I suppose it is too much to expect that either party could deal effectively with the health care crisis. In fact, I would argue that our system was not set up to make such massive changes in American life so quickly, that the very nature of the legislative process prevents prudent lawmakers from overreaching and trying to do too much, too soon. Part of that is the dance that occurs between the majority and minority....

I’m glad that Dana Milbank has front-and-centered this perversion of religious belief:

WASHINGTON — For progressives, the question on the health care battle going forward is not whether they have a right to be angry but whether they can direct their fury toward constructive ends. The alternative is to pursue a temporarily satisfying and ultimately self-defeating politics of protest. Of course what has happened on the health care bill is enraging. It’s quite clear that substantial...

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From PolitiFact:

Sen. John Cornyn just read a letter he received from a Catholic bishop in which, among other things, the bishop told Cornyn, “I can’t emphasize enough that abortion is not health care.”

As the Senate prepares for yet another post-midnight vote under cover of darkness to pass a bill which underwent a massive revision only hours ago, observers on both sides of the aisle should take a moment to count their blessings on this score, limited though they may be. Back during the summer I took part in a panel discussion with a few people, including Rick Moran and Ed Morrissey, where I predicted that...

I have never claimed to be the brightest light in the room, which makes me wonder why the major newspaper websites are claiming victory for a healthcare reform bill cobbled together by Senate Democrats. With Sen. Ben Nelson finally aboard, all that does is snuff a Republican filibuster. The floor vote is scheduled Christmas Eve. A lot can happen between now and Thursday evening. That’s plenty of time for...

As Democrats worked feverishly to stuff Sen. Ben Nelson into his Christmas stocking, the President used his pre-holiday weekly address to hammer health insurer lobbyists and promise voters “the toughest measures we’ve ever taken to hold the insurance industry accountable.” The price for a Nelson this season was high, starting with possible restrictions by the states on abortion coverage and filling...

STATEMENT OF SENATORS BOXER AND MURRAY ON THE ABORTION COMPROMISE Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) today made the following statement on the abortion compromise language included in the manager’s package: “We said all along that we wanted to ensure there was a firewall between private and public funds—this compromise achieves that. We said we would not accept...

I don’t know what fumes the folks on the Hill are living off of but Senator Harry Reid has introduced the Manager’s Amendment (#3276) and word is that Senator Ben Nelson, a Democratic holdout, will support the overall health care reform bill. How they got Nelson: Mr. Reid’s amendment includes major restrictions on abortion that were intended to win support for the bill from Mr. Nelson. Under Mr....

Senate Democrats reportedly have reached a compromise on the health care reform bill that should allow it to make its way through the Senate, CNN reports: U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, the lone Democratic holdout on the Senate health care reform bill, has reached an agreement with Democratic leaders, several Democratic senators said Saturday on Capitol Hill. Nelson, a social conservative from Nebraska who opposes abortion,...

The study reported: Scientists have proved for the first time that a cheap form of sugar used in thousands of food products and soft drinks can damage human metabolism and is fuelling the obesity crisis. The report debunked: Yikes. When you see the phrase “scientists have proved,” it’s nearly always an indication that the writer has no idea what he or she is talking about. And superlatives...

When Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy died, there was a lot of rhetoric from many progressive Democrats that essentially said, “Let’s win one (health care reform) for Teddy!” Much of it centered on Kennedy’s career-long passion for health care reform. And in recent weeks as health care reform began being shaped by the twin political buzzsaws known as “partisanship” and “compromise,”...

John Cole, The Scranton Times-Tribune This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

Ezra Klein has written a blistering rebuke of Sen. Joe Lieberman for the enormous damage — possibly fatal damage — he has done to what was our best chance to get meaningful health care reform in 60 years:

You just cannot make this stuff up:

Case in point … Senator Ben Nelson’s United Methodist Church sent out a sharply-worded email this afternoon to its members in Nebraska, urging them to push Nelson to vote for health care legislation, a sign of the increasing organization and sophistication of left-leaning religious groups. For what it’s worth, my wife and I left the Catholic Church earlier this year and joined a United Methodist...

Democrats should permit current healthcare reform efforts to stop completely. They can’t get anything accomplished if Senate rules require the support of 60 members who have shown no ability to agree upon much of anything except each one believes they should rule the roost. Nancy Pelosi is not above playing hard-ball and the President and Harry Reid should also go for the jugular and full-court press at...

Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

Our political Quote of the Day comes from The Atlantic’s Ronald Brownstein, who has always been a great political analyist, including back in the days when he wrote some of the best stuff ever for the Los Angeles Times. He looks at what he says is former DNC Chairman Howard Dean’s “blind spot” on health care reform — and sheds light on why Dean and some other progressives are now...

Andy Stern, head of the Service Employees International Union, seems to be doing just that … Our message is that it’s time for the Senate to finish its job. We probably have the best we are going to do, and trying to improve the Senate bill doesn’t seem realistic right now. The real final chapter in this story is going to be written in the conference committee. Regarding what to ask for in conference,...

Debt Ceiling Raised as Two Spending Bills Advance by Jon Wells In one of its last acts before adjourning for a winter break, the House of Representatives passed legislation that raises the amount of debt the US government is legally allowed to owe by an amount of $290 billion to a record $12.4 trillion in allowable government debt. The 218-214 vote saw unanimous Republican opposition, though they did vote last...

Many of the commenters I admire most have been saying that the Left/Right dichotomy is inadequate to explain current dynamics and that Insider/Outsider along with Incrementalist/Radical are better descriptors. Glenn Greenwald notes this pitch perfect: One finds [corporatism] in far more than just economic policy, and it’s about more than just letting corporations do what they want. It’s about affirmatively...

Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.