Thank you, Joan Walsh, for speaking common sense

[jenmito]

against Arianna Huffington and Howard Dean. She said she wants to get HCR PASSED, that she's mad at Lieberman-she despises him, but you don't give up and scrap the whole thing. She said Arianna is acting like a Nader supporter-whining over not being able to get what they want so they'd rather have nothing at all.

She said this bill will still help MANY people and it makes no sense to scrap the bill and think you'll get a better bill later. And the fact that Arianna Huffington and Howard Dean agree with Brad Blakeman and all of the other Repubs. proves HER right.

[babylonsister]

1. All Arianna does anymore is whine. I'm getting tired of her endless

complaining, and agree with Joan, too. Even Ed said it should be passed, warts and all.

[uponit7771]

4. The pony whiners are loud and obnoxious

[freddie mertz]

14. Healthcare is not a pony.

Don'tt you get that yet?

[Stinky The Clown]

23. "Pony whiners"

Do you have any clue how silly that sounds? Whining about whiners.

I bet the irony's lost on you.

[freddie mertz]

31. Don't go looking for irony in these sorts of posts.

It's pure pony shit.

[jenmito]

5. I know! Every time she is a guest on a show, I know what her position is going to be

before she says it. And yes, even ED said it should be passed.

[JuniperLea]

20. I think she's in it for the controversy...

The more controversial she is, the more hits for her site.

I don't even check in there anymore... once in a while I'll click a link here to read a story there, but 9 times out of 10 I piss myself off for falling for it again!

[jenmito]

26. I agree...

and I NEVER go to her site anymore. It's like Politico-one step away from Drudge.

[Cant trust em]

10. I agree. She is too sensationalist.

[O is 44]

17. I could not agree more....

about Arianna. Too bad Ed did not make her elaborate on just how the President is supposed to mandate to bankers. When Bush signed TARP into law last year there were no strings attached. So just how does the President have leverage Arianna?

[vssmith]

21. We need the whiners even when they are over the top

[DontTreadOnMe]

2. Joan Walsh and common sense in the same sentence

Is there a full moon?

[grassfed]

3. Walsh doesn't want to be a laughing stock with unfulfilled Obama hope

she wants to be able to show something --- wrong reason. It's dead. Start over.

[uponit7771]

8. Pass what is there and continue to build. Having perfect or good be the enemy of adequate is unwise

[grassfed]

13. mandated fees to pvt insurance co is adequate?

[mrs_p]

12. she was actually a huge hillary supporter

and it took quite some time before she came round to obama. that said, i'm with you and dr. dean on this one...

[jenmito]

15. Bull. Start over WHEN? And what would we get later that we couldn't get now?

Be rational. This is the best we can do.

[DesertFlower]

6. i agree with joan, but i'm

still pissed.

[uponit7771]

9. I'm more pissed they haven't come out with reconciliation yet

[vssmith]

22. Right, I don't get it

[jenmito]

11. So is she. So are we all. But as even Alan Grayson just said, we SHOULD pass this

bill, that lives are at stake, and it IS better than nothing.

[demo dutch]

7. I so agree

[Davis_X_Machina]

16. I admire your effort, but the market for common sense....

...is worse than the market for commercial real estate right now. Might as well take up flower arranging, or learning another language.

[JuniperLea]

18. Huffington...

pft... She's been on my last nerve a while now... I'm finding her irrelevant these days.

[Parker CA]

19. +1 to all of your comments in this thread, Jen. I was curious to hear

Grayson's thoughts, and although far from perfect, he acknowledged the thousands of lives this bill will save and said we cannot turn our backs on those people. I agree completely.

[jenmito]

27. Thanks, Parker...

yeah, even GRAYSON is an adult about it. The "all or nothing" crowd is only hurting themselves. No-they're hurting ALL of us.

[maryinthemorn]

24. No fear. Something will get passed.

[beachmom]

25. Thanks. Also, here is some history from Steve Benen:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_12/021468.php#more

When Medicaid passed, it did very little for low-income adults. When Medicare passed, it all but ignored people with disabilities. When Social Security passed, the benefits were negligible, and the program excluded agricultural workers, domestic workers, the self-employed, railroad employees, government employees, clergy, and those who worked for non-profits. The original Social Security bill offered no benefits for dependents or survivors, and included no cost-of-living increases.

These are, of course, some of the bedrock domestic policies of the 20th century, and some of the towering achievements of progressive lawmaking. But when they passed, they were wholly inadequate. There were likely liberal champions of the day who perceived the New Deal, the Great Society, FDR, LBJ, and their congressional Democratic majorities as disappointing and incompetent sell-outs who failed to take advantage of the opportunity before them.

But the programs passed, and once they were in place, they improved, expanded, and became integral to the American experience. It took years and perseverance, but progress happened after the initial programs became law.

The key, in each instance, is creating the new foundation. The Democratic reform plan does just that.

[jenmito]

28. Thanks for the article...

very informative and instructive! :hi:

[Clio the Leo]

29. A threat to the President made it into the WH party last night....

The Secret Service REALLY needs to step up their game. ;)

http://twitpic.com/tki16

[jenmito]

30. That's scary!

Yeah, SS is slacking off!