For God's Sake--LET THEM FILLIBUSTER!!

[WI_DEM]

Now Nelson is saying he can't support closure.

Obama and Reid tell these f**kers to go ahead and join the GOP and fillibuster, but give them something decent to fillibuster--meaning a health bill supported by 56 Democrats in the Senate which includes the Public Option and MC buy-in.

Then Majority Leader Reid keep the Senate in Session over Christmas and New Years and plan several votes just to make sure all members are present.

Let them fight against a good bill and if we lose it will be for a good bill. Obama you will look better in the end if you fight for a noble cause rather than anything you can get.

Now go to it!

[VMI Dem]

1. Obama is too scared.

[MineralMan]

4. Obama has nothing to do with Senate rules.

He can't do anything to promote or end a filibuster. 9th Grade Social Studies. Blaming Obama for something that happens in the Senate is misplaced blame.

[WI_DEM]

6. I know that but he can say go ahead and fillibuster also I mention Harry Reid who does have somethin

to do with it. It is not misplaced blame it's telling Obama to fight for something that is good rather than a watered down bill. He could very well say I won't give in to any more conservative demands.

[MineralMan]

7. Presidents don't advise the Senate on how to conduct their

business. Doing so would be a very bad idea. The President can encourage Senators to vote in a way that follows his wishes, but any interference in Senate business would be taken as an affront.

[WI_DEM]

8. You are splitting hairs. It's not about Obama telling the Senate what to do

it's about him sticking to principals and saying he is done compromising and then as I suggest Lieberman and Nelson are willing to fillibuster then they can do so. Obviously I know the president isn't a senator and can't demand a fillibuster but he certainly can use his bully pulpit and call their bluff and if they do then fine.

[spanone]

2. no, MAKE them filibuster....right thru christmas, new years, easter, 4th of july.....

[Bolo Boffin]

3. This.

http://nomoremister.blogspot.com/2009/12/negotiation-101.html

Its too late to say this, but it bears repeating: we are where we are on Health Care Reform because the White House doesn't understand how negotiations work. They wanted the backing of Pharma and of the Insurance Companies during the next election cycle. They wanted that money, in other words, to run Democratic candidates and they didn't want that money going to Republican candidates. In addition, they wanted some of that corporate money to go into advertising to actually support the bill as it came time to get the votes. So Obama and Rahm thought they could use Corporate money to do the work that the grassroots could have done, and would have done, for free.

That wasn't a stupid decision. In fact, it might have been quite clever. But in order to get the deal they wound up losing their political shirts because they worked backwards. As far as we know they agreed to use Congress and the Bill Making process as a bargaining chip to be bargained *away* instead of as a threat to induce compliance. What I mean is that they offered to squelch real reform--drug reimportation, the public option, etc...etc...etc... in return for a promise of funds to be disbursed later instead of pushing for the most drastically radical bill they could get and then backing off it. Similarly, Obama and Rahm preferred to keep the grassroots quiet as a gift to the deal making process, instead of using populism as a tool to force the best bargain. Instead of activating their own voters and pressuring Pharmaetc with popular rage and populist demands O and R told the most progressive members of the coalition--MoveOn for example and the Unions, to keep their mouths shut.

More at the link, via Atrios.

[diane in sf]

9. great article! deserves its own link!!

[TiberiusGracchus]

5. Exactly right... better yet, you don't need REID, just ONE good progressive senator to vote NO on

cloture is sufficient to force the Republicans to filibuster.

If they DON'T filibuster then we can salvage much of the bill somehow.

If they DO filibuster then we're saved from this monstrosity, 30 million of our most vulnerable countrymen are saved from being serfs to the insurance industry and we can hammer the republicans for it in november.

And we don't NEED Reid's hamfisted politicking for this, we just need ONE man... ONE GOOD SENATOR to vote against cloture and force the republicans to filibuster.

[Sparkly]

10. K&R

:kick: