Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

We still have time to mess this up!

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

T R E 4 5 O N

All your base are belong to Tunch.

The revolution will be supervised.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

Let there be snark.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

You are here: Home / Grumpy old man

Grumpy old man

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Steve Benen highlights a great exchange between Obama and president McCain:

The tone of the exchange makes it pretty clear that McCain still hasn’t accepted the fact that he lost the election.

I realize I say this over and over again, but it bears repeating: everything in Washington is about social status. McCain was a big man inside the beltway for years, he had Dana Milbank regularly fellating him until about a week ago, and then some nobody waltzes in and starts acting like he’s in charge. And that’s hard for McCain to take.

Reader Interactions

333Comments

  2. 2.

    Punchy

    I’m looking forward (not) to the 294 Kos diaries soon to be blaring: “BREAKING: Obama PWNZ McCain!” or some such shit.

    That site’s become a whore’s bath of self-fellating libtards.

  3. 3.

    Amanda in the South Bay

    I was just at the laundromat, and the tv on in the background had a blurb about the HCR summit. Considering this is a local Bay Area affiliate, they gave McCain an extraordinary long soundbite. Or maybe he’s just old and speaks slow? Anyways, McCain’s little blurb was longer than the entire segment on the summit.

    I swear he is such an odious motherfucker.

  4. 4.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    he had Dana Milbank regularly fellating him until about a week ago

    I think Russert’s ghost comes in the night like a succubus to revive McCain’s withered dick, otherwise withered like a carrot left in the back of the crisper drawer while you go on vacation.

    Obama looks like a teacher worn out by a group whiny, entitled teenagers. He can’t smack’em but he would if he could.

  5. 5.

    SGEW

    “I am the luckiest guy who has ever lived that I’ve ever known,” [Senator John] McCain said. “For me to look back in anger, I mean, it’s just foolish. Some people say, ‘He’s bitter, he’s resentful.’ I’m not. I’m grateful.”

    [cf.]

    This is one of the sadder statements I’ve read in a while. I can’t even imagine the grimace on his face when he said this.

  6. 6.

    dmsilev

    He’s truly become a bitter old man. Or, since he’s been bitter for a while, a bitterer old man. And Obama did a beautiful job of rubbing salt in the wound.

    -dms

  7. 7.

    Joe Beese

    I wonder how the rotten-souled old bastard feels when he watches Palin get fawned over. It must be like A Star Is Born.

  8. 8.

    fasteddie9318

    I know policy-wise Hayworth may be far worse than even the “I’ve always been a nutso radical neo-con” pandering version John McCain, but goddamn it would be nice to see Johnny Mac managing his wife’s beer distributorship instead of waxing idiotically on matters of public policy.

  9. 9.

    Catsy

    Even as someone who has an already-dim opinion of Grampy McMaverick, I was stunned at how whiny and content-free McCain’s tirade was. It was literally nothing but whine after whine about the process through which the existing HCR bills were generated, and his and Obama’s campaigns. There was no substance. None. Just one long wheezy whine.

    Obama’s response was epic.

  10. 10.

    Violet

    McCain continually seems like he wants people to think he’s important. “Look at me! I ran for President too! Pay attention to me!” He can’t accept that once you lose the election, you’re yesterday’s news.

  11. 11.

    Mike E

    @Punchy:
    John McCain is a two-faced, cowardly, sad, little man-bitch.

    There’s my Kos diary for the day, sport. I even raised my pinkie when typing it, in your honor.

  12. 12.

    RareSanity

    John McCain is a very petty, bitter, angry man.

    “I’m, reminded of it everyday…”

    Yes you are, by your own ego and bratty inner-child sitting there with his arms crossed saying, “I should be President!”

    The rest of the country has moved on Senator. There aren’t going to be any mulligans, and you aren’t going to wake up in the Presidential bedroom and be relieved to find out that losing to the black man was just a dream.

    In other words, get the fuck over it, you little shit!

  13. 13.

    Oscar Leroy

    McCain still hasn’t accepted the fact that he lost the election

    So? The Democrats haven’t accepted that they won.

    “Hey, let’s hold another health care summit and see if we can fit more Republican ideas into our bill!” Why?

  14. 14.

    John Dillinger

    I’m glad Republicans are showing their seriousness by bringing a health care expert like McCain, instead of a Senator who is just interested in the politics of the issue.

