Booman Tribune ~ A Progressive Community

Talking Sanity to the Sanity-Impaired

by BooMan
Sat Mar 13th, 2010 at 11:19:49 PM EST

Mad props to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for trying to talk some sanity to his Republican brethren.

If I were still a member of Congress, I would proudly vote for the bill that President Barack Obama is championing and I would urge my colleagues to do the same, not because I don't believe in fiscal discipline, but because I do...
...The bill that will be voted on will reduce the deficit by about $1 trillion over the next two decades, and will reduce waste, fraud and abuse in the health care system. It will slow the rate of growth in health care costs and put America back on the path toward fiscal sustainability.
The bill will give families and small business owners greater control over their own health care. It will expand coverage to more than 31 million Americans and will include tax credits to individuals, families and small businesses, giving them the same choices that members of Congress have to purchase private coverage. It will create state-based exchanges that will bring competition and transparency to insurance markets. And it will put in place common-sense rules of the road to hold insurance companies accountable and end some of the most outrageous practices of the insurance industry.
Never again will people be denied coverage because they have a pre-existing condition. Never again will insurance companies be able to raise rates unfairly — like the 60 percent hikes expected in Illinois.
While the ultimate vote on health care may not be bipartisan, the ultimate bill certainly is.

And, while Dennis Kucinich talks a good game, he's ultimately just as full of shit as John Boehner. He should listen to Ray LaHood. Dennis thinks his vote is worth more than anyone else's. He needs to learn from the pros. It's okay to play hardball with your vote up to a point. But you take the best deal you can get. That's the difference between Ben Nelson, who actually got his language in the bill, and grandstanders like Bart Stupak who lost his.

It'd be one thing if Dennis was bluffing. But he isn't. He'd sink the entire thing if he could.

Talking Sanity to the Sanity-Impaired | 12 comments (12 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Talking Sanity to the Sanity-Impaired (none / 0)

good words from Lahood.

by rikyrah on Sat Mar 13th, 2010 at 11:21:37 PM EST

Re: Talking Sanity to the Sanity-Impaired (none / 0)

The second decade savings are a bunch of bunk. No one can tell the future that far in advance.

That said, LaHood has a great statement but the Goopers are a bunch of animals.

Recommended by Hideo Kojima

by robertdsc on Sat Mar 13th, 2010 at 11:59:48 PM EST

Re: Talking Sanity to the Sanity-Impaired (none / 0)

I think a whole decade is a stupid thing to go by as well. 5-year predictions are hard enough to make, and they're not that accurate.

And yes, Kucinich is being an idiot at this point. If he kills this bill....

by seabe on Sun Mar 14th, 2010 at 12:23:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Talking Sanity to the Sanity-Impaired (none / 0)

Fuck Kucinich. He has lost an enormous amount of political goodwill in the Democratic party, forever.

by Lodus on Sun Mar 14th, 2010 at 01:24:13 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Talking Sanity to the Sanity-Impaired (none / 0)

Actually the savings could be more since the CBO has a history of underestimating savings.

by Micheline on Sun Mar 14th, 2010 at 09:57:32 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Talking Sanity to the Sanity-Impaired (none / 0)

Do we know if Nelson's amendment is staying or going? Because I hear conflicting stories. He may yet end up in the same boat as Stupak.

by Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle on Sun Mar 14th, 2010 at 12:03:34 AM EST

Re: Talking Sanity to the Sanity-Impaired (none / 0)

La Hood speaks sense and Kucinich just proves yet again he needs to get a grip!!!

Doing My Part For The Left

by refinish69 (refinish69 at gmail dot com) on Sun Mar 14th, 2010 at 09:46:59 AM EST

Re: Talking Sanity to the Sanity-Impaired (none / 0)

Nate Silver has done some really interesting analysis that reveals Kennis Kucinich as the most useless Democrat in Congress. In fact, 22 Republicans have a better record of supporting Democratic bills than Kucinich. If Kucinich wants to be a liberal obstructionist, he should run as a liberal independent with no money or support from the Democratic Party and certainly be stripped of any chairmanships.

by NMP on Sun Mar 14th, 2010 at 11:27:04 AM EST

Re: Talking Sanity to the Sanity-Impaired (none / 0)

Here's the link to that.

by BooMan on Sun Mar 14th, 2010 at 12:10:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Talking Sanity to the Sanity-Impaired (none / 1)

So the Dems can't afford to support one liberal while they're busy supporting DINOs like Lincoln, Nelson, and another dozen or more? So much for standing up for Democratic Party principles.

