jazzman's Comments (4326)

“3 months not 3 days but then who's counting?”

“You miss the entire point AcePylut. Republicans are a part of the government even if they are in the minority Party. Acting like a bunch of babies, trying to obstruct the operation of our government for political gain is purely irresponsible. They are to blame because they're doing nothing constructive except throwing wrenches in the operation of government at every turn. This is clearly irresponsible and I condemn it as a patriot and a citizen who cares about my country.”

“What's the lives of a few hundred or thousand Americans if you can bust a union or two? Jim DeMint has clearly shown that he has his priorities straight. Not!”

“I get why the President is reluctant to do that. He wants to restore the balance of the three branches of government by moving away from unilateral action but I think in the case of national security, he needs to abandon his ambitions and just get the people he needs into their posts.

Right now the Republicans have become total anarchists, seeking every which way they can to obstruct and paralyze the government. They're a dangerous lot and a real threat to our democracy and the overall security of our country. We are witnessing the emergence of an extremist Party that rivals the mentality of the communists and Nazis in that they want to disrupt government in order to regain power. The President must choose to govern and stop indulging a Party that has essentially become a group of fanatics.”

“Top grade cannibis I got in that backroom. Totally awesome! I offered some to Clinton but he said he doesn't enhale. Bush told me he only does cocaine so I had to smoke it myself.”

“Maybe this will be Jim DeMint's Waterloo.”

“Senate rules don't allow it to work that way. A single Senator can put a hold on a nomination. The only reason it doesn't happen the other way as often is because Democrats easily cross lines at times to help govern instead of acting like a bunch of jackbooted zombies marching in goose step behind their Party leaders.

Give me the Democrats and their messiness anytime. Russia, China, and Germany have already done the uniformity, ideological thing. I don't like the way it turned out over there. I'll take my keystone cop Democrats any time, thank you!”

“Who do you trust? Bush?”

“China is going to build the world's fastest train and continue piling up surpluses as they become the lender fo choice.

What about America? We'll we've got massive debt begun when Bush cut the taxes of the wealthy and charged two wars on credit cards, hiding them from the national budget. Then there's are exciting economy that now consists of paper shuffling, with people selling financial instruments, insurance, sub-prime mortgages, doing leveraged buy outs, and creating exotic financial instruments called ponzi scheme scams and hedge fund casino gambling.

We don't make anything any more but the supply side true believers still think their economic theory works as businesses close and people stand in unemployment lines.”

“The filibuster, as presently constructed and applied, is anti-democratic. It's continuing use by the opposition allows a small minority to thwart any initiative in government. An electorate can go out and work hard to get Senators, Congresspeople, and a President elected only to see that they can't get any change or reform because of an extra Constitutional, gentleman's rule that has been so trivialized that it is actually a fantasy rule. Today's filibuster doesn't even have to be enacted. It only has to be threatened and it kills legislation.

In addition, because of a change in the rules, other business can go on in the Senate while a threatened painless filibuster is enacted stopping any piece of legislation that a small minortiy wants to thwart.

In it's continual enactment It nullifies the power of the Presidency and the House of Representative and holds the entire government hostage to the most unscrupulous, self-serving, and corrupt characters in the Senate. This is not Democracy. It's not even a Republic. It's government by a small minority that tyrannizes and stops the majority in almost all cases. People, who believe in the kind of Republic our founding fathers envisioned, should be outraged by what the Senate has done with the filibuster. It's anti-American.”

“I think that this would be a loser for the Republicans. Once people get past the initial disappointment of having a health care reform that is incomplete they'll appreciate the fact that insurance corporations cannot cap care, deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions, and will be forced to pay for preventive care without deductibles and they won't want to go backwards to what we have now.”

“The GOP is irrelevant at this point.”

“I join Wendell. It would be pure foolishness to kill this bill. We're not going to get a chance like this for a long time. However, the ability to tweak and improve this bill will be legion and in the end I believe that we will gravitate towards a single payer system through the expansion of Medicaid and Medicare funded through the Federal Government. However, it will take place over time.”

“Like most things in politics, I suspect that the letter is operative until its not.”

“You've got the ball down to the 1 yard line. It's first and goal. I'll celebrate when you get the ball over the goal line.

Meanwhile, pretty good job up to now. Now let's go out and ram this baby across the goal line and take the trophy home. That's when the confetti comes down and the champaign bottles open.”

“You get taxed instead. It's the same thing only done in a different way.”

“Us more than in the past. Big insurance companies and Pharma have always been protected from any kind of discipline in the past. That is why our health care system is such a mess today. Obama and the Dems have taken the first step to bend some protections our way.

Big insurance and big pharma, however, were able to thwart a full scale tilt in our direction. There is work still to be done.”

“I would love it if a severed pigs head was found in Joseph Lieberman's bed and a live boy was caught on camera in Stupaks bed. That would be involvment I can believe in. However, I suspect that these two empowed jerks in the Congress and Senate will have to be appeased instead.

Too bad. It would be a much better bill if we had these two guys shaking in their boots and afraid to go against the President on anything.”

“After Congress rebuffed Obama's request for funding I'm sure everyone will blame Obama for not closing not Gitmo at the end of 2009 just like they blame him for the obstructionist tactics of Lieberman, Nelson, and Stupak.”

“Oh yes. The ole trickle down tax break to glory theory. Look how well that worked out for us over the last 8 years.”

“Wall Street bailed out with no subsequent banking regulations and continued joblessness? If that is the case, the Democrats are screwed. Mr. Geithner and his team of Wall Street cronies better get back into the drawing room and figure out how they're going to get something going because the people are pretty fed up with the 'trickle down' solutions that ended up giving Wall Street big bonuses, didn't result in any business lending, and have left people relying on paltry unemployment insurance to survive.”

“the wingnuts are only concerned that the man didn't get a couple of shots off. We know why the right wingers are buying those guns. They're frightened of the black man who has power.”

“The ignorant Bush left his spawn behind.”

“and you thought an industry that controls almost 18% of the economy was going to lay down and let Obama take away all their business without putting up a fight? You thought Obama was going to part the waters and the lobbyists were all going to get out of his way and let him have his way?

This bill, as Ted Kennedy would say, is the bill we can get. You pass it and then you work to improve it. A public option may come down the road through a back door piece by piece with medicare being expanded slowly on one end while medicaid is expanded slowly on the other. Who knows? What's important is the we have begun the process of reform. It's not perfect but Obama didn't lie to you. Obama worked the system and played a hand with the cards he was dealt. He got what he could for you and me in this first round. Yes, with corporate parasites hanging all over him from day 1. They'll never go away.”

“For all of you who think passing legislation is easy, that Obama didn't do enough, and that somehow once this bill passes health care reform is done, finished, not to be improved or revisited let me acquaint you with history. Progressive causes are continuing struggles that go on long past the bills are passed. Social Security today is not the same Social Security that passed in 1938. The Civil Rights legislation that was passed in the 60's has not ended the civil rights movement. These struggles continue on and on and must be fought daily. That is the way life is and its the way politics is.

If the Obama led initiative passes through Congress this week, even with all the flaws, a historical moment will have happened. It will be a beginning not the end. It will need to be improved and struggles will continue down the road but a corner will have been turned, a journey will have begun, a problem will finally have been addressed, and gridlock will have been broken. History will judge Obama very kindly for doing what no other President has been able to do. It won't be perfect but it will be something to celebrate.

I voted for the inspirational Obama too but I'll settle for the man who can work within this chaotic, corrupt system to get something passed and a course set for the future. I love success more than lofty idealism. This piece of legislation is a great success.”