  16. 16.

    Oscar Leroy

    I know policy-wise Hayworth may be far worse

    I can’t wait for the same media that was so outraged over Democrats making a primary challenge to their recent VP nominee to make a similar or larger outrage over a Republican primary challenge to their last presidential nominee.

    /sarcasm

  17. 17.

    the Reverend boy

    Kind of hard for him to be reminded about that when he is given a soapbox almost every Sunday.

    Shorter HCR Summit:

    Republicans: Waaaah!
    Democrats: Being on the offense is actually kind of cool.
    President Obama: I really am the only adult in this room.

  18. 18.

    Bender

    The tone of the exchange makes it pretty clear that McCain still hasn’t accepted the fact that he lost the election.

    And the substance of the exchange makes it crystal clear that Obama just got called out for lying to the American people about his “transparency” bullshit. That’ll make the evening news…

  20. 20.

    jron

    I was lucky enough to have lunch at home and catch this.

    after the grimacing, forced-laughter of “I’m, reminded of it everyday…” my wife and I both said, “oh, SNAP!”

    pure gold.

    We also noted how his whole point seemed to be that people in Arizona get testy when federal money pays for hospitals in other states. Sounds like a great attitude for a president to have: “you’re on your own, folks! joining together as a country has outlived its usefulness!”

    oh wait, that’s the whole gop platform, isn’t it?

  22. 22.

    General Egali Tarian Stuck

    @Bender: Isn’t it ironic that bender and Mccain are whining about transparency on a nationally televised public debate on Health Care Reform.

    The irony burns, and the stoopidity fuels this bonfire of inanity.

  23. 23.

    eastriver

    There was a great shot of Obama, over the shoulder of McCain, after the exchange. McCain was PISSED. He had cartoon lines of steam shooting out of his ears.

    Tee-hee.

  25. 25.

    Rick Massimo

    I’m just thinking for one minute about the ragegasm that would have transpired if John Kerry said anything remotely similar to GWB.

    Not that it would happen, since Bush never spoke to anyone who wasn’t already loyalty-oathed.

  27. 27.

    El Cid

    Finally! Somebody’s defending Kathleen Sebelius from the charge of being some “unelected” (i.e., illegitimate) official, you know, ’cause of “CZARS” and other shit.

  29. 29.

    Evinfuilt

    @jron:

    oh wait, that’s the whole gop platform, isn’t it?

    Yes it is, and in Texas a Republican can’t run for Governor without being Anti-American, I mean pro-secession, they’re never anti-American they just want to secede.

  30. 30.

    El Cid

    I wonder if Bob Schieffer’s going to cry on CBS for two Sundays in a row because Obama basically just questioned John McCain, who was a POW, which automagically makes him Preznit material.

  32. 32.

    jron

    @Bender:

    And the substance of the exchange makes it crystal clear that Obama just got called out for lying to the American people about his “transparency” bullshit.

    yeah, because during any summit or meeting you should just spout off about whatever talking points you wrote down beforehand that relate to your ongoing reelection campaign, instead of the issues of that particular part of the discussion that everyone ELSE is talking about. it’s so much clearer to be off-topic.

    that said, as fun as the exchange was to watch, I was a little surprised to see how little patience obama has for ol’ walnuts.

  35. 35.

    El Cid

    COMPETE ACROSS STATE LINES! FREEDOM! CHOICE!

    (Except no “federal bureaucracy” which would unfairly require that states like Mississippi or Wyoming had health insurance regulations stronger than “F*** YOU PATIENTS GIMME MO MUNEE”.)

  36. 36.

    beltane

    The beltway’s status fetish makes them comparable to a group of gorillas or pack of wild dogs. A young alpha male comes in and displaces old alpha male causing old alpha male to sulk and pout. This still doesn’t excuse old alpha male from trying to make a certain epsilon female leader of the community. That in itself should have stripped McCain of any vestiges of status he once had.

  40. 40.

    jron

    @Rick Massimo:

    the ragegasm…if John Kerry said anything remotely similar to GWB.

    and I was just thinking how painful (or funny, depending on the topic) it would be to see GWB moderate a meeting like this. the ensuing ragegasm would’ve blamed kerry for making bush look unprepared, thus undermining our nation.

