It has been snowing here all day. This morning the tree above my barberry bushes were full of blue birds and robins. The eagle has been ice fishing in the open areas on the lake.Beautiful sights.

I can’t feed the birds because of my serial bird killer cat Jimmy even thought he is double belled. I leave all my perennials in the garden for them and clean them up during a late winter thaw.

It should be a simple message (and it should have been the central message in Massachusetts): a vote for a Republican, no matter what you think of him as a person, is a vote for paralysis. But by now, we know how the Obama administration deals with those who would destroy it: it goes straight for the capillaries. Sure enough, Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, accused Mr. Shelby of “silliness.” Yep, that will really resonate with voters.

snip

Well, America is not yet lost. But the Senate is working on it.

Not to be crude about it but the reason that doing anything through reconciliation won’t happen is because that would require the Democrats to “have a set” and we all know they don’t!

Re: the title on Plum Line Cantor: Only Route To Bipartisan Cooperation Is If Dems Fully Embrace GOP Plan – why not! It worked for Liberman and all the Blue Dogs in the Senate and House! Since Obama and Associates don’t believe in anything compromising is easy.

It’s simple. If they knew how to get this done, it would have been done ages ago. The fact is they have no idea HOW TO GET IT DONE. That is the only reason it’s not done. That explains this flurry of activity that passes for action. It’s temporizing. The thing is dead because of Obama’s timidity.

Imagine for a minute if you can Barak Obama licking his chops over HCR passing as passionately as Bush licked his over wanting to attack Saddam. My God, BO would have passed HCR through reconciliation last August, and to hell with the Republicans. He’d then throw a huge 3-day celebration for the American people. Then let the Republicans squeal, just as long as he had his HCR passed.

‘Thorpe said he hopes if the Democrats can’t get Obama’s bill, “we don’t do like 1994 – all or nothing.”

Obama has sent mixed signals. Early after the Massachusetts defeat, he raised the possibility of scaling back. Then he insisted he still wants a comprehensive approach. Last Thursday, Obama publicly raised the prospect that Congress might not act at all. Sunday, he invited GOP and Democratic leaders to discuss possible compromises in a televised gathering later this month.

The Democrats’ reversal “is like a big body blow,” said Jennings. “You either stammer and fall down, or you stammer and regain your balance. What Americans respect are those people who can take a punch and come back.”‘

We expect to be snowed in up here around Wednesday. We’re properly prepared – you know milk, bread, the basics.

“WASHINGTON — Shock and awe. That’s what survivors of the Clinton-era health care collapse are feeling as President Barack Obama’s overhaul legislation wobbles in Congress.

Aides who shaped Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 1990s plan to cover all Americans, then labored in vain to pass it into law, are adamant that the Democrats can’t afford another health care disaster. But they’re divided on whether scaling down Obama’s plan would be an acceptable solution.”

SNIP

We’ve already been having a “fight” with Molly our Westie. Guinness the cat wants none of it.

That’s the definition of GOP bi-partisanship. You give us what we want, nothing less, nothing more. Oh well.

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/cantor-only-route-to-bipartisan-cooperation-is-if-dems-fully-embrace-gop-plan/

The only way to ever pass HCR was thru reconciliation. As I said a looooong time ago, Republicans cannot afford to hand Dems another FDR type leg of the domestic policy stool, however rhetorically awkward that phraseology is.

Beats the daylights out of me.

Bill Clinton was one of the most sccessful presidents this country EVER had. Heck, if he were a Republican he would have been on Mt. Rushmore already. But we Dems have no idea how to promote our own like the Repugs do theirs.

As for Hillary, Probably the most talented and versatile woman who ever entered American politics and she isn’t finished yet. What a story! And she is still being persecuted. Let them. It makes her stronger. Destiny.

You say:
The solution was always a short list of health care specifics like portability, importation of drugs, anti-trust elements, as well as pre-existing condition exemptions as a stand alone beginning for health care.

I totally agree but the problem is that this list can’t pass either. There are too many folks that are supposed to be on the Democratic side such and Bayh (D – Aetna), Lincon (D – WalMart), Bauchus (D Any and All Insurance Companies), Nelson (D – Any and All Insurance Companies), Landrieu (D – Corporate America) and Lieberman (I – I hate all Progressive and its payback time) that will stop these reforms. I really hope they all pass the House but that’s as far as it will go.

Edit

I don’t really read political analysis these days. I did for over 40 years, but the Obama adminstration’s transparent Wall Street whoring has killed any remaining passion I had for party politics. I might join a revolution if there ever were one, but for the most part (local issues excepted), I’ve really changed. (Evolved?) This surprises me, actually. But now I have much more time during the day. I’m truly not emotionally invested in the corporatist Democrats, who have lost me for good.

Dangerously for those who *are,* I’m also not the least bit upset, worried, or bent out of shape by the thought of idiot Republicans regaining control. It’s like they never left, anyway, and the system doesn’t respond to votes, only the unspeakable.

Not you Imhotep…you are in a different catagory, you want to blame all the problems in this country on the Clintons. Kinda simplistic for a smart guy like you

His Ed sec. is out there pretty much but he is another Chicago guy.

Nope. We don’t agree. I don’t think it has anything to do with the Clinton people.

Taylor, I read BOTH articles last night.

I believe the source of the problem is Obama and his lack of vision. Clearly, he walked into the WH without any thought or overarching vision of where he wanted to take the country or what his governing philosophy would be. More to the point, there were no principles set of beliefs on how the economy or society should work after all we had been through the last 8 years. No ideology. No conviction. And yes, I still say they do have a problem executing — completing things.

I think the entire Chicago crew should be gone. The campaign crew rarely works well at governing. The article talked about Reagan’s seamless transition, with James Baker (all gravitas).

In any case, I absolutely believe as long as Obama insists on worshiping at the alter of bipartisanship he will fail. The Republicans are resolute in their conviction to stop him at any cost, and as long as Obama is so mind-numbingly obtuse as to continue along this path, he becomes more and more of a joke.

By the way, Clemons mentioned bringing in the ubiquitous David Gergen. I think that would be a mistake. He doesn’t need retreads.

It would be nice if Obama found his own people and created his own stars. At some point he has to come into his own. Become his own man. Right now he’s always looking for cover.

You *really* need to read the FT article, as well as the Clemons piece.

he needs managers on his staff. People who know how to GET THINGS DONE. He has conceptualizers…

This is *not* the problem.