Healthcare reform

[DukeNukeEm]

Arlen Specter is a s***head for switching parties and losing against a republican instead of a democrat. That's at least my partisan side's feeling. He's also terrible because hes a bad senator and when he does lose I'll be happy that he's gone.

 

Joe Lieberman is just a rotten little who is stooping below even politicians standards for self promotion at the expense of legislature.

Edited December 16, 2009 by DukeNukeEm

[Balta1701]

Arlen Specter is a s***head for switching parties and losing against a republican instead of a democrat. That's at least my partisan side's feeling. He's also terrible because hes a bad senator and when he does lose I'll be happy that he's gone.

 

Joe Lieberman is just a rotten little who is stooping below even politicians standards for self promotion at the expense of legislature.

Which is worse, the guy who switches parties to save his own skin, or the guy who is willing to oppose things he thought weeks ago would benefit the people of this country seemingly entirely for spite?

[DukeNukeEm]

Which is worse, the guy who switches parties to save his own skin, or the guy who is willing to oppose things he thought weeks ago would benefit the people of this country seemingly entirely for spite?

Embarrassing. Hard to imagine a guy like James Inhoffe would have to settle for being the 3rd biggest asshole in the US Senate.

[kapkomet]

I don't disagree with any of you on the last couple of pages in this thread. They're all whoring out to get their pet projects protected. Ben Nelson is being a little b****, too. Unfortunately, this is the way the game is played in Washington, and the bill is going to be the s***tiest legislation in American history.

[DukeNukeEm]

Stop broadbrushing kap. Just because I go after the very worst the Senate has to offer doesn't mean I think they're all bad.

[KipWellsFan]

I don't disagree with any of you on the last couple of pages in this thread. They're all whoring out to get their pet projects protected. Ben Nelson is being a little b****, too. Unfortunately, this is the way the game is played in Washington, and the bill is going to be the s***tiest legislation in American history.

 

Do you feel morally superior to all Senators?

[kapkomet]

Do you feel morally superior to all Senators?

Actually, yes. And I say that with honesty, integrity, and no ego whatsoever.

 

Now, "all" is a blanket. But I do feel like I have a s***load more ethical morality then these politicians.

[NorthSideSox72]

Actually, yes. And I say that with honesty, integrity, and no ego whatsoever.

 

Now, "all" is a blanket. But I do feel like I have a s***load more ethical morality then these politicians.

I'm really, honestly, sad, that you feel this way. You are way too smart to honestly believe that all 100 Senators and all 435 House Reps are these scum-sucking fleabags you characterize them as. Its ridiculous. You can take any 535 people on earth, and you get a variety pack of morality. Same goes for these guys. You seem to forget these are people, not robots programmed by evil coders at the RNC and DNC. Its easier to think that way, but I can tell you without any doubt whatsoever, that these people are not all evil. A few are evil, many are just bad, some are good.

 

[Y2HH]

I'm really, honestly, sad, that you feel this way. You are way too smart to honestly believe that all 100 Senators and all 435 House Reps are these scum-sucking fleabags you characterize them as. Its ridiculous. You can take any 535 people on earth, and you get a variety pack of morality. Same goes for these guys. You seem to forget these are people, not robots programmed by evil coders at the RNC and DNC. Its easier to think that way, but I can tell you without any doubt whatsoever, that these people are not all evil. A few are evil, many are just bad, some are good.

 

While you may be right, it's apparent you are only right about a minority of them, which is whats truly sad.

 

I'm sure there are a few of the 100 senators that aren't. And I'm sure there are a few of the 435 house reps that aren't.

 

That doesn't change the fact that the other 90% of them play politics and care about saving their jobs more than they care about doing whats right for the people/nation.

 

The problem is, a overwhelming majority of them ARE scum-sucking fleabags, and in the case of such majorities -- a few GOOD apples cannot UNSPOIL the bunch.

[NorthSideSox72]

While you may be right, it's apparent you are only right about a minority of them, which is whats truly sad.

 

I'm sure there are a few of the 100 senators that aren't. And I'm sure there are a few of the 435 house reps that aren't.

 

That doesn't change the fact that the other 90% of them play politics and care about saving their jobs more than they care about doing whats right for the people/nation.

 

The problem is, a overwhelming majority of them ARE scum-sucking fleabags, and in the case of such majorities -- a few GOOD apples cannot UNSPOIL the bunch.

I don't think you can say 90% bad, 10% good. I think its a curve all the way down. A few truly clean, believers, in it for all the right reasons. The next bunch are mostly that, but compromise their constituents needs to often to stay in office. Then there are some who get into grey areas, legally and morally, to varying extents. Then there are the purely self-interested ones who may avoid true lawbreaking, but overall are just sucking the life out of the system to keep their jobs. Then there are the truly useless scumbags.

 

What % of each? Who knows. And there are subtle differences in those groups as well. Its just not as simple as some of you are making it, because these are people. People are shades of grey, not black and white.

 

[BigSqwert]

Glenn Greenwald's take on the current state of affairs is quite entertaining and depressing.

