Altmire just announced he is a no vote. So this sadly cancels out Boyd

I’m waiting for something very unexpected to emerge. This whole process has been so sickening, deceitful, shameful, and just plain wrong. The bill gives SO MUCH AWAY to thieving bastards and only a few crumbs to us. The entire sphere surrounding this is redolent with corruption and evil karma.

I’m firmly against the bill. But something very nasty is about to strike, whether it passes or not. The underlying vibes are anything but celebratory.

A text book example of how money corrupts U.S. politics. All in all the status quo is preserved and the people remain at the mercy of corporations while the politicians try and convince them what a great deal it is.

What happens Sunday if these announcements make 216 against. The vote gets cancelled, or does Pelosi force a vote in a game of chicken?

Funny, Hoyer just said a vote is coming regardless.

David, you need a freakin award for this.

Man, the traffic at FDL has really dropped off in the last day or so. Is everyone at the victory dance?

I will find it amusing to no end if Bill Foster votes no. In 2008, Rahm pushed Blue Dog Bill Foster into the race at the last minute, since the odds looked excellent for a real liberal, John Laesch to win IL-14. Personally, I hope the bill fails, but it would still be schadenfreude to see the guy Rahm pushed for so hard vote against the bill.

There are at least two incredible ironies here (and yes, David deserves an award for this):

First, there are so many valid reasons to attack this bill, but the Republicans have been lost in the fever swamp of chasing phantoms (“Socialism!!!”). They never had to resort to idiocy to kill it, common sense would have worked.

Second, a real government-backed universal health plan like a Medicare buy-in that allowed everyone to have cheap, transportable, DECENT insurance, would not only have been worth cheering and celebrating, but the rednecks and scaremongers would have come on board. You can’t tell me that Joe Sixpack wouldn’t have gladly taken a Medicare-based plan that saved him hundreds of dollars a month. This would have been THUNDEROUSLY APPLAUDED by all concerned, we’d all be dancing in the streets with our neighbors, and Obama would be emperor for life.

That this hasn’t happened is the loudest possible wakeup call for all who love their country and their families.

Medicare for all is never going to happen as long as they allow the insurance industry to write the bills.

While I know there is no reason to appease Progressives (being such reliable invertebrates), I just get the feeling this bill would have more enthusiastic support if it contained progressive elements.

I could be wrong. But not for me.

Is everyone at the victory dance?

Why would there be a victory dance, even if the bill passes? Sure it’s better than absolutely nothing (maybe), but it’s nothing to cheer about. From a reform perspective it’s more defeat than victory.

It was sarcasm.

Stupak is calling a press conference tomorrow morning.

Stop making sense.

“One In Five New Accounts”

3 more excellent articles up at ZeroHedge.com.

where did you hear that?

Kosmas = yes.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2010/03/exclusive-kosmas-to-back-healthcare-reform.html

Ellsworth = yes

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/breaking-ellsworth-to-vote-yes/

(getting these via TPM)

I hate to say I agree this bill is so awful and deceitful.

Obama is even misleading about the preexisting conditions. With a tiny $5,000 fee for denying coverage, the insurance companies can still say no to tons of sick people… and they will.

Kucinich and all the other progressives who have crumbled are all rationalizing their cowardice by saying it’s a good first step and that this will supposedly lead to single payer…

I think NOT.

Once the insurance companies have 300 million people mandated by government to buy from them, do you really think they’ll just go away ??? Ha ha.

I think a lot of us felt kicked in the gut when Kucinich announced he’d vote for the bill and we’re still recovering from it.

Edit: Oops. I should have read further. I see you noted it was sarcasm. I will say, though, that in the past day the threads have been full of nasty, hostile trolls. Maybe they feel just a little nervous about falling short despite their bravado.

Here’s a new meme; Breitbart telling Smirkonich that the Democrat Center (Doug Schoen) is not fully supportive of the bill, but the Democrat grass roots (Kos, HP) and the Democrat Left is fully behind it.

