someone please help me understand what's happening.

[Soylent Brice]

since last night i haven't been able to grasp what's going on. how? why?

i keep looking for a reason to defend or even understand what's going on. i can't, or rather don't, see any silver lining in this.

this is a serious attempt to reach out and to hear persepctives from both sides. i feel like someone just suckered punched me in the stomach. i'm actualluy starting to panic at the thought of seeing this bill go through w/o a PO or even the absence of the compromise of medicare starting at 55.

everyday i login i feel more and more depressed.

someone please help me understand what's happening.

[OneGrassRoot]

1. I've posted similar pleas, so I join you here in asking for reasoned....

responses as to why we shouldn't feel beaten up this morning.

I understand there are positives, but the mandate situation (which terrifies me, to be honest, as I simply cannot afford that at all) makes me concerned that, on balance, this is worse than the existing situation which is almost unfathomable.

[Soylent Brice]

4. i'm a little less freaked out to see i'm not the only one.

this bill, whatever passes, will have an impact on everyone.
the feeling of helplessness is ridiculously overwhelming.

i've been calling my senators literally every other day. Voinovich and Brown.

their numbers are in my damn cell phone.
this feeling is making me nauseous.

[nightrain]

2. the rich and corporations get what they want again, and the people suffer.

that's what's happening.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

3. Joe Lieberman wants us to nuke Iran

Obama is not going to ever nuke Iran.

So Lieberman wants a different president.

That's the most succinct explanation of the last 24-48 hours.

In broader terms, there was never a coherent plan to defend. The public was never sold on anything specific. So we lost the political battle and will commence an orderly retreat, shouldering whatever few HCR spoils we can carry.

[watrwefitinfor]

5. +1

[whirlygigspin]

7. ding! Ding! DING! we have a winner!

n/t

[emulatorloo]

8. Howard Fineman said Lieberman WANTS REVENGE on the progressive blogs, the progressives that supporte

Lamont, etc.

The guy is petty and vindictive, so that makes sense too.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

11. I agree with that also

No single theory is powerful enough to account for the full dimension of Lieberman's assholery.

[emulatorloo]

16. His pettiness is going to COST HUMAN LIVES. People are going to die because of this.

I simply do not understand how he can justify this.

[dionysus]

6. i believe in the end, the senate never had the votes needed.

while it's obviously a great dissappointment, i wonder why no one seems to acknowledge this is the closest we have come in generations.

we had a couple dozen congressmen and senators who were bought off. and every single republican against it.

i don't understand how anyone realistically thought obama could end two wars, end all corruption in government, which has existed, well, as long as there has been government, AND accomplish a health care reform that no one has achieved in generations, all in a year. AND with a senate that didn't have his back.

[Lochloosa]

12. +1000

:toast:

To have gotten this far is a miracle.

[OneGrassRoot]

15. I can see that....

and as disappointed as I am about not getting anything remotely resembling what a few well-respected progressives led us to believe was possible (Weiner, Dean, Brown to name a few said repeatedly they felt there would at least be some version of a solid public option at the end of the line), this mandate situation has me fearful that the end result will be WORSE -- on balance -- than the current disaster.

I didn't think that was possible.

I know the few changes will help some, and that's great, but I'm one of tens of millions who simply will not be able to afford a mandate to pay a monthly premium. Simple as that.

[Clio the Leo]

20. My thoughts exactly. NT

[kristopher]

9. Ever heard of Montezuma's Revenge?

Ever heard of Montezuma's Revenge?

You have a bad case of Lieberman's Revenge. He's screwing with the people who almost took his precious office away from him for supporting Bush's Wars.

Seriously, take a break from all news and internet discussions for about 3 days, take aspirin and drink plenty of water.

Oh, and don't forget the lime in the coconut.

[Soylent Brice]

14. i think i'm going to take your advice. i think a break is in order. my only fear

is that i'll missing breaking developments, or just really not be in the loop.

maybe it's better this way.

i don't know.

[dionysus]

17. if you get too worked up, it's worth it to take a few days off. you can always catch up later when

you feel better.

[Soylent Brice]

21. i think i will.

i'll catch you guys after the holidays.

thanks for all the respectful replies, and your reaching out.

[Lochloosa]

10. I'll try to be the voice of reason.

There are actually some good things in the bill. And it's a start. You have to remember that the Dems have been trying to do this for over 70 years.

We have come a long way. My hope is it's just a start.

[Soylent Brice]

19. see, i understand that. i'm not naive. i just don't understand the why.

nobody will ever really know why, but we should be privvy. it's like paying an employee to do a job, and never getting an explanation why they continue to disappoint with shoddy work.

our tax dollars pay them, yet we're out of the loop. like we're children.

i understand progress takes time. i also understand that watching this bill get picked apart like a rotting carcass is not going to motivate voters next cycle.

this shit is getting out of hand.

my hope is that we take advantage of this opportunity and pass something great. not "what we consider as all we could get out of it, which apepars to be mediocre at best.

my hope is that someone answers the door. opportunity has been knocking since 1/20/09. it was here. the motivation was there. the momentum was there. the people were behind them. the voters came together and said yes we can, and yes we will support/back you up. we demonstrated that with the election. it just looks like it's all fading/eroding away. opportunity missed.

[emulatorloo]

13. The bill needs 60 votes to keep it from being filibustered. Lieberman is the 60th vote

A fillibuster means the bill is effectively dead.

Because of our narrow margin in the Senate, he now holds a lot of power. He can kill the bill

All of the Republicans are going to vote no. (In the past some republicans would vote with Democrats)

[Pirate Smile]

18. Here you go

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=58584&mesg_id=58584