OK, well, no “Public Option,” and no Medicare buy-in, but at least we’ll get some relief on medications with a new drug re-importation law. Ha! Gotcha! Byron Dorgan’s amendment may have had a majority of Senators on board, but only 51 of them, so it’s dead, Jim. It looked like there would be enough votes for cloture last week, but President Obama showed just how forceful a leader he can be if properly motivated, and the prospect of Americans (and the Federal Government) saving billions of dollars on drugs at the expense of Big Pharma losing a few bucks was enough to launch the President into action. Good job, Barry, but I think you can do more. Why not mandate medication for everybody or something? Not pot, though – legalizing and taxing marijuana is just plain silly. I mean, you can’t patent pot, so there’s no money in it for the pharmaceutical companies. Kinda makes you wanna break out your Lee Greenwood albums, doesn’t it?
In another of the “Great Moments of the Obama Administration,” looks like there’s a new Federal jobs program. This one involves sending more than 50,000 contractors to Afghanistan (that’s on top of the 100,000 or so already there). Not only will this add jobs, but some of them are sure to get killed, creating more openings. It’s a win-win.
Joe Lieberman told the Democratic caucus that he’s sorry (well, not actually sorry, but he has “regrets”) for being such a douchebag pain in the ass. And PA Senator Bob Casey was really, really touched (probably close to tears) by Joey’s words.
“One thing that he acknowledged, which was important, was how difficult this has been for people on both sides of it,” Casey said of Lieberman. “I was struck by how human that moment was….”
Gee. I’m really fuckin’ struck, too. All’s forgiven, Joe. I love you, man!
By the way, Tiger, you’ve got two hours to come up with some hush money, or I go public with our affair. You think your sponsors are a little uneasy with a golfer than can’t keep his 3-wood in the bag, wait until they find out you can only get off if you’re on all fours pretending to line up a putt. Just sayin’.
I woke up this morning to see Joe The Lyingman lying about …well everything. In order to save the TV from a hard object propelled its way, I had to turn him off but not before he tried to explain his flip-fjop on the Medicare buy-in.
First he tried to say that was 2002 blah, blah…then when some not brain dead reporter mentioned the interview 3 months ago he said he had finally seen it last night (he didn’t give it just see it, apparently) and it looked to him as if he were referring to 2002. So, ” I would be in favor of” is just like saying, “I was in favor of.” Why didn’t I catch that.
He also said he hasn’t spoken to any insurance lobbyists, only his staff has.
:barf:
Wow, you really mean business, PJ. :tongue:
Health care
Oral Roberts – Dead at 91
It would be incredibly rude to speak ill of the dead…
However, in Oral’s case, I’ll make an exception. If there is a heaven, I think that St. Peter is going to have a wonderful time kicking his ass for all the crap he pulled in the name of Jesus. I’m guessing right about now Oral is beginning to understand the meaning of the verse “It’s a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God”.
The headline over at Fark for this was “Jesus prepares to receive Oral”
Didn’t he have a sister named Anal?
Tiger appears to be deliberately ignoring me. I think this is a sign of just how scared I have him. I’m upping my demands to $2 million (net), and giving him until they draw the lotto numbers on Saturday night – then I’m spilling my guts.
And no more trips to the “driving range” ’til I get my money, pal.
Oh, pj and SJ, that is so gay.
Just watched the Franken clip from yesterday. As much as it annoys me when people I contribute money to do unprogressive things once they’re in office, Al almost makes up for it. And the Al Franken trading card set I got during the campaign is pretty neat too.
If Lieberman is a douche, Al is douche relief at its finest. Or something like that.
Editorial from today’s NY Times:
The Million-Dollar Man
First, Senator Joseph Lieberman — the former Democrat, current independent from Connecticut — rejected the so-called public health care option. Then he threatened to torpedo the entire health care reform bill if it allowed people over 55 to buy Medicare plans.
The aim of that idea, like the public option, is to provide more choice for consumers and more competition for the private insurance industry. And that industry, you will not be surprised to hear, has been very, very good to Mr. Lieberman.
What makes it all the more hypocritical is that Mr. Lieberman claims to want health care reform. And way back in September, the senator was publicly championing a Medicare buy-in.
In an interview with The Connecticut Post, he said he had been refining his views on health care for many years and was “very focused on a group post-50, or maybe more like post-55†whose members should be able to buy Medicare if they lacked insurance.
This week, when there actually seemed to be a compromise on health care that did not focus on Mr. Lieberman, he announced that he would block the package if the Democrats included a terrible idea — allowing people between 55 and 65 to buy Medicare.
He presented this as a principled effort to keep down federal debt, but when a Times reporter asked about his 180-degree turn, he said he had forgotten taking his earlier position until the Democratic leadership reminded him about it over the weekend.
Mr. Lieberman has taken more than $1 million from the industry over his Senate career. In his 2006 re-election campaign, he ranked second in the Senate in contributions from the industry. He doesn’t seem to have forgotten that.
The Senate bill was better with the public option, as weak as it was. The Medicare buy-in was an intriguing alternative. Still, even without either one, the Senate must pass this vital measure.
Now that Mr. Lieberman has gotten his way and everyone’s attention, he has a responsibility to move things forward. He can help persuade a wavering Democrat, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, and a hesitant Republican, Olympia Snowe of Maine, to vote for the bill. Or has he also forgotten his commitment to health care reform?
C’mon, people, we need more Tiger!
fwiw, Keith O is supposed to have a special comment about health care tonight.
That song on #10 is from a friend of mine from a few years ago that someone slapped some ‘video’ on. Glad to see it is getting spread around and this little blog that could gets used for material elsewhere.
Gonna see if I can get KO live on line. No luck so far. MSNBC online is weak as far as I’m concerned. Wonder if it is the MS or the NBC?
You should be able to download it or listen to it @msnbc.msn.com about an hour after it’s over.
Wendal Potter on Olbermann just now- “Obama said today that the US is facing bankruptcy if this bill doesn’t pass. The truth is that if this bill passes millions of americans will be faciing bankruptcy because …” (sic) the sick ones will be facing mandates which will cost them 22% of their income.
MSNBC has said all day long it would be live but it wasn’t. It will be up shortly, I hope. Sometimes the iTunes :omg: download is up in about an hour.
I say at this point, take the bill and strip anything out that enriches the insurance industry and pharma since they took out all of the balances for the consumers and pass the regulations and end anti-trust exemptions. Then take it from there. They slash our stuff, we slash theirs.