Isn’t a more likely scenario that they figure Snowe will cave and then Nelson can vote with the GOP? Heck if Snowe votes for it, Collins might too in order to try to give Snowe some cover. McConnell and company had better be keeping close tabs on Olympia’s leanings these days.

That will be a real disappointment if Nelson throws his principles under the bus. The Dems screwed him, and now are telling him he’d better smile and say it felt good? Sheesh.

With all the focus on Lieberman lately does anyone know what she is thinking on this latest development? I hope she has the sense to see that the Dems are not operating in good faith. She is smarter than that, right? Or is she?

The threats against the Nebraska military institutions makes me sick. This feels every bit as frightening as a terrorist attack on the country.

Offutt AFB, which is a hold over from the B52 Strategic Air Command days. The base still has a strategic defense mission, but it is pretty small by USAF standards.

Not something that can be moved easily or quickly–not seeing this as much of a hammer against Nelson.

I think there will be a deal in the Senate. But with abortion, costs, medicare, and the public option still contentious, how will the Democrats reconcile the house and Senate bills? There is a long way to go before this becomes law.

http://neoavatara.com/blog/?p=9094

All the grassroots effort, the work the calls, the rallys, and we couldn’t do anything to reduce the impact or size of this legislation. Where are the so called “moderate” dems?

if the Senate passes their bill without the public option, will they just bypass conference committee to work out the differences and just go with Nancy’s bill? Nancy’s bill has the public option.

And then Obama will sign the bill.

Ya think Obama and the Dems are right that cooler heads will prevail over the holidays?

Nah, I don’t think so.

Eric, I’m glad you’re sounding the alarm on this. Everytime I hear Republicans say the bill is dead, or they’ll never get 60 votes, etc. etc., I grow more worried. The Ds are determined to get something, it will be worse than most Republicans think, it will set the stage for further intervention, and it will be almost impossible to repeal.

This is no time to get either weak-kneed, or to think we’ve got it won.

the other squishy Dems? Webb? McCaskill? Dorgan? Aren’t they supposed to vote on the Dorgan amendment today? And isn’t Nelson’s main problem with the bill abortion funding and not Medicare? I don’t think this is a done deal by a long shot.

In my eyes, this isn’t a legislative battle so much as it is a spiritual one, and I believe with all my heart that because this bill so thoroughly disrespects life, it is, yes I’ll say it…evil.

“Lord, when doubts fill my mind, when my heart is in turmoil, quiet me and give me renewed hope and cheer. Will you permit a corrupt government to rule under Your protection- a government permitting wrong to defeat right? Do You approve of those who condemn the innocent to death? No! …God has made the sins of evil men to boomerang upon them! He will destroy them by their own plans…”
(Pslams 94:19-23 Living Bible)

the people lose.

If I was Nelson, I’d call their bluff. He could turn it into him fighting for Nebraska and not someone who is willing to cave to blackmail. If he caves, he will be seen as weak-kneed.

Nebraska to. What a bunch of creeps operating in the Whitehouse and Congress(Senate and House). The democrat seem to think it is alright to jesse jackson the citizens/voters/taxpayers.

Nancy Pelosi will pass WHATEVER the Senate passes off to her….surely you all realize that what the bill contains…what it does to us and to this country is absolutely of NO importance to Congress…they dont’ know what is in it…they don’t care…EXCEPT for the provision that exempts them…also they do NOT care that we do not want it…I think the polls could literally be 99% against and 1% for and they would still pass it….the bastards…all of them…the Republicans could at least stall the crap out it and they sit on their hands playing nice!

If they pass a bill without a public option then their base will throw a tantrum. It will be another half-measure, just like Afghanistan, that is designed to try to please everyone but really pleases nobody.

In a disturbed, irrational way I almost want them to pass a bill (as long as it does not have a public option) because it will be fun to watch them get lit up by their constituents from both sides over the Christmas break (at least, those who have the guts to face their constituents).

What a stupid, absurd mess this has turned into.

The Chicago way would be to have a patronage army paid by taxes to carry the next elections. There are 2000 pages to hide it. The demoncrats will be very competitive in 2010 because of the tax dollars they will have to spend supporting their campaigns. How much pay to play is in there that wil get companies to donate? We need to keep reading the details in the bill!