  42. 42.

    Malron

    Boy, will Meghan be pissed. On the other hand, I’m pretty sure Cindy just did an end zone dance, back-flipped and high fived the maid when she heard Obama pimp slap her insignificant other.

  43. 43.

    Dork

    I’m glad Republicans are showing their seriousness by bringing a health care expert like McCain, instead of a Senator who is just interested in the politics of the issue.

    If you were that old, you looked like death, smelled like death, and blended into the population of every nursing home you’ve ever glad-handed at, you’d think health care would be something that would be well-researched.

    But alas.

  44. 44.

    SRW1

    “… and then some nobody waltzes in and starts acting like he’s in charge. And that’s hard for McCain to take.”

    Wasn’t that a big part of the problem with Clinton too? Apart from he fact that it wasn’t McCain who did the taking.

  47. 47.

    mcc

    Washington Monthly points out something sad, which is that the entire point of this interchange was Obama going “let’s stop focusing on meta stuff and actually talk about substance”, but this interchange, itself meta stuff is going to get repeated all over the internet and probably eclipse the substance of the meeting.

  49. 49.

    Mnemosyne

    @Joe Beese:

    I wonder how the rotten-souled old bastard feels when he watches Palin get fawned over. It must be like A Star Is Born.

    Nah — the two characters in A Star Is Born genuinely loved each other. The film you’re thinking of is All About Eve, where Bette Davis’ young protegee successfully schemes to steal her job.

  53. 53.

    DougJ

    @SRW1:

    Wasn’t that a big part of the problem with Clinton too?

    Definitely. He came in here and trashed the place and it wasn’t his place.

  54. 54.

    RareSanity

    Joe Biden just makes me smile every time he starts talking because I know he will say something either personally embarrassing or to piss somebody else off.

    You never know what’s coming, but it will be entertaining.

  56. 56.

    General Egali Tarian Stuck

    @mcc: It was sour grapes stuff, utterly without substance relating to actual health care reform. Which as you point out makes it important fodder for the media round the clock cage match of D v R.

    And since Mccain is The President Of Sunday Morning Wankistan, it rates up their Nero fiddling and Caligula frigging. So it will be showtime at the Arena and no doubt a thumbs down for Obama chewing on Angry Old Icon of Mean.

  57. 57.

    inkadu

    Joe Biden has “an inordinate amount of respect” for Enzi.

    Heh. Inordinate. That means he respects him more than he deserves. I love it when people use big words they don’t understand. Overcompensating for growing up in a coal mine, I guess.

  61. 61.

    El Cid

    Oh, great point: The CBO is awesome, but they’re too dumb to realize that when they scored the Senate bill, it was full of “tricks” and “smoke and mirrors”.

    One of those “with all due respect” which means “fuck you”.

  62. 62.

    Koz

    The tone of the exchange makes it pretty clear that McCain still hasn’t accepted the fact that he lost the election.

    Why should he? Carter still hasn’t gotten the memo that Reagan beat him, and that was 30 years ago. McCain probably thinks (with some justification) that he’d beat Obama today.

  63. 63.

    inkadu

    Is it safe to assume the CBO knows what it is talking about and wouldn’t fall for phony gimmicks?

    BTW – “libtards” usually refers to libertarians.

  64. 64.

    El Cid

    So, everybody, let’s substitute bullshit Republican estimates for CBO estimates on the cost and deficit reduction of these bills.

  68. 68.

    El Cid

    @inkadu: Don’t agree — I’ve seen “libtards” used for liberals on right wing blogs and heard it on right wing radio.

    For right wing libertarians, I’d suggest libertards.

  69. 69.

    slag

    @El Cid:

    So, everybody, let’s substitute bullshit Republican estimates for CBO estimates on the cost and deficit reduction of these bills.

    The true definition of bipartisanship.

  71. 71.

    fraught

    @Mnemosyne: Yeah, agree. Except Eve was rotten souled and Margo was not. She gave Eve a break because she felt for her. McC chose Palin cynically because he needed the votes she’d get. They’re both rotten souled and there can be no sympathy for the has-been which is there in the four movies.

  75. 75.

    Midnight Marauder

    @Koz:

    McCain probably thinks (with some justification) that he’d beat Obama today.

