2). Extend Medicare to ALL U.S. citizens (with premiums--not free). It will create a baseline of care with a minimum of administrative costs.

Medicare is NOT free to seniors either. Medicare which starts at 65, has reduced Premiums, and is based on income for thoe not yet receiving SS. Beside it still requires private insurance to supplement Medicare A/B. Plus another policy must be obtained to cover drugs.

I also beleive Medicareis the perfect public option. It is already mosre effcient to adminster than mot private insurance. It already set up, so it wold require no new adminstration costs.The Medicare fund would be supported by bringing in more people who pay premiums based on their incomes. With a larger pool you can reduce premiums. The insured could still buy private insurance to supplement their Medicare as they do now.

The majority of people who go on Medicare never have to switch doctors

This how most of the public ehalt insurance programs work in other countries.

They do however need to reform the Drug component of Medicare before they do this. I understand the drug reform already in the House bill. Infact taht is the deal made with Pharma... reduce costs for Medicare patients.

"The most important difference between America's Democratic left and Republican right is that the left has ideas and the right has discipline."

The problem with the left on blogs is they whine a lot but need to get off their butts and protest or make phone calls. Most Democrats are over joyed we have a majority, yet most of the articles I see on Salon, especially Glenn Greenwald there is a daily bashing and complaining about Obama and Democrats. It is like listening to a bunch of spoiled children.

Republicans are not taht disciplined. A few right wing nuts have been organized by pro-life, no-tax groups who are working in coalition to call, protest, and write the congress.

Then they take their own videos cameras, and get their small protests in the the media. Besides Salon has given more coverage to the right's protests than the left organizing.

The health care debate just started before the Augusst recess and some have called it dead when much discussion and negotiatiions stil have to happen. Progressive after all means moving forward in increments.

However today's technology and instant, often unthoughtful communications and decisions has lead to more instantaneous gratification, and this instant gratification must be fed daily resulting in disappointment and whining if the desired results do not occur in an instant.

There have been lots of events and more planned this week by Organizing for America. The pres sis just NOT covering them. Instead they like to cover the ignorant idiots disturbing care town halls meetings.

Let's not forget Richard Nixon was the first president to submit a health care reform bill. In fact he ran on health care for all platform. Where are the republican now? Oh yes, I forgot, God has taken them to a divisive place.

The editors of her book must be having fun correcting all her grammatical errors, or is her writing better than her speaking skills. We may need a new dictionary of Palinisms

The right is getting more disgraceful, disgusting nad immoral daily with their LIES.

Stop the LIES!!

Using the illness and death of a mna who fought for a Universal and worked on the National health care legislation is just disgraceful, disgusting and immoral!!!

Stop the LIES!!!

The Obama haters are disgusting as was the Move-on Ad against bush. Racism is the basis of the Obama hatred, Policy was the hatred towards Bush.

The republicans should not have to be asked. They should be civilized enough to condemn this. However the right leaning republicans have not gotten over that Obama beat McCain and in a BIG way. They continue to cater to a small base of wing nuts who use abortion, gays and now their ignorance on issues to spread

LIES.

We have a very different bunch of republicans than we did 20 years ago. Today's republicans are divisive. They only care about inserting their narrow Christian beliefs politics and defeating Obama. They have no interest in the greater good of this country.

"After many drinks with the 'boiler room' girls Teddy, the lyin of the senate, took innocent Mary Jo for a swim and the rest is history."

After decades this is still the only defense the right-wing republicans have against Senator Kennedy, and it was an accident.

Why is it the right wing ignore their own "intentional" ethics scandles.. i.e..Tom Delay, Dick Army to name a few.

If it is not racism why are the majority of of people involved in the THUG mentality at the town hall meetings are older whites.

First they will have to find the his tiny little right wing penis.

"The Dems' mistake, in my view, is not so much that they've taken too much off of the table from the start, but that they've failed to clearly articulate why it is in everyone's interests to reform the system." Faulukner Jr.

I agree. Howard Dean probably is the best job of articulately health care reform even with all the yelling at the Virgina town hall meeting. Instead of lofty speeches, we need cor principles and how that will be achieved, and rebutal of the LIES.

Everyone also has to make some small sacrifice in order to achieve the common good, but this is. some thing lost on many in our country.

Look to Jopan's model.