Sandy—at least when progressives do protest, they know , for the most part, what the hell they are talking about. Many of us gave up arguing with the Dem Party a long time ago. The GOP are scarcely worth mentioning.

Lets see, if the GOP were in the majority, what would be differnt…hmm..wars? nah…health care reform?..nah…the Patriot Act..no, no…

An AF Am in the WH? Bingo! And thats about it.

Sandy,

I can’t speak for anyone else but I can relate my expeiences with trying to push progressive issues. Yes I’m from a very red state, but the town/district I live in is quite blue. I have written my representatives and I even scheduled a meeting with my reps office. I took off early from work to find a note on his door stating that they were “in meetings.” Late it was revealed that Congressman Moore (D) canceled all of his public forums while the crazies were out interrupting everything. All I could do was slide my talking points under the door and hipe someone looked at them. I’ve written the DNC and the whitehouse. I’ve even written Max Baucus’ home town paper.

I tell you all of this because the only solution I have left is to dissaociate myself with the Democratic party. They were brought to power in 2006 to end the wars. Hasn’t happened. They were given the presidency to right the disatrous course from GW, which in terms of policy is almost indistinguishable. We gave them a super majority to, at the very least, counterbalance the extreme right wing agendas of the last 30 years, and we get healthcare COOPs.

In my mind, there is no longer discernalbe difference between the two parties, save perhaps their tones. But at least Republicans are upfront about their love for the business community.

No, I’m sorry but my conscience will no longer allow me to align myself with the Democrats. We’re either progressives or we’re apologists for a failed party that sold out to corporate America a long time ago.

I’m with the Greens now.

Aaron Dunn:

You’re already paying for them. Since they don’t have coverage, they seek help at emergency rooms: the most expensive option. When they can’t pay, those costs are passed on to the rest of us.

Unfortuantely, we still categorize people into varying groups of deserving vs undeserving of benefit X. Whether its illegal immigrants, overweight, unemployed, or those with “bad habits,” the list of people deemed undeserving of health care seems to keep growing. (ie public health care is tolerated for veterans because they are largely considered more deserving of care).Sadly, the most common solution in this country is to dehumanize vast swaths of people to avoid the inconvenience of confronting a problem. If we treated people like people, we wouldn’t be in this position.

What bs! The entire plan sucks!

I am going to a protest/civil disobedience the next coupla days and anyone who doesnt believe in “sucker reform” should be there too…if I can go get arrested, you can too. Join us, please!!! Or at least watch the (coming) video at, probably Democracy Now!, and send some bail money….

http://www.mobilizeforhealthcare.org/

Spike—Over $4 million—but when I circulated a petition for BaucASS to step down for comflict of interest, I was banned from several neo-lib websites.

Fat Freddy—just call me Sanchez ! (lol—what with these guys! This stuff is at OpenSecrets.org!)

Senate Finance Committee

At $675,350, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), the committee’s chairman, has since 1989 collected more from health insurance companies, including HMOs and health services and health and accident insurers, than all but one other member of the committee—Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.). And Kerry only collected big funds as a presidential candidate in 2004. Meanwhile, only Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has raised more from pharmaceutical and health product companies in that time ($1.6 million versus $1.1 million). Baucus voted against both amendments.

Insurers have contributed $265,441, on average, to individual Democrats on the committee, while pharmaceutical and health product companies have donated $360,192, on average, to individual Democrats since 1989.

Insurers have given $282,921, on average, to individual Republicans on the committee, while pharmaceutical and health product companies have contributed $466,121 since 1989.
For a list of contributions from health-related industries to members of this committee, visit our health care tools committees database.

More here:http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2009/09/committee-members-opposed-to-p.html

FiftyGigs—Yes, majority rtules. This is what Dems want, and, Obama said so well before this.(he shouldve done this before the Stimulus Bill which just created another stock mkt bubble) So did all of the Blue Dogs (of which Obama is officially now one)

LostHills says it all, in just two words: “money rules.”  Until we undertake truly game-changing campaign finance reform, our entire governmental process will continue to be held hostage to special, monied interests.  Congress ceased representing the public interest years ago.  We are no less controlled by oligarchs than is Russia, it’s just that our oligarchs behave a little less crudely, went to Ivy League schools, attend the Council on Foreign Relations, etc.

Here’s a suggestion, for starters: Require that candidates for the House only raise money from individuals who live within their districts; candidates for Senate could raise funds only from individuals resident in their state. Eliminate PACS, corporate as well as special interest.  Maybe then we could begin to get back to the vision of this country’s founders, who wrote in Federalist Paper #52:

“As it is essential to liberty that the government in general should have a common interest with the people, so it is particularly essential that the branch of it under consideration should have an immediate dependence on, and an intimate sympathy with, the people.” [Hamilton or Madison]

Progressives should coalesce around one issue—campaign finance reform—because we will not make progress on any other issue until we do.