    Would that be the same justification that led to him putting Sarah Palin on the ticket? Or the same justification that told him suspending his campaign would be a brilliantly received idea? Or the justification that caused him to declare “We are all Georgians today”?

  77. 77.

    JenJen

    By the way, Michelle Malkin’s twitter feed has been providing seemingly endless entertainment today, for all the wrong reasons.

    Also, loved the way Paul Ryan talked like the Cock of the Block, and was then summarily dismissed by the President. Uh-oh, Grumpy McFuckstick makes the same clumsy point twice, is told by the President, “I think you make a legitimate point,” and then snarks back, “Well thank you very much!” What a grumpster, that old McCain.

  80. 80.

    dmsilev

    Heh. McCain gets all high and mighty and is working up steam for a righteous rant, and Obama takes the wind right out of his sails by saying “yeah, you have a point”, leaving some audible spluttering and stammering coming from McCain.

    -dms

  85. 85.

    Wag

    Republicans: Waaaah!
    Democrats: Being on the offense is actually kind of cool.
    President Obama: I really am the only adult in this room.

    Win!

  87. 87.

    El Cid

    “If we can’t work with CBO numbers, we’re lost.”

    Well, that’s the Republican aim, so, yeah — that’s what they’re aiming for.

  88. 88.

    Balconesfault

    @Evinfuilt:

    Yes it is, and in Texas a Republican can’t run for Governor without being Anti-American, I mean pro-secession, they’re never anti-American they just want to secede.

    That’s right – the Texas GOP wants America to be great! But they also want America to redraw the borders.

    You all will still pay rent on Ft. Bliss and Dyess and Ft. Sam and Ft. Hood (and keep those jobs there) after we break away, right?

    Seriously, the biggest attack on Kay Bailey in this election (besides that you can do bad lighting on her pictures to make her look really, really old) is that she voted for lots of earmarks (usually known as “bringing home the bacon”).

    The again her ads are attacking Rick Perry for spending money on legally required archeological digs when TxDOT was improving rest stops.

    And they’re the sane(r) ones in the race…

  89. 89.

    El Cid

    @jron: I’m not really cutting on Crazy Joe. He brings both integrity, good policymaking, keen thought, and ludicrously weird and unplanned commentary to the White House.

  96. 96.

    Joshua Norton

    Walnuts: We don’t like your bill because we don’t like anything that doesn’t give tax cuts to the rich, so I’m going to attempt to act like I care about poor people and you don’t, even though no one likes me or believes anything I say anymore.

    Barry: Keepin’ it real as usual, aren’t you Dickhead?

    Walnuts: Hack Hack. Choke. Choke. Grunt. Wheeze.

  97. 97.

    El Cid

    @demo woman: No. They’re criminal, insanely greedy, Talibangelically religulous, proudly and arrogantly ignorant, and bloodily warmongering as well. Stupid is only one of their features.

  98. 98.

    cat48

    The consequences are a $l.3T deficit you dumb on a new president and then lie about how he ran up the deficit & debt after you crashed the economy…..DIAF

  99. 99.

    El Cid

    NON-CONSTITUTIONAL! MANDATE! BYUROCRAT! WASHINGTON! MIDWEST! MY PEOPLE! TOWN MEETINGS! UN-CONSTITUTION! TAXES!

  101. 101.

    inkadu

    Good to see that Republicans agree that taxing labor has bad consequences. I look forward to their proposed increases in the estate and capital gains tax. Assholes.

  102. 102.

    JC

    Listening to this, in snatches, it just is amazing just how much smoother in speaking, in command of the facts, and in summation, that Obama is.

    Whether it is the Democrats, Republicans, Obama is just so much CLEARER.

    How is he just so much better, than everyone else?

  104. 104.

    mai naem

    Wish Joe would call out Chuckey Cheese Grassley on the death panel crap that he agreed with during the summer. Also too, how he, the ranking member on the Finance Committee, walked away from negotiating.

  105. 105.

    PanAmerican

    McCain still hasn’t accepted the fact that he lost the election

    Oedipus wrecks.

    POTUS was just a way for him to get his stars.

  106. 106.

    El Cid

    “You gotta take into account the future consequences of your actions.”

    The fact that lightning did not just strike down the entirety of the last 8 years’ worth of Republican leaders is proof that either there is no God or he just don’t give a f***.

