My adventure with our 2 (allegedly) moderate independent repub Senators today.

Hi everybody.

This morning, I called both of our Senators' offices. I expressed my wife's and my concern that health care reform be passed NOW!

I stressed (as I always do) that while we are Democrats, both my wife and I respect Sens Snowe and Collins. We emphasized that they are both thoughtful, intelligent and well meaning people but that Sarah Palin(comparison), glenn beck, rush limbaugh nd michael steele are not. I stated that as Maine residents who've both been unemployed (my wife still is) at one time for a year and a half and who are currently homeless and living in transitional housing, we know that reform of health care is DESPERATELY needed. I also said that the Senators, both being sensible and perceptive legislators, KNOW that the stories of rationing and death panels are not true. I implored them to do the right thing.

I have been politically active for 41 years, ever since I stuffed envelopes for Bobby Kennedy in 1968. I damn well know when I'm being blown off, and BOY HOWDY, did the staff people at the senators offices ever do that today! I'm used to it from Collins' office. It always happens when I ID myself as a Democrat (even though I've never said one negative of disparaging thing about her to her staff). I was stunned when it happened with Snowe's office, where they are usually very courteous.

The lesson of this is, to me, that grassley is just the face of an epidemic. If Snowe and Collins are, at the very least, not listening to pro-reform constituents, bi-partisan is really off the table.

You know what though? That's OK. The media (as usual) doesn't get it. People don't pay attention in August. When push comes to shove, the republicans will have NO credibility screaming that they were left out when they gave credibility to lies and said NOTHING as teabaggers with guns screamed socialist and nazi while lying about death panels as their leaders negotiated in bad faith.

After my calls to Snowe & Collins' offices, I called my Congresswoman, Chellie Pingree. I sure felt a lot better after getting off the phone with her office. In principle, I believe in our President's desire to reach out to those who disagree. Now, however, it's time to step away from that on this one.

I want the Democrats to invoke Reconciliation and ram Health Care reform down the republicans' throats and up the teabaggers' asses.

I want to be able to NAIL the hypocrisy of the rightists as they take full advantage of what they opposed.

Most of all, I want to see our President do what he has shown himself a master of doing. Making his opponents destroy themselves while believing they spite him.

And I want to see it soon!

PEACE!

from Michael Steele and company. Now that Specter has left the party the 2 Maine Goppers must be pretty lonely as the wedge between them and the Palinistas widens. They should follow Arlen's lead and bolt the party and maybe become Bernie Sanders-style independents. If they vote with the democrats for pro-health care reform they will forever be pariahs in the Party of Jesus.

...that they may want to consider that they are no longer in the party of Abe, Teddy or Ike but of rush, sean, glenn & sarah.

If they stood up for what their party can be and emulated the first woman Maine senator (Margaret Chase Smith whho stood up to fellow repub mccarthy) ok, but...

They need to remember what Burke (a conservative himself) said; "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men (and women) to stand by abd do nothing".

PEACE!

Public Option could be passed in reconciliation, but all of the rest (insurance reform, an exchange,) would have to be passed the regular way.

Reconciliation only works for budget related items. There are limits to what can done through that method.

Until Baucus get his bill done, everybody is kind of on hold. The House can do some stuff with their bill, but not too much because they want them to line up at least somewhat.

...will either pull his head out of his ass or, much more likely, just walk away from the table so we can do it on our own.

PEACE!