I'm sorry, I disagree.

We've had 8 of the worst years in my memory, and in the memory of my 80-year-old mother. The right wing was setting up the country for permanent one-party rule. But instead of that - because of Bush, Cheney, Frist, DeLay, Santorum, etc. - a groundswell reversed their numbers in just 2 years. People woke up from the culture wars and saw gross malfeasance on display - pre-emptive war doctrines, treasonous lying, poisonous economics.

It was the Republicans' country to lose, and they lost it. But instead of taking a rational look at themselves - what they did wrong - they've doubled down on culture craziness. The hard-right has attained as close to group insanity as we've ever seen in this country.

When not one Republican, except for Ms. Snowe, will seriously participate in ANY reform for a spiraling disaster like US healthcare - well, they have a serious problem.

But we don't. We can act in good conscience. We can corral our polyglot party to make desperately needed legislation. Even though I respect Obama's very presidential instinct to engage the whole country, I think it's not going anywhere with the GOP. They're delusional. Don't feed their delusions. Let them hit rock bottom.

The majority of Americans are overwhelmingly in favor of healthcare reform - they know in their guts what's happening to millions of them every day. Let the Blue Dogs find this out the hard way, when they're the only ones blocking healthcare. Forget the GOP, until they've remembered why they matter again.

Rome wasn't built in a day, but when the previous emperor has set it afire or flooded it - and we've suddenly got the forces to fix it - every month counts. The GOP says there's plenty of time to fix healthcare. There isn't, we know that. People are hurting now.

Re: Rube Goldberg

No, a straight vote, or a reconciliation, where you beat the other guy soundly, right now, is better than a Better Mousetrap. And it's much, much better for the health of the rest of Obama's agenda. We get pumped, instead of sitting on these boards and arguing for another 3 years.

I don't think any of us is going to lose heart if we don't get everything we want, but let's keep the heat up till the whistle is blown. A lot of us may lose faith in Obama, although I reserve the right to hedge my bets till I'm through threatening the White House with no more funds. We may even get a chance for a two-pointer (and I don't even like football!).

Public Option is within reach.

In fact we have two -

"OOOOOK-lahoma where the wind comes sweepin' through our brains.........."

A big beautiful state, unfortunately with no sentient representation whatsoever.

Inhofe? Coburn? I gotta go with Inhofe, by a pointy little nose.

As logical as the trigger idea seems, it sounds like a Rube Goldberg device that depends on everything happening correctly over the next few years to work. I'm not up for that.

I repeat - we've got two branches of the government, and we can't get a decent bill passed? We're the wealthiest nation in the world, and we can't get a decent bill passed? This isn't even the much preferred Single Payer program -it's a compromise of that. Enough with the watering down.

We'll end up with what we end up with. But we shouldn't give up an inch - not one inch - till every avenue is explored, and every Blue Dog who opposes the general will of the Democratic party is taken down a notch. They can figure out how to spin their vote later.

There are enough people who want the Public Option - we can get it.

Pardon me being simple-minded, but if the trigger option will work to provide a Public Option, why would any Republican, save Snowe, vote for it? They're not accepting anything at all on healthcare - they're just dragging feet and hoping to bury it with confusion and lies.

If I was GOP, the only way I'd accept the trigger is if I knew the private sector could do a major self-cleaning, with or without Obama writing the terms. But we all know they won't, which is what the Public Option is for. Does Ms. Snowe - who I like and respect - know something we don't?

From what I've read about the nuclear option, it doesn't need that many, but it's very questionable in the long run (even if Frist kept threatening it just to get Bush's judicial appointments through). Interesting how far the Republicans will go to control entire BRANCHES of government (besides those they're elected to), and how scared the Democrats are of using bold means to merely bring health to the whole population.

Nevertheless - the best way is the simplest and most direct, that gets us the best bill possible.

And the first step towards that is calling everyone in the book.

missed your post.

Now where did we put that nuclear option.....?

We may yet win - but that's my bright-canary-yellow, cockeyed-optimist gene acting up again. And as summer is officially over today, maybe I should have it looked at. Anyhoo...

What did you see on Countdown? (And pardon if you've already posted.)

BTW, have you ever seen a good filibuster? They're pretty cool, and can make the filibusterer look plenty asinine. I kind of miss them.