Second, a real government-backed universal health plan like a Medicare buy-in… would not only have been worth cheering and celebrating, but the rednecks and scaremongers would have come on board… This would have been THUNDEROUSLY APPLAUDED by all concerned, we’d all be dancing in the streets with our neighbors, and Obama would be emperor for life.

John et al.,
While I agree with you, the WH didn’t see it that way. Their driving principle was the 2010 election, and they reasoned that they could pass HCR and win reelection only if they secured the corporate money for Democrats and prevented it from going to Republicans. The WH cut lousy deals with big pharma and the health insurance industry to win the money, sacrificing real reform. Read Jane’s definitive history complete with substantiating links.

Remains to be seen if Obama reneges on his deals after the 2010 election and opts to back something real, e.g., Grayson’s Medicare-for-all HR4789, before his 2012 verdict. Given his record so far, my take is he makes a true left turn only if he’s forced to by progressives in the streets.

And now for a new Homelessness Eradication Act: All American families will be mandated to buy a home through Countrywide.

“Given his record so far, my take is he makes a true left turn only if he’s forced to by progressives in the streets.”

Not even then. He’s a trickle down ideologue.

As an american living in Canada (30+ years) I hate to say that I feel sorry you but whats about to get shoved down your throat is just awful compared to whats available here. It’s an abomination and perversion of ‘universal health care’ and if I’m correct a LOT of people will be surprised at how much the individual will have to pay for it.

Americans are idiots if they believe that but then they believed Iraq had wmd’s.

All Obama has done is push the problem down the road a bit. The Titanic is still taking on water, just not as fast.

The sinking of this Titanic will only lift the golden life boats.

This is truly a grotesque situation. The Democratic National Party knows that in order to vote “yes” on this garbage bill, many representatives will have to vote against the wishes of their constituents, an activity which will be supported by the Party. This is democracy? Holy cow, this country, under Obama, is going over the edge. Shameful, really, and supported as well by NYT, NPR, etc, etc. Everyplace you turn, you hear an Obama campaign message – free of charge. Call it what it is, what it has become: liberal facism.

I’m pretty skeptical, too. Voting him out of office is about the only thing that will change him at this point. Until progressives show the ability to do that, or actually do it, nothing’s going to change.

Adding more progressives to the group of opportunists and geldings in the Progressive Caucus probably won’t change things. Even if there were 200 of these folks in the House, they still wouldn’t do us any good.

What total idiots! First all, has any one of these so-called blue dogs actually READ THE BILL????? But then, I guess that’s too much to ask when they are asked to vote on the takeover of one-sixth of the U.S. economy!!! Has any of them actually ever READ THE CONSTITUTION??? What part of unconstitutional do these so-called representatives NOT understand? Is there something ambiguous about both houses having to vote on the same bill before it goes to the President for signature? Is there something that has changed about the Senate that makes these idiots think the Senate will go along with ANY PART of this so-called reconciliation for two seconds?

I can’t wait until the courts declare this vote unconstitutional, which there is no question they will. Mark Levin’s Landmark Legal Foundation will be filing a compaint on Monday if the House is stupid enough to pass this illegitimate bill, and others will be standing in line right behind him.

Not only is this self-executing rule totally unconstitutional – especially the way it’s being used in this case – but so is the Senate bill! Congress has absolutely NO right to force us to purchase a commercial product like insurance. NONE WHATSOEVER!!!!

But in the meantime, here’s my plan: On Monday morning, if this bill passes, I will contact my company’s HR department and reduce my withholding to $0. I will stop paying taxes. Totally. I will NOT have my tax dollars being used to fund elective abortions, nor will I have my money support a tyrannical and rogue Congress like this! Then, I’m going to use that money (it should total about $18,000 by the November election) to donate to anyone running against these jerks in the next election. I will also donate to any legal foundation or organization that challenges this to the Supreme Court. I FLAT-OUT WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS and neither should anyone else!