When I listen to various learned men talk about what we ought to do in Afghanistan, I get really bugged. Everybody takes a position about what we ought to do and bases it on their expectations about what will happen if we do what they want us to, versus what will happen if we do […]
The BS on Afghanistan Bugs the Hell Out of Me
October 6th, 2009 · Comments Off on The BS on Afghanistan Bugs the Hell Out of Me
Tags: Politics
Is the Tide Turning?
October 3rd, 2009 · Comments Off on Is the Tide Turning?
Mike Lux thinks that the tide is turning on health insurance reform legislation and that “political common sense” is beginning to set in, and make an outcome with a robust public option much more likely. Mike says that Democrats are starting to look at the Senate Finance Committee bill and that it is making them […]
Tags: Politics
Barack: Use It Or Lose To It
September 16th, 2009 · Comments Off on Barack: Use It Or Lose To It
Two nights ago (September 14), Rachel Maddow, on MSNBC, during coverage of the DC tea baggers demonstration against health insurance reform, played a satirical clip called “Billionaires for Wealthcare,” in an attempt to give the alternative point of view to the demonstration. After commenting on it, she brought in Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont for […]
Tags: Politics
The Progressive Power of “No”
September 8th, 2009 · Comments Off on The Progressive Power of “No”
I think Republicans and Blue Dogs understand the power of “no.” But I’m afraid the progressives in Congress don’t understand it, and that’s why they’re losing the fight for health insurance reform, have sustained partial defeats on the stimulus package, and credit card reform bills, and are moving toward a partial defeat on the cap-and-trade […]
Tags: Politics
Never Say Never About Medicare for All
August 23rd, 2009 · Comments Off on Never Say Never About Medicare for All
Yesterday CNN broadcast a panel discussion moderated by Anderson Cooper called “Extreme Challenges” featuring one of Washington’s most bi-partisan icons, David Gergen, among others. There were many things during the discussion that didn’t compute from where I sit. One of them was the reporting and commentary on some recent CNN poll results. Another was a […]
Tags: Politics
Confusion Over the Public Option?
August 23rd, 2009 · Comments Off on Confusion Over the Public Option?
In President Obama’s weekly radio address yesterday he said: “Now, the source of a lot of these fears about government-run health care is confusion over what’s called the public option. This is one idea among many to provide more competition and choice, especially in the many places around the country where just one insurer thoroughly […]
Tags: Politics
The Health Insurance Reform Fight: A Progressive Scenario
August 19th, 2009 · Comments Off on The Health Insurance Reform Fight: A Progressive Scenario
The MSM commentators are now practically hysterical with joy. After months of giving a voice to the most ridiculous fictional stories about proposals for health care reform using the public option idea, they, along with the President’s incredibly inept messaging, have helped to move public opinion to the point where in some, though very misleading […]
Tags: Politics
Move-on Needs to Move-on
August 16th, 2009 · Comments Off on Move-on Needs to Move-on
For the past few days, I’ve been trying, by e-mail, to get the participants in the Northern Virginia Move-on Council to take my advice about the best way to get a good, strong, public option. Namely, to abandon the public option advocacy in favor of all-out support for “Medicare for All,” and specifically for HR […]
Tags: Politics
Obama’s Choice Is Not Faith In the Market vs. Cardigans
July 21st, 2009 · Comments Off on Obama’s Choice Is Not Faith In the Market vs. Cardigans
WaPo op eds are getting increasingly irritating with the passage of time. Yesterday, this formerly great American newspaper in free fall ran an article by Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie called “What’s Next Mr. President – Cardigans?” Welch and Gillespie think that Obama’s less than stellar results thus far suggest that he may be reviewing […]
Tags: Politics
Lines In the Sand
July 19th, 2009 · 1 Comment
For a long time now, progressives have been looking for lines in the sand. They’ve been trying to get progressive members of Congress to commit to vote no on any health care reform bill that doesn’t include a robust public option, and they’ve also been after the President to clearly state his unwillingness to sign […]
Tags: Politics