FDR's response to progressive demands: "I agree. Now go out and make me do it."

by DaveW on Sun Mar 14th, 2010 at 12:55:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Talking Sanity to the Sanity-Impaired (none / 0)

DaveW is right. If you run as a Democrat, after the primary, the Party must support you if you need and stand a chance of winning. Look at the DCCC money and effort wasted on Parker Griffith and Eric Massa. If the Democratic Party stops supporting politicians who are limited assets, it may as well disband.

by CrapIsKing (CrapIsKing) on Sun Mar 14th, 2010 at 05:50:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Talking Sanity to the Sanity-Impaired (none / 0)

Yeah, here's the crux of the problem: until the left wing is willing to vote en bloc against legislation, there is absolutely no reason to take them as seriously as the Blue Dogs are taken. The Blue Dogs are willing to sink legislation. Pwogwessives always fold in the end and go along with whatever mediocre, pre-compromised crap leadership thinks it can get passed.

The problem with Kucinich's HCR opposition is that, unlike the various Blue Dog interventions in this legislation, he hasn't got a bloc of anyone with him and we are at the end game. Until lefties can pull together a solidary group that puts forward good legislative ideas and stands behind them, dissent like this looks like petulant obstructionism - kind of like the entire Republican congressional delegation.

by CrapIsKing (CrapIsKing) on Sun Mar 14th, 2010 at 05:40:30 PM EST

Talking Sanity to the Sanity-Impaired | 12 comments (12 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Go to: [ Booman Tribune Homepage : Top of page : Top of comments ]

. Home
. About
. Contact
. Advertise
. FAQ
. Search

Username:
Password:

. Make a new account
. Reset password

Gift Cards * New Arrivals

THE BOOKS WITH "BUZZ":
______________

The roots of the bubble and the story of Wall Street's collapse can be told no clearer — nor with as much humor — as by Michael Lewis. If you read only one book that explains the current economic crisis, make it The Big Short.
:

"The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
by Michael Lewis

Check out the new biography of Barack Obama that is getting rave reviews:

The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama
David Remnick.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy tells his extraordinary personal story:

True Compass: A Memoir
by Edward M. Kennedy.

Read Barack Obama's vision for America:

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
by Barack Obama

Boran2 and maryb2004 recommend:

The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime
by Jasper Fforde

Must-have information for all presidents-and citizens-of the twenty-first century?

Physics for Future Presidents: The Science behind the Headlines
Richard A. Muller

rae recommends:

Dark Ages America: The Final Phase of Empire
by Morris Berman.

On BooMan’s shelf:

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
by Doris Kearns Goodwin

This looks interesting:

Adventure Divas
by Holly Morris

Check out
Powell's new section:
NEW FAVORITES
Selected new arrivals at 30% off

Recommended by Indianadem and ejmw:
The Conscience of a Liberal
by Paul Wellstone

From northcountry’s bookshelf:

The New Golden Age:
The Coming Revolution Against
Political Corruption and Economic Chaos by Ravi Batra

Great Deals
----- * ^ * -----

Find mystery novels by Nancy Pickard ("Kansas")

Challenging Empire: How People, Governments, and the UN Defy US Power by Phyllis Bennis (interviewed on DN!)

Featured by Keith Olbermann, New (Powell's Sale): Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower by William Blum (whose other books merit serious consideration)

"Explosive" State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration
by James Risen

The book the CIA doesn't want you to read: Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander
Larry Johnson's review

BT's all-time best seller:

PERMACULTURE:
A Designers' Manual
$79.95 * Sale: $59.95

Unequal Sisters: A Multicultural Reader in U.S. Women's History (Third Edition)

The Undercover Economist: Exposing Why the Rich Are Rich, the Poor Are Poor And Why You Can Never Buy a Decent Used Car!

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
by Timothy Egan

Green Press Initiative
----- * ^ * -----

Journalistas: 100 Years of the Best Writing and Reporting by Women Journalists by Eleanor Mills * NYT review

Bury Me Standing: the Gypsies & Their Journey

1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus

Brokeback Mountain
by Annie Proulx
----- * ^ * -----
Check out Powell's
"At The Movies"

Imperial Ambitions: Conversations on the Post-9/11 World by Noam Chomsky (Power & Terror: Post 9-11 Talks)

The Price of Privilege:

How Parental Pressure and
Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of
Disconnected and Unhappy Kids
by Madeline Levine

Save 35-70% on
name brand clothing,
footwear, and outdoor gear
at SierraTradingPost.com
:

We listened to PEN American Center's "State of Emergency" and found 1940s books by Curzio Malaparte only at Alibris. (Selection (MP3) excerpted from "The Skin.")

Banned Books * Are you a fan of Film Noir, Art House, Documentaries or Hong Kong Action? * Searching for a long-lost children's book or a first printing of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue on vinyl? Find it at Alibris!

:
:

Booman Tribune Homepage
admin@boomantribune.com
powered by Scoop

More blogs about Blogs at Technorati.

Technorati Profile