  107. 107.

    MikeTheZ

    @JC: He cares, thinks, and actually studies the issues instead of spouting vague talking points and pulling shit out of his ass.

  109. 109.

    El Cid

    @Batocchio: Hell, every time McCain said “My friends” on the campaign trail, it sounded like what he was saying was always “You worthless f***ers disgust me.”

  110. 110.

    Mike E

    AP – With tempers flaring, President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans clashed in an extraordinary live-on-TV summit Thursday over the right prescription for the nation’s broken health care system, talking of agreement but holding to long-entrenched positions that leave them far apart.

    Journamalism, and a roll of stamps.

  112. 112.

    JenJen

    The tone of the exchange makes it pretty clear that McCain still hasn’t accepted the fact that he lost the election.

    Regardless of the sad fact that the McCain-Obama Smackdown/War of Words will likely dominate news coverage of today’s summit, it’s damned fascinating, in that poli-sci kind of way, to see McCain being all WATB well over a year later. I mean, wow.

  114. 114.

    fraught

    @Tsulagi:

    “John McCain Breaks It Off in Obama”

    What does that even mean? Are they talking about a knife or his dick? If it’s the latter, well I don’t think so. The less said about McCain’s dick, in any regard, the better. I mean, considering the prostate surgery and all. And how arrogant Obama is about having one of the few prostates in Blair House today.

  115. 115.

    Corner Stone

    @JC:

    Listening to this, in snatches, it just is amazing

    You’d probably be able to hear it a little better if you pulled your head out..of…
    Oh. Carry on.

  116. 116.

    No Joy in Mudville

    …McCain still hasn’t accepted the fact that he lost the election.

    I think he’s accepted the fact that he lost. What he hasn’t been able to figure out is exactly how Obama cheated him out of his due. He probably continues to look at one of those national maps that shows the breakdown of voting on either a county-by-county or district-by-district basis (they are always horrifyingly red) and can’t understand how that doesn’t translate into a landslide victory for him.

    I’ve had that argument with Wingers who seem to fundamentally reject the principle of one person-one vote in favor of who controls the greatest land area. It’s a preposterous argument, and I’ve been amazed by how Wingers think that winning a county in Wyoming (area = a gazillion square miles with a population of 85 people and a gazillion sheep) is somehow equal to or more important than winning San Francisco. The basic argument is that it takes hundreds of urban voters (aka not real Americans) to equal one All-American Nebraskan.

    There seems to be a visceral attachment to the founders’ least democratic ideas (ideas that appear in things like the electoral college and indirect election of senators). However, it’s difficult to talk to most Wingers without coming away impressed by what low opinions they have of democracy and democratic institutions in general.

  117. 117.

    ChrisZ

    I know a lot of you are pretty pissed about the lack of substantial change that has come from the Obama White House/Democratic Congress, and I know that Obama is often criticized as a “style over substance” guy, but damn I just love his style. Every time Obama goes in and actually talks to these jackwads he comes out looking smarter and calmer and better than them, and just that is so nice (not to mention such a welcome change from Bush) that I am willing to forgive him for not yet making all my dreams come true.

  119. 119.

    El Cid

    Orange Boner says the American people have said LOUD and CLEAR that they want to scrap this bill.

    Um, because there’s stuff going bankrupt, like Social Security and Medicare, which, um, aren’t.

  120. 120.

    RareSanity

    This is pointless…

    Yes Mr. President, I agree with you, we must do something. The first thing we must do is trash this bill and do nothing.

  121. 121.

    El Cid

    WE HAVE THE BEST HELF CARE SYSTEM IN THA WORLD AND WE AIN’T GON LET THE DAMN GUBMIT TAKE IT OVER WITH THEIR 27,000 PAGE THING WITH ALL THE WORDS WHICH COSTS $80 TRILLION DOLLARS AND WILL BANKRUPT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE AND THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND THE GALAXY AND THE UNIVERSE

  130. 130.

    freelancer

    OMG, boehner hasn’t listened to the entire meeting, and is now just spewing his partisan talking points.

    Swing away, Mr. President.

    Turn his orange eye black.

  131. 131.

