Per TPM: House progressives prepare to accept Senate bill.

[Barack_America]

House Braces For Final, Painful Compromises But Leadership Confident They'll Win Over More Blue Dogs

House Democrats believe they will secure additional health care reform votes from Blue Dog Democrats thanks to the Senate's more conservative version of the legislation. And despite deep misgivings, the House Democratic leadership expects to lose few if any progressive Democratic votes over the demise of the public option, paving the way to get a final bill to President Obama's desk by Feb. 1.

<snip>

Senate Democrats have repeatedly warned that any substantive changes to the bill they will pass tomorrow night will lose the fragile 60-vote coalition they've built, and it looks like they will get their way.

"I don't see how we don't largely accede to the Senate," a House leadership aide said.

<snip>

"It's time to pass a good bill and move on" so members can start campaigning on its benefits for the 2010 midterm elections, an aide said.

The confidence that Democrats would add to the 219 members who supported their bill last month is thanks to the Senate bill being substantially less progressive than the bill the House passed in October, several aides said...

More:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/house-braces-for-final-painful-compromises-but-leadership-confident-theyll-win-over-more-blue-dogs.php?ref=fpb

[debbierlus]

1. The Senate rules the House? SHAME ON THEM

Back to the phones...

[Barack_America]

3. There was one quote from the article...

That seemed to suggest that some in the House may feel that Obama is teaming up with the Senate against them.

"Another Democratic aide told TPMDC that rank-and-file members are irritated Obama has shown more deference to his former colleagues in the Senate throughout the entire process. Still, the aide conceded that members are going to have to accept the Senate version because they are ready to be done with the fight."

I apologize for having "snipped" the article so much. It was difficult to convey the overall gist in the four paragraph minimum.

[mod mom]

8. and worse: the corporatists rule the senate. Shame on them is correct!

[Donnachaidh]

2. a good bill? AS IF they HAD one ROFL!!!

And I think they will regret campaigning on it's *benefits* - especially when the unions start getting the back door tax dry hump they've been targeted with.

[FLAprogressive]

4. The Congressional Progressive Caucus gets played like a board game

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. No backbone. They fold every time

They could take lessons from Ben Nelson.

[girl gone mad]

21. Time and time again.

How is it that blue dogs always manage to get exactly what they want, while progressives get compromised into oblivion?

[madville]

5. If they don't agree with it they should vote against it

They need to weigh how this will benefit their constituents and not worry about the wrath of the party leadership if they oppose a bad bill. Shows you how spineless most are in Congress. It's all about the financing the next election, nothing to do with taking care of the electorate.

[Barack_America]

9. Reelection is always priority #1.

Even for progressives, sadly.

[Karmadillo]

12. I wish there was a spiffy retort to what you wrote, but I don't think there is.

It's a sad state of affairs.

[Blasphemer]

6. Quelle suprise!

The deals were already cut. All the talk about conference has been nothing but nonsense.

[Karmadillo]

7. But, but, but we just need to get it to conference and then Obama and the WH will step in

and fix it for the American people. Honest. That's what's going to happen. Really. I read about it on DU. So it's true. It certainly is. The whole point was to just get it out of the Senate. Right? Right. It's going to be fixed. Book it. Honest. Really. Fixed. And good. Gobama!

[chimpymustgo]

15. Hey CHESSMASTERS: SHUT THE FUCK UP. You got punk'd.

All through the process, as this bill got worse and worse, we were shushed and hushed. Chill. The Big O's GOT this.

Okay, everybody - you want mustard or mayo on thais shit sandwich.

[Karmadillo]

18. Sure, it's shit now, but little by little, we'll make it better and before you know it, it will be

ice cream! Bon appetit!

[chimpymustgo]

19. Okay, that made me laugh.

[FiveGoodMen]

16. No kidding!

How many hundreds (seems like millions) of times have we heard that shit at this site?

"Trust us. We're the same folks who've been bending you over for the last year but we'll make it all hunky dory if you just stay out of our way..."

How could so many people be so dumb?

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[villager]

13. so much for "making it better..." n/t

[Kahuna]

14. Why is this being negatively recommended? This is just news. nt

[Barack_America]

17. Grijalva considers trading PO for earlier implementation date.

In a sign that House liberals may be bracing to swallow much of the Senate bill with minimal changes, a key House progressive suggested in an interview with me that he might be able to support a bill without a public component, if the coverage in the bill were to kick in earlier than it currently does in the Senate proposal.

Rep Raul Grijalva, who as co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus is well respected by liberals, acknowledged the potential for supporting the bill under these conditions, making public what House aides have only said privately until now.

Grijalva cautioned, however, that House liberals would continue fighting for some kind of public component and would have trouble supporting the bill unless they were handed some kind of victory.

In the inteview, Grijalva confirmed that House Dems were beginning to discuss the idea of revising the Senate bill in conference to move up the implementation date for insurance coverage and make it more in line with the earlier date in the House bill....

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/top-house-liberal-suggests-he-could-accept-deal-on-health-care-bill/

[UTUSN]

20. K&R big #5 !1 n/t