Look, folks, this legislation SUCKS!!!

The House bill has all sorts of horrible elements, starting with the Stupid Amendment. Harry Reid has larded the Senate bill with stuff like $$$ for "abstinence education" as a sop to attract Lincoln's vote.

The stupid bill doesn't even take effect until 2013 [or 2014 in the Senate version], so there will be NO evidence of "reform" before either 2010 or 2012.

Let the Republicans [with the assistance of Lincoln, Lieberman, Landreau et al.] defeat this Frankenstein. Then hang the defeat around their necks.

The alternative is Democrats passing this vastly inferior, watered down piece of crap, with its mandates and no cost controls, a feeble "public option," no ending of the insurance anti-trust exemption, no restoration of the ability of Medicare to bargain with the pharms for lower drug prices, an immoral extension of patent protection for drugs [preventing lower cost generics from coming on the market].

Spend a little time reading up about this legislation, instead of just getting "fired up" by all the mindless [and understandably lacking in specific details] e-mails from the DNC, Obama campaign, and the horrid "Organizing for America."

We want REAL reform, not a bill written by PhARMA and the insurance industry.

Thank you, gugy.

What is this "hold grail" of "bi-partisanship"?

The article suggests that Obama thinks it will be "catnip to independent voters." Voters are going to be reaching for something else to smoke if this piece-of-crap bill survives in any form whatsoever. "Mandates" plus "no cost controls"??? The Democrats will be dead into the NEXT century.

Rahm & Obama have totally misjudged and mismanaged this entire issue, and even Salon has been wimpy in calling them on it. Rahm + Obama made a deal with the devil [insurance companies], jettisoning Single Payer in exchange for promises not to oppose "reform." Then, yesterday, surprise, surprise, the Devils issue their "report."

And where is Single Payer? In the gutter.

Rahm & Obama ought to realize that this is NOT a campaign. American citizens want leadership, not promises. They want their president to stand up to the obstructionist Republicans, not keep inviting them over for tea.

Obama ought to spend a little time studying LBJ and his arm-twisting techniques. Unfortunately, Obama has frittered away whatever "prestige" he had immediately after the election. Who's going to be afraid of his threats now? And rightly so.

Shut up about "bi-partisanship" and do the right thing.

It might also start a flood of migrants from Red to Blue states -- thereby increasing Blue impact on national politics.

Have you checked your constitution lately? No matter how few voters remain in the Red states, they each have two Senators. Not unlike the current debacle.

But the political realist in me knows Democrats would be pilloried for using reconciliation in a way that Republicans weren't,

So f'ing what? Until the Democrats get over their deep, deep fear of being "pilloried," they'll remain the ineffective weenies they currently are.

Good grief: people are dying from lack of health care. They're losing their homes. They're putting off needed care. And the Democrats are afraid of being "pilloried"? Grow a pair, stand up, and tell the Republicans who criticize you to go to hell.

Glenn, seriously, this is important to me and, while you might feel that I am a waste of time,

Are you 11 years old or what???

No, the world does NOT revolve around whatever's "important to you."

No, folks do NOT "drop everything" to respond to your requests.

You, sir, are an idiot.

I've raised kids, and you remind me of the ones who crumple, screaming, onto the floor of the grocery store, howling because they want a lollypop. It's best to ignore them.

Glenn, again, if we had an "ignore" feature, we know just which names to type in.

Glenn, you say

this is on the verge of driving me, for the first time, to engage in mass deletions in an effort to drive away those I perceive as responsible for the erosion here and in a last-ditch effort to restore the comment section to a place where one can read it and feel productive rather than having to wade through piles of worthless, repetitive dreck

Please, then, get Joan to give us an "ignore" feature!! After a few diligent tries, one knows the names of those who have nothing to add here, who only post to boost their own egos and hurl nastiness at others. With an "ignore" feature we could type in their name(s) and never see 'em again. Others -- anyone who might be interested -- could see their crap, but we wouldn't have to.

I've been pleading this cause for years. Perhaps you'll have more luck. You deserve it.

who needs Republicans?

being a "Villager" means never having to say you're sorry.

Nothing's going to happen from these idiots. Since they all share the same sins, they all forgive each other. With "understanding."

They're despicable.

Please, Joan, give us an "ignore" feature.

From Egypt Steve above [p. 2 of comments]

Obama: at least not a moron or a sociopath.

This thread of letters is Exhibit X2000 of reasons why the "ignore" feature we've been pleading for for years is needed.

C'mon Joan, help us out here!