Sometimes you guys need to accept the obvious and call it like it is instead of calling it how you want it to be. You seem like you *want* Biden to look good and to win but it very well may turn out that Castle has the advantage.

Is there a problem with a popular republican being elected? What if he's a pretty good legislator? I can think of about 10 democrats that are worthless. Fight for them too because of the D in front of their name?

I agreed with Carville last month when he said they should force the republican's to filibuster the bill. I have a feeling most won't when it comes down to it. As he put it, make them take a stance and if they do filibuster...then they will be responsible for not getting health care through. *They* will be identified as the party that is blocking progress. It's a great strategy even if you don't agree. Hope it comes true.

Blue dogs may vote against it but I highly doubt they wouldn't vote for cloture.

Good news to hear this.

60 is a number and overall isn't as significant as people want it to be. If the GOP had 60 votes things would be a little different, but people like Olympia Snowe and other centrist republicans would cause the same issues as is happening now.

While I thought the clip was somewhat funny, I don't think anyone was under the illusion that the democrats would vote together as a block. Our political system just doesn't work like that. The real idiots are the press who kept saying things like "unstoppable" etc and Fox trying to scare people to think that the system is somehow unbalanced even though we elected them in a democratic system.

One thing I think is overlooked as well is that Democrats seem to be much more diffuse in their positions than Republicans. I tend to think they...well, think more into the issues that are on the table instead of the talking point driven right. It's the reason the Democrats seem much less cohesive as a party than the GOP.

But again, we primarily vote for person in our electoral system, not party. If this were a parliamentary system this would be right on, but we aren't. Sorry to deflate the fun out of it but I think the Daily Show writers were looking for some satirical balance on this one and missed the mark.

Yes - it's going to cost more. That's because we never had to pay for it before. You can't pollute the atmosphere and think that everything will just go away if you build the smoke stack higher. There is a cost to air pollution and we haven't paid for it. This is why the right in this country keeps clinging to the idea that global warming is a scam because they know that when you put it down in terms of economics, it makes perfect sense.

Time to suck it up and face the facts. We need to pay for pollution as another cost that goes into the goods we purchase because it *is* having an effect on our planet. Cap and trade is the best solution to ensuring polluting industries internalize the costs of production that they have not paid for so long.

I'm VERY happy we are moving in the right direction on this in the Senate.

I saw this too and thought...how are you any different than the GOP who makes the same wild claims?

Seems to just be something people picked up and ran with...but doesn't seem to fit on either side.

I dunno. Probably because I think of "elitist" coffee drinkers as people that think Starbucks isn't all that great anyway. The quality is better than grocery store(although you can buy starbucks in the grocery now) but it's not amazing. People who want great coffee know where to go to get it. The whole coffee shop scene and such isn't in Starbucks...but John McCain and Sarah Palin were frequently video taped with a venti from starbucks in their hand. So you make fun of 'elitist people' at starbucks...which includes John McCain?

I just think it's a bad connection by whatever side is making it.

when John and Cindy McCain had one on the campaign bus every day.

Although, I think the criticism primarily came from the Hillary Clinton camp about northwesterners who supported Obama. So I still don't get why lefties keep playing it up as if it means anything.

From NYTimes blogging

http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/live-blogging-senate-finance-committee-debate-on-public-option/?hp

"The final tally was 8 in favor, 15 against. The amendment drew no Republican support. Democrats voting against the amendment were Mr. Conrad, Ms. Lincoln, Bill Nelson of Florida and Thomas Carper of Delaware.

Supporting the public option were the Democratic Senators Rockefeller, Bingaman, Kerry, Wyden, Schumer, Stabenow, Cantwell and Menendez."

Here is the full list of members to get the GOP names.

http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/committee.htm

Do you do anything anymore Alex? This blog is become just a cut and paste of Politico. I saw this this morning and you are posting it now? It's not like writing a rant about Limbaugh is difficult. Gotta justify that pay check huh?

Salon has become garbage. Hence my lack of renewing my subscription. This place used to be great.