I am in PA. Wasn’t the federal funding restriction amendment called Nelson-Casey? Now, I can’t stand Casey, and I think he only pretends to be pro-life, but if he co-sponsored the amendment, why isn’t he in the same position as Nelson?

As far as I can tell, publicly he is pretending that he hasn’t made up his mind on whether to vote for this monstrosity without taxpayer protection against funding abortions. (I’m sure he intends to vote yes. I’m sure he would have voted yes on the bill from the start.)

Anyway, I’m tired of my long standing relationship with the Senator’s answering machine. I cannot make it to DC on Thurs, but will be dropping by Casey’s local office. If anyone has any advice on talking points for dealing with Senator Casey’s staff in particular, please let me know. Thanks!

Call everyone ! especially Nelson !

It is highly likely that they will get something to obama’s desk before Christmas and they probably arent listening to the people anymore; but every call helps !

Go down fighting !

We have always known that they would do whatever it takes to pass something in order to save face and not admit defeat.

So, if we have killed single payer, or at least the vehicle by which they were going to force us into single-payer (the public “option”), and we have killed the expansion of Medicare that was to be the alternate route for them, isn’t that a win?

I mean, if the bill does not really “do” anything, who cares if they pass it?

Is there a new entitlement or expansion of Medicaid in the bill that is as lethal to our republic as the public option would have been?

I mean, how meaningless does the bill have to be before we can say we kicked their butts?

Look folks, it really doesn’t matter much what is in or not in the Bill. All they have to do is pass A Bill. Then the regulators and czars can be appointed to implement whatever regulations are needed to effect things like Federal abortion funding, etc.

Don’t believe me? Then please hold your breath because you are exhaling a polluting gas.

now.

If I get a chance to talk to any of them, I want to ask them what public programs they intend to cut to pay for this monstrosity. I also want to know where they think all of these altruistic doctors and nurses are who would be willing to work like slaves for Medicare wages. (Are they planning to import doctors from rural China?)

I want to tell them how my husband, a former Navy fighter pilot who now owns a real estate business, is paying $24,000 per year — NOT A TYPO — $1,996.00 per month — for our family of three to have coverage with Kaiser HMO. I want them to explain to me how that can be considered a “cadillac insurance plan” and that I should pay a government premium as a punishment. That’s on top of the outrageous corporate taxes we already pay.

I want to tell them that I am close to dropping out of the Nursing program (second career for me) for fear of government interference in patient care and that I know many good students who feel the same way.

No, I don’t expect them to give a damn.

By this, I mean, 1) no public option, 2) no medicare buy in, 3) no mandate,maybe? What’s left, just the abortion issue and taxes?

Sounds like at the end of the day all that’s left is a tax bill that will have the byproduct of government mandated abortion coverage?

I wonder why we aren’t hearing more about this? My understanding is if this thing gets signed into law, taxes will go up immediately. With the crappy state of the economy and high unemployment, I don’t understand why the R leadership isn’t hammering away at this more. It will just be another nail in the coffin of the economy.

And, personally I need to know what to expect next year. My husband is part owner of a sub-chapter S and I am sure we will take a hit.

Erick, now would be a great time to start objecting to unanimous consent agreements, wouldn’t you say? If shutting down the Senate is only a last option in their strategy (as they have said), I’d say events have shifted significantly enough in the last 48 hours to constitute nuclear war on the Senate floor, no?

If this bill won’t die a natural death before Christmas, then the GOP needs to abort it forcefully.

Shall I say it again? Yes, I shall- this was the wrong Republican-single-line-of-attack strategy all along.

My guess is the same people that have us wilderness camping underestimated the extreme lengths Democrats would go to destroy our countries’ fiscal health, health care system and capitalist system. But don’t act surprised, you don’t look good in that color Mr. consultant, political operative and party “leader”.

Counting on failure is not a strategy when your opponent keeps shifting the goals. They effectively have kept Republican fools running in circles not knowing which piece of this filth to draw the Democrats name on with crayon. In the meantime there has been no effective, coherent and constant explication of the Republican alternatives- sans a few stuttering retorts on the weekend shows (that’s for you Mitch).

