"Democratic Congressman with guts is a mythological creature, like a unicorn."

By GottaLaff

When Democrats unify, they actually accomplish things. Imagine what it would be like if they unified and communicated effectively. What a concept.

How many times have you yelled back at the Tee Vee Machine, as if you were a surrogate for Congress Member X? How many times have you gnashed your teeth as Rushpublic after Rushpublic punditiot over talks a Democratic one?

How many times have you asked, "Why can't our side do that?"

How many times have you called a Dem "spineless"?

"People want a congressman who stands up and speaks out. People have come to think that a Democratic Congressman with guts is a mythological creature, like a unicorn."

-- Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), quoted by the Plum Line.

I do believe in unicorns, I do believe in unicorns, I do I do I do. (Apologies to Bert Lahr)

[H]is appeal to Dem base voters resides in the fact that he’s not afraid of GOP attacks, that he doesn’t let Republicans own the debate, that he makes his case as aggressively as he can and hopes for the best — in short, that he fights. [...]

Rank and file Dems across the country have grown so fed up with watching their leadership cower in the face of GOP attacks that they reward this kind of feistiness when they see it — and even regard him as their Representative, Grayson says.

Reward the feisty, dump the wimps. Good idea. But first, we need to scrounge up a few more of the feisty.

Democrats Will Be Hurt If No Health Care Bill Passes

This would be the most derrworthy headline of the year if it wasn't necessary to point it out to the jellyfish in Congress. Via Taegan-

A new Public Policy Polling survey finds the political repercussions for Congressional Democrats of not passing a health care bill could be severe.

Democrats currently lead Republicans 46% to 38% on the generic Congressional ballot. But when asked how they would vote if no health care bill is passed, respondents split 40% to 40%.

Analysis: "Most voters aren't following this debate really closely and don't understand the nuances of it all. At the end of the day voters are likely to see this as either a bill was passed or it was not. In some sense that should get the Blanche Lincolns and Mary Landrieus of the world in line- they're probably going to face just as much trouble back home whether there's a public option in there or not. But failing that Democrats would still be better off, at least for next year's election, with a weaker bill than no bill at all."

Reid endorses healthcare co-ops as Speaker Pelosi signals flexibility

By GottaLaff

Some leaders:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) endorsed the concept of health insurance cooperatives Thursday, siding with centrists in the House and Senate who want healthcare reform but oppose a public option.

Anyone have some blood pressure meds? I never thought I'd need them, but my head's about to explode, and I'd like to avoid a messy situation. Anyone? Stat!

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also hinted she could accept that approach a day after President Barack Obama delivered an address to a joint session of Congress that offered encouraging words for both centrists and liberal Democrats who have demanded a public insurance option.

Did you not hear me? STAT!

Reid told reporters that healthcare cooperatives could be as effective as a government insurance plan in fostering competition and reining in costs.

I cannot fathom why it is so hard for these poor excuses for leaders to push for a public option. I cannot fathom what these jellyfish are thinking. I cannot fathom why anyone believes a public option wouldn't work. I cannot fathom any more fathoming. It's giving me a headache.

So where are my meds, guys? Look, you have a choice. Lower my skyrocketing blood pressure now, or reading blog posts by someone without a head.

If this is "breathing new life" into what they're doing, then start the CPR, because this is one big fat heaping scoop of epic FAIL.

And in a scenario that was difficult to imagine a month ago, House leaders, including Pelosi, reacted to the new momentum behind co-ops and the Baucus bill not with further disdain, but with open arms. [...]

Pelosi reiterated her preference for a public option, but indicated a new willingness to follow another direction.

“This is about a goal. It’s not about provisions,” she said. “As long as our goal of affordability and accessibility and quality, meeting the four — which you don’t want me to repeat again — goals that we have in the legislation, then we will go forward with that bill.”

But Reid’s definitive support of co-ops as a way to achieve the president’s dual goals of increased competition and lower costs paves the way for a bill containing such a proposal to shape the debate going forward. [...]

House liberals, though, remain something of a wildcard.

They walked away from Obama’s speech believing that the president had stood in defense of the public option by stating that it was his preferred choice as well. [...]

But by Thursday night, that openness seemed to be morphing back into the same concern liberals had after their leaders cut a late-July deal with conservative Blue Dog Democrats to advance a healthcare bill out of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which watered down the public option too much for their taste. [...]

After holding a public option “special hour” on the House floor on Thursday, the Progressive Caucus requested a meeting with Obama to further clarify his position on the public option.