There is only one solution:
Sever progressive associations from the Democrats and get a SECOND party into the system. The rationale that voting for alternative candidates will undermine our ability to actuate reform is more absurd now than it ever was.

There are some things we can do that will have an immediate impact though.

1) Remove our names from all Democratic mailing lists (the very engine they used to organize and fund the 2008 campaigns.) Register to vote either through an alternative party or as an independent.

2) Support credible, independent and alternative media outlets, such as Democracy Now, PBS, or NPR with both ratings and dollars. Without our support, they will be forced to get commercial funding. Urge them to highlight alternative candidates and to educate the public on the need for political alternatives.

3) Get involved at the local level. We’ve been focusing on top-down progressive politics. Take a lesson from the anti-choice neo-cons and focus on state and local politics. Don’t be afraid to go into the lion’s den and speak your views. That means places like rural Kansas. We must counter the influence of right wing radio in the heartland.

4) Identify viable alternative candidates then volunteer, donate, and vote accordingly. The Green Party is almost dead in the water right now. Breathe new life into that kind of a party.

5) Do not turn into that which you most despise. Do not manipulate. Stay fair, open-minded, objective, human and humane.

The illustrious Senator received several million reasons to make sure the public option was killed. Thank you insurance industry trying to protect your interests.

Not a surprise, did anyone really think that anything that was said or done by anyone really had a chance to make a differnce with these men?

Baucus, and the rest of them were against the public option even before they ever heard of it.

The Republicans have been running a disinformation campaign, of dirty tricks, and so have the corporate crooks in the insurance industry, sending employees to town hall meetings, etc., etc.

It’s a really a civil war in slow motion, for them anything goes, the ends justify the means.

The Republicans believe they will be in a better position after the mid term elections, but maybe they won’t be.

In the meantime, the fight continues, without a public option health care is dead, it’s unlikely to get anywhere and they know it.

Those opposed to single payer or a public option need to be defeated, to be kicked out of congress in the mid term elections if they are up for re election.

They need to face ongoing in their face protests over what they did for the rest of their political lives.

Majority does not rule when leaders are allowed to accept legal bribes. Money rules.

You realize the irony here, right?

If conservatives get their way, and keep health care privatized, it will guarantee socialism—government will have to take over the industry completely, either to prevent massive fatalities from social mayhem, or from people just falling down dead all over the place.

Reagan brought us those panhandlers on the corner. Wait’ll the next bunch start dropping dead in front of your car at the grocery store.

This would be fun if it weren’t for the fact that we’re losing our democracy to right-wing fascists.

The majority rules—and Democratic reps? We’re the majority. Medicare for all.

Majority rules.

What about the public’s right to not be extorted by the insurance industry’s monopolies?

Sen. Bachus and his band of merry idiots have proven once again that we live in a corporate state, an oligarchy run by the richest one percenters. They won’t even allow us, those who elected the bastards, access to adequate health care.

America is the ONLY industrialized country in the world that does not have a nationalized or federally-funded health care or health insurance system.

Today, we’ve officially become a Third World Country.

There should be, but wont be, a concerted effort to get past the lies of the GOP and the Insurance and Pharma Industries about single payer care.

Much of the industrialized world has such care, their citizens receive excellent care under such a plan, the costs are less by far than we currently spend and the lies about waits, denials of treatment and the like seem easily exposed, yet they remain truth in th eminds of far too many.

We are 37th in providing health care
we are 13th in infant mortality
we will see a million health care related bankruptcies this year
Health care costs are skyrocketing here
we spend over twice what any other nation spends on health care

Can no democrat say this to his/her constituency?

Barack Obama has betrayed nearly the entire nation.  I hope he is overwhelmingly defeated in 2012!

Rick Sanchez of CNN said that he was going to find out…I’m sorry, try to find out, how much money the Senators, who voted against the amendment, received from health insurance lobbyists, and present it on tomorrow’s show.

OK Ricky, I’ll believe it when I see it.

My Father, who is conservative, but not a “Conservative”, thinks that a single-payer type system would be best for the country. He suggested regionalizing it, and having one non-profit company handle the insurance for each region, all paid for by the government, through increases in payroll taxes. Keep in mind, his news sources are the local paper, the local TV news, and Fox News.
Not bad, Pop.

That’s about in line with 67% of the population.

What percentage of the population works for health insurance companies? It’s gotta be up around 30%, huh?

Oh, I - am- so - surprised.  (Sarcasm.)  So, let’s continue the fight to get Single Payer HR676 and it’s companion in the Senate.  Some are saying “single payer is inevitable”, so why not NOW?

These dumbshits are destroying the democratic party and they don’t even know it. Well, good riddance then.