[lostfan]

I don't think you can say 90% bad, 10% good. I think its a curve all the way down. A few truly clean, believers, in it for all the right reasons. The next bunch are mostly that, but compromise their constituents needs to often to stay in office. Then there are some who get into grey areas, legally and morally, to varying extents. Then there are the purely self-interested ones who may avoid true lawbreaking, but overall are just sucking the life out of the system to keep their jobs. Then there are the truly useless scumbags.

 

What % of each? Who knows. And there are subtle differences in those groups as well. Its just not as simple as some of you are making it, because these are people. People are shades of grey, not black and white.

That are not that many blatant lawbreakers, really. But those are the ones we remember.

[HuskyCaucasian]

In Bid To

Derail Health Care Reform, GOP Delays Passage Of Troop Funding

With Democrats closing in on passing a Senate health care bill, Republicans are upping the obstruction--and they're playing chicken with U.S. troops to do so.

 

Way back on December 2nd, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) filed a single-payer amendment to the Senate health care bill, which was supposed to come up for a vote this afternoon. But at the last moment, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), at the behest Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), demanded that the entire 700-plus page amendment be read aloud on the floor. That's happening now.

 

Under normal circumstances, this would be a 10 or 12 hour dilatory tactic. But not today. Today, Democrats were planning to file for cloture on the Defense Appropriations bill, in order to get it passed by Friday before midnight when department funding runs out. If the entire amendment is read aloud, it's likely that the Senate won't be able to pass the defense bill until Saturday at the earliest, and would have to pass a short-term continuing resolution to keep money flowing.

 

"The only thing that Sen. Coburn's stunt achieves is to stop us from moving to the DoD appropriations bill that funds our troops - not exactly the kind of Christmas gift that our troops were expecting from Dr. No," said Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

 

For their part, Republicans aren't exactly being coy about what their play is.

 

"We're doing everything we can to stop this bill," McConnell spokesman Don Stewart told reporters this afternoon.

 

We'll let you know if the reading gets interrupted, and the Senate returns to normal business. But the GOP seems pretty serious about derailing the health care bill by any means necessary.

 

1) This is really lame.

2) If a DEMOCRAT had postponed a defense spending bill like this, he would be called weak on terror and un-American.

[lostfan]

god Coburn is such an asshole. Oklahoma has the 2 douchiest senators in the entire body.

[kapkomet]

god Coburn is such an asshole. Oklahoma has the 2 douchiest senators in the entire body.

You better not say that. Oh wait, you're a mod. It's ok.

[lostfan]

You better not say that. Oh wait, you're a mod. It's ok.

lol. I had said I didn't care, we do that kind of stuff all the time.

[kapkomet]

lol. I had said I didn't care, we do that kind of stuff all the time.

I know, I was just kidding. BigSqwert is a dou..... doubly good poster.

 

I have to kid him any time I can. I don't get many.

 

[HuskyCaucasian]

TPM-

A NBC/WSJ poll is coming out tonight that shows a substantial spike in opposition to the Health Care bill. And the internals show the movement is mainly from liberals disappointed in the the decision to drop the Public Option.

 

Obviously this will be spun by the opposition to show that Americans drastically oppose heath care reform, while the numbers actually show many are opposing it because it doesnt go far enough.

[Cknolls]

TPM-

 

 

Obviously this will be spun by the opposition to show that Americans drastically oppose heath care reform, while the numbers actually show many are opposing it because it doesnt go far enough.

 

 

s*** is s***. Does not matter who calls it s***.

[kapkomet]

In Bid To

 

1) This is really lame.

2) If a DEMOCRAT had postponed a defense spending bill like this, he would be called weak on terror and un-American.

The Democrats run the Senate. If they cared about the troops so much, they could have slotted time for that bill, but they want to shift the blame. It won't work.

 

[Balta1701]

The Democrats run the Senate. If they cared about the troops so much, they could have slotted time for that bill, but they want to shift the blame. It won't work.

This is the Senate. No, they can't. They can only do that if they do the evil thing and break all the rules, which is, as I said, evil.

[kapkomet]

This is the Senate. No, they can't. They can only do that if they do the evil thing and break all the rules, which is, as I said, evil.

Sure. Now that they actually filibuster something, it's "evil". What a partisan hack thing to say.

 

[Balta1701]

Sure. Now that they actually filibuster something, it's "evil". What a partisan hack thing to say.

That's not what I said at al, or at least not what I was trying to say. What I said was that changing the rules would be judged as evil. Thus, because the rules are unchangeable, you're wrong, and the Senate can't do anything about those efforts.

[kapkomet]

That's not what I said at al, or at least not what I was trying to say. What I said was that changing the rules would be judged as evil. Thus, because the rules are unchangeable, you're wrong, and the Senate can't do anything about those efforts.

My point is the majority knows there will be delay tactics. They're all surprised by this? No. It's all appearances and games at this point. If they wanted that defense bill passed, they'd pass it. They're not because they are holding that over people's heads for political points and power.

 

[StrangeSox]

How do they pass it without changing or breaking rules?