Medicare buy-in provision, the bill is a giveaway to private insurers and should be killed. Other progressive leaders like [...]
I admit to being deeply disappointed in the US Senate Democrats complete inability to get a decent health care reform bill passed. It's just so damn depressing. I even had to turn the radio off during my commute this morning because it was just more than I could stand.
And then, [...]
The Senate may actually be on the verge of creating a health care reform bill that should be killed. AP reports:
WASHINGTON — Former Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean argued Wednesday that the health care overhaul bill taking shape in the Senate further empowers private insurers at the expense of [...]
By John Ballard
Maggie sez...This is the first game, not the match.
Neither the House nor the Senate bill plans to roll out reform before 2013 (or 2014).
Over the next three years, Congress will revisit the public plan. And Conservatives will try to repeal the stripped-down bill that we [...]
Commentary By Ron Beasley
Nate Silver disagrees but I don't:
Howard Dean: “Kill The Senate Bill”In a blow to the bill grinding through the Senate, Howard Dean bluntly called for the bill to be killed in a pre-recorded interview set to air later this afternoon, denouncing it as “the collapse' [...]
It's looking like the Senate health care reform bill won't have either a public option or Medicare buy-in for people under 65.
That's disturbing. It sure isn't what I and other progressives expected when Obama was elected president and the Democrats won solid majorities in both houses of Congress.
I [...]
Today Patrick Sheehan announced his run for House seat 51 for an open seat. The seat was formerly held by Linda Flores and switched to Barton in 2008 and Barton is now running for the Senate in Rick Metzger's vacated seat. Sheehan's strengths is that he [...] 
We all know what's happened to the health care reform bill in the Senate...so far. Think whale carcass, serendipitously beached in a village of starving Aleutians. If the word "near-total gutting" comes to mind, you win a prize.
What to do now? Progressive heroine Darcy Burner says Kill it, kill [...]By Dave Anderson:
Ian Welsh summarizes politics 101:
Bad policy = bad outcomes for ordinary people. Bad outcomes for ordinary people when you control the House, Senate and White House make them figure they should try the other party. (See, 2006, 2008).
Dem politicos need to get this tattooed on their butt, [...]
Senate Republicans offer stranded members of Oregon National Guard a trip home for the holidaysAbortion, the Church and Health Care Reform
As Congress debates health care reform the most divisive issue is not the public option or a single payer style health care system. Unfortunately, abortion has become the defining issue.
People of faith are as divided as the [...]
Ferrioli defends right to bear arms in crucial Second Amendment caseI wanted to make you aware of this health care vigil set to occur in downtown Portland this coming Tuesday at 5:30 pm. As you know, the Senate is debating health care reform right now. Please pass this information around to your friends, family, congregation members, and contacts. I've been' [...]
We adults are awash in federal government debt. Our children will drown in it. The present health-care reform proposals in the U.S. Senate and House will create an even stronger undertow, dragging us all down deeper. The initial 10-year government-guesstimated trillion-dollar cost of said proposals [...] By Steve Hynd
Let the incremetal escalation continue!
Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he asked the president for flexibility on the number in case military commanders in the field request additional medics or troops trained to detect improvised explosive devices.
Gates told a Senate committee Thursday that he got approval for the [...]
Commentary By Ron Beasley
There are many things you can blame the Bush administration for but not capturing Osama bin Laden is not one of them.
Senate Report Explores 2001 Escape by bin Laden From Afghan MountainsAs President Obama vows to “finish the job” in Afghanistan by sending more troops, [...]
Well, “health care reform” is on its way to the Senate floor. When it passes (not if, but when), it will amount to little more than billions of dollars worth of wasted money and one big “WIN” check-mark in Team Blue’s column… and make no mistake, this isn’t about the [...]
While you're considering the shitheels in the US 
MSNBC just put out the 