When are we going to learn that the same clowns who got us in this mess are still running around the capital, frothing at the mouth for another chance to take power? They will try to ride a wave of populism and cloak themselves in fundamentally conservative principals as a means of regaining power. Then in the end sell us out again.

Why do you think the party has so much power attracting the constituency they want even in this environment- bad deodorant? No it’s the stench of these stale old losers on the front bench.

Was that a rant? No, actually a diatribe.

another reason that Democrats will be thankful the actual full downside doesn’t start right away as they know they will have to campaign (to their base groups, anyway, not necessarily openly in public) for the need to be reelected so they can work on “fixing” the mess they will have just made and that fix will be PUBLIC OPTION fiasco yet again. Because, of course, the reality is that SOME businesses (mainly run by Liberal Democrats, I know one idiot personally (hey John) that has been pushing this/that for years – which, of course, is a poor “business model” as well as Political one) were looking forward to having somewhere to DUMP employees into so as to make up for the increased taxes they would have to pay. It will be impossible for organizations to maintain levels of employment and onerus tax increases – unemployment will be going much higher over the next year. Democrats have it in their brains that if we impose Single Payer upon America it will allow American businesses to be more competitive – not ever bothering to figure out that those EVEN MORE EXPENSIVE MANNER BY WHICH TO COVER PEOPLE WITH HEALTH-CARE (ignoring the drop in quality) will be more imposing than any amounts they would “SAVE” by not paying employees HC Insurance DIRECTLY. Democrats can’t grasp basic math that saving someone X but imposing X times 2 costs on them ISN’T SAVINGS! Which is exactly the same Budget gimmicks they are trying to use to lie about the cost of these Obamaocare attempts.

Whatever happens in the Senate. Another House vote is needed. Republicans will stand firm. I suspect we”ll keep about half of the Blue Dogs like Dan Boren and Walt Minnick. Others will bolt because the Bill has been stripped of the Public Option.

Somehow, we need about 20 to 30 of the most radical members ofthe House vote no. They hate this Bill now. Kos is beside himself. It may be time to go underground and show our liberal friends some disengenuous support.

The Dem leaders sold out on abortion, immigration, the public option, … VOTE NO!!!

We can afford to lose Lieberman or Nelson. But not both. I wonder if there is a wild card out there like Bill Nelson of Kent Conrad.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/GOP-Sen-Collins-Health-bill-is-too-deeply-flawed-for-me-to-support-it-79321657.html

Aside from the rest of the bill, Is it primarily the Abortion thing?

Oh, and btw, whether you like the bill or not (It does not seem, unfortunately, to bend the cost curve down, rather is just a redistributive program), it is not “Socialist”.

After the 2010 political bloodbath we’re going to roll it all back anyway.

Ben Nelson (D-NE) is being threatened with having every major military installation in Nebraska shut down.

Offut AFB is home to US Strategic Command.

Closing a military base is one thing. Evicting an active command-and-control headquarters is quite another.

Now would be a great time for Senate Republicans to ask where the Senate majorty plans to relocate the combatant command charged with space operations and strategic deterrence.

It would be golden if we could find out what Senate Dems made this threat. Then, it would be platinum to call them out in public, and force them to defend their move.

We must keep them aware of how angry, we have become, from now, on, You only win, when you don’t give up, to the fasci-crats or the fasci-cans., I ,for one ,am not a new world order guy, as many of our politicians. We must protect the constitution, as originally written, at all costs.! Or we will be total slaves to a huge repressive Government. and all of our children and grandchildren, will ask what have you done, leaving us this mess.
I am seeing the collusion between Government, and business, and unions, and there are others as yet ,not Identified. but stand against them, at every level , we must!! Someone is pulling O’s strings, for sure.
It is a shame we can’t sue them for breach of contract, for they all signed the oath of office to protect and defend etc.. A legal contract, that should be binding under the law. stay loud, stay proud and stand strong.

Support our Troops! Every day, in every way.
One Old Dog