Fine. Forget the meds. A giant box of wine will suffice.

Paul Krugman is not happy

By GottaLaff

When Krugman's not happy, my knees start shaking:

Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman puts those cuts in perspective:

Now the centrists have shaved off $86 billion in spending — much of it among the most effective and most needed parts of the plan. In particular, aid to state governments, which are in desperate straits, is both fast — because it prevents spending cuts rather than having to start up new projects — and effective, because it would in fact be spent; plus state and local governments are cutting back on essentials, so the social value of this spending would be high. But in the name of mighty centrism, $40 billion of that aid has been cut out.

My first cut says that the changes to the Senate bill will ensure that we have at least 600,000 fewer Americans employed over the next two years.

Will someone please tell me why the ObamAdministration is not paying close attention to this Nobel Prize winner? There are a kazillion people advising him, but none of them are named Krugman.

The real question now is whether Obama will be able to come back for more once it’s clear that the plan is way inadequate. My guess is no. This is really, really bad.

Here are the cuts:

Partially cut:

• $3.5 billion for energy-efficient federal buildings (original bill $7 billion)

• $75 million from Smithsonian (original bill $150 million)

• $200 million from Environmental Protection Agency Superfund (original bill $800 million)

• $100 million from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (original bill $427 million)

• $100 million from law enforcement wireless (original bill $200 million)

• $300 million from federal fleet of hybrid vehicles (original bill $600 million)

• $100 million from FBI construction (original bill $400 million)

Fully eliminated

• $55 million for historic preservation

• $122 million for Coast Guard polar icebreaker/cutters

• $100 million for Farm Service Agency modernization

• $50 million for Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service

• $65 million for watershed rehabilitation

• $100 million for distance learning

• $98 million for school nutrition

• $50 million for aquaculture

• $2 billion for broadband

• $100 million for National Institute of Standards and Technology

• $50 million for detention trustee

• $25 million for Marshalls Construction

• $300 million for federal prisons

• $300 million for BYRNE Formula grant program

• $140 million for BYRNE Competitive grant program

• $10 million state and local law enforcement

• $50 million for NASA

• $50 million for aeronautics

• $50 million for exploration

• $50 million for Cross Agency Support

• $200 million for National Science Foundation

• $100 million for science

• $1 billion for Energy Loan Guarantees

• $4.5 billion for General Services Administration

• $89 million General Services Administration operations

• $50 million from Department of Homeland Security

• $200 million Transportation Security Administration

• $122 million for Coast Guard Cutters, modifies use

• $25 million for Fish and Wildlife

• $55 million for historic preservation

• $20 million for working capital fund

• $165 million for Forest Service capital improvement

• $90 million for State and Private Wildlife Fire Management

• $1 billion for Head Start/Early Start

• $5.8 billion for Health Prevention Activity

• $2 billion for Health Information Technology Grants

• $600 million for Title I (No Child Left Behind)

• $16 billion for school construction

• $3.5 billion for higher education construction

• $1.25 billion for project based rental

• $2.25 billion for Neighborhood Stabilization

• $1.2 billion for retrofitting Project 8 housing

• $40 billion for state fiscal stabilization (includes $7.5 billion of state incentive grants)

Officials: Family planning money may be dropped from stimulus

Spinelss crap weasels. The only thing that could maybe make them look like less of idiotic surrender monkeys is if they give on this, and then cram the rest of the stimulus bill up the R's tuchus. Extra bonusy joy? The CBO zombie meme rears it's head... again.

WASHINGTON – House Democrats are likely to jettison family planning funds for the low-income from an $825 billion economic stimulus bill, officials said late Monday, following a personal appeal from President Barack Obama at a time the administration is courting Republican critics of the legislation.

Several officials said a final decision was expected on Tuesday, coinciding with Obama's scheduled visit to the Capitol for separate meetings with House and Senate Republicans.

(snip)

Under the provision, states no longer would be required to obtain federal permission to offer family planning services — including contraceptives — under Medicaid, the health program for the low-income.

Democrats considered the politically-potent change as congressional budget experts estimated it would take slightly longer for the overall legislation to achieve an impact on the economy than the administration projects.

The Congressional Budget Office said the economy would feel the effects of almost two-thirds of the money over the next year and a half. The administration claims 75 percent of the funding would be absorbed in that period of time, and Obama has pledged that the bill he signs will meet that target and either save or create up to 4 million jobs.

There are other views on this (some reflected in comments by our illustrious and learned commenters), and since I'm scrambling for time, use this as my much more articulate and well thought out than I would make defense, or even this.