US POLITICS: AMERICANS, PLEASE WELCOME YOUR NEW PRESIDENT... SCOTT BROWN!

The senator, who is not seeking re-election this year, has been objecting to requests to bring an unemployment bill to the floor, grinding the Senate to a halt.

I heard that too. Shame, really, just when things were going so well. xpost

yeah the problem with Bunning is no one has any leverage on the guy.

can someone drop a piano on him

I'm not going to like a lot of it, and it won't deliver the solutions it could have, but something is going to get passed, and the Democrats are going to call it "healthcare reform".

― mark roflr (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, March 2, 2010 5:44 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark

truth bomb

think tho that if it is even remotely beneficial to joe average, it might actually pave the way for more comprehensive (read: "SOCIALIST") reform down the road. if johnny paycheck can get cheap gov't healthcare (in some form) it'll go a long way to making single-payer more palatable imo

SMC i'm pretty sure i know a cartoon coyote who's been out of work for a few months

it's probably helped the dems make the case for using reconciliation to deal with HCR.. was really awful timing for the GOP, here's the proof that one party really has no interest in governing.

and yeah i agree that it might pave the way to more and better reform. not an ideal situation but.. like social security/medicare, once it's in place everyone prob wonders why it was so controversial and reversing it becomes kind of a third rail. (does not stop GOP leaders and/or ideas people from advocating the privatization of all these because, who needs a safety net, they've got theirs)

like social security/medicare, once it's in place everyone prob wonders why it was so controversial and reversing it becomes kind of a third rail

it becomes a third rail when you have a significant population of voters who rely on the program both directly and indirectly

next up: explaining why means testing is a third rail in the social security debate

meanwhile, who let Warren Buffett off the reservation?

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/33693.html

Doesn't he own an insurer?

from last week Suzy
http://www.businessinsider.com/buffett-2010-2

garrett (fox wh correspondent) reports that currently, dems in congress are putting together the final bill to be voted on & both sides have a sense this is going to happen. so what they're saying now is really about the politics of what comes after (2010 election etc).

no one has told warren buffett that starting over is not an option, if the goal is to actually pass reform? it's either go forward with this bill, or do nothing.

meanwhile, who let Warren Buffett off the reservation?

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/33693.html

― Please Jesus, save Obama's healthcare reform plan (Dandy Don Weiner), Wednesday, March 3, 2010 12:21 AM (15 minutes ago) Bookmark

I watched that CNBC interview, and Buffett said that if the choice is between no reform and the Senate bill, he'd vote for the Senate bill. The CNBC interviewers kept trying to cajole him into criticizing public health care but he made it very clear that people aren't getting the health care they need and the government needs to do something about it.

Please show me exactly where anyone was trying to cajole him. Thanks.

The transcript is here:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/35645772

Or if you can find a more accurate transcript or the video link, that'd be cool too.

Yo, if anyone has any questions for Buffett, I'll be at the BH shareholder meeting at the beginning of May (BH is my company's corporate parent), and I'm sure we'll be spending some quality time together, so pass them on.

Full transcript and video at http://www.cnbc.com/id/35671663

Bunning's assholishness temporarily circumvented

thanks for that Pancakes. I don't really see any cajoling going on, it seems more like they were trying to hold him to his earlier statements.

FWIW, Buffett says explicitly that he is not in the healthcare insurance biz, Suzy.

Oh, and Pancakes if you can give Buffett a big hug for increasing my net worth last year when you see him, I'd be mighty thankful.

politico headline is a bit sensational huh?

If it was a choice today between plan A which is what we have now or Plan B what is in front of the Senate Bill I would vote for the senate bill but I would much rather see a plan C

i mean i feel basically the same way

Please show me exactly where anyone was trying to cajole him. Thanks.

The transcript is here:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/35645772

― Please Jesus, save Obama's healthcare reform plan (Dandy Don Weiner), Wednesday, March 3, 2010 12:50 AM (14 minutes ago) Bookmark

That transcript isn't even close to complete.

There was a part where the middle-aged dude in the CNBC HQ was talking to Buffett about "free market solutions" and all that sort of BS and Buffett said something to the effect of "no... people do need their health care."

Daniel . . . And I know what a neo-con is.

i didn't mean to suggest otherwise! apologies for whatever in my comment sounded condescending. it wasn't meant to.

It was gbx's comment - he probably didn't mean to imply that either.

Haha Don, I'm kinda hoping they're giving out "A" shares as a door prize or something.

the CNBC dude even brought up that Whole Foods guy, and his groundbreaking ideas about healthcare.

which are what, eat a peach?

markets are magic bros

politico headline is a bit sensational huh?

THE POLITICO headline writers have to WIN THE DAY see

i haven't read POLITICO since before the 2008 election. i am a symbol of "the enthusiasm gap," i guess.

haha well yeah. this weekend they also totally didnt listen kent conrads thing about reconciliation and wound up with the wrong, opposite headline.

how can it be WRONG if you WIN THE DAY

i assume u saw this daria? goole will get a kick out of it too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DwiBNZxN6Y

meanwhile, BEWARE THE BRIETBARTOCALYPSE.

ilx can be proud we were on to xtranormal what, 9 mos ago?

So basically Jim Bunning backed down bcuz the dems "allowed" him to attempt to add an amendment to the bill which was soundly defeated...?

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/DragonMyst103/Dylanconfuse.gif

Democracy in action!

o word?

Obama calling for action on healthcare
By Noam N. Levey and Janet Hook | 10:33 a.m.
The president is expected to formally argue for the controversial legislative tactic called budget reconciliation to escape delay in the Senate.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/03/AR2010030302213.html?hpid=topnews

"Capitalism" and "Free Market" are both terms not found in the Constitution.

Neither are "privacy," "social security," "healthcare," or "rhetorical tactic that sounds kind of nice but means fucking nothing."

Obama address is O in woodshed mode, surrounded by MDs.

obama + overtures from various senators & congressional leaders making feel cautiously optimistic

dunno where else to put this but i figure a lot of ppl here read him - blogger jon swift died

http://tomwatson.typepad.com/tom_watson/2010/03/a-death-in-the-blogging-family.html

Aw man, that sucks. RIP. His stuff was excellent.

Harkin said reconciliation is a go earlier. its gonna happen, but its still gonna be several weeks (CBO estimates dontchaknow)

house still has to pass it iirc?

that's the first step