    Martin

    Well, I think the big take-away from this is that as a nation we regularly hire people that are pretty fucking incompetent at being legislators. That goes for most of the Dems as well. The contrast between Obama and everyone else in the room (say what you will about how he’s managing everything) is startling.

    Now, I like Pelosi, but she’s not great at this and the Speaker should be. I wonder, if this was a regular occurrence covering all the various issues from foreign policy and so on, if voters would shift their loyalties from those that campaign well to those that participate well in policy discussion – or at least can string two points together and not randomly bark out ‘Soc!alism’ like someone with Tourettes. If nothing else, I’d be personally embarrassed to vote for someone who got their ass kicked regularly by the President like this.

  134. 134.

    El Cid

    Orange Boner: The health care reform bill should be 4 words, “NO ABORTION” and “NO REGULATIONS”.

  139. 139.

    mai naem

    Wonder what Boner would do if the urologist f#$ep his prostate surgery ? Do ya think he would be suing the urologist? Would it be a frivolous lawsuit? I wanna know the answer to these questions.

  140. 140.

    Paula

    gawd. NOOOOOOO U R ROOOONGGGG TORT REFORM IS THE ONLY THING WEEEE NEEEEEEEEEEEEED. WHYYYY WON’T U GIIIIIVE IT USSSSSSSSSSSSSSS???????????????????????? ALSO, ABORTIONSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS …

  141. 141.

    JC

    Boner was speechifying falsely for the camera – and for sound bites later.

    If we had a functioning press, Boner would get reamed by any honest analyst.

  144. 144.

    El Cid

    Attention Jim Cooper: No, the god-damned deficit is not the fucking biggest problem we face right now.

  145. 145.

    mcc

    @Paula: Has Obama yet made it clear for the cameras that he’d probably put whatever tort reform proposal the Republicans wanted in the bill if he could get one measly Republican Senate vote out of it?

  146. 146.

    Bob (Not B.o.B.)

    You mean the five, mostly televised committee on the health care process weren’t enough transparency ?

    Because today’s stupid meeting isn’t transparency?

    Maybe we would have even more transparency in the process if the Republic…I mean teabaggers wouldn’t have basically shut down every town hall meeting on the subject over the summer.

    That’s the problem with transparency, the more you do, the more they demand.

    I also like how Obama always calls him “John”. I bet that pisses McCain off royally.

  147. 147.

    dougie

    I think Boehner is the bigger douche, because the dumb look on Cantor’s mouth-breathing face when he’s getting slammed is so entertaining. a little endearing, even.

  151. 151.

    David Hunt

    @Face:

    McCain can have a Coke and a smile and shut the f*** up.

    This blog needs more Eddie Murphyisms.

    In fairness, although that was part of Murphy’s stand-up routine, Murphy attributed the quip to Richard Prior and even did the line imitating Prior’s voice…which made it funnier. I’m going with the assumption that the exchange that Murphy was performing actually happened, which would make the remark a Richard Priorism.

  152. 152.

    mai naem

    Gee, I wonder if Jim Cooper voted for the War in Iraq and the Bush Tax cuts? He’s a member of the Blue Dawg caucus. Anybody wanna guess?

  153. 153.

    El Cid

    @Corner Stone: It just seems the better way to communicate the caveman speak of the Republican leadership. It’s angry, it’s shouty, it’s simple, it’s un-elite, it’s rough, it’s improper, it’s TeaTard rage.

  154. 154.

    mcc

    @Bob (Not B.o.B.): Clearly the things that were done behind closed doors were things that should have been open and transparent, and the things that were done in front of tv cameras should have happened behind closed doors so things could get done.

  155. 155.

    Midnight Marauder

    @Chat Noir:

    I can’t decide if I hate John Boehner or Eric Cantor more. They’re both morons.

    You hate Eric Cantor way more. Trust me on this one.

  156. 156.

    Alex S.

    I have a strange fascination with Mr. Boehner. He can barely mask the abyss inside of him. I think he is an alcoholic or hides another terrible secret.

  157. 157.

    fraught

    @RareSanity: Cantor’s the real douchebag deal. Boehner just thinks he’s Robert Mitchum and can’t stop feeling in his pocket to make sure his tube of ManTan is still there.

  158. 158.

    RareSanity

    @Bob (Not B.o.B.):

    I also like how Obama always calls him “John”. I bet that pisses McCain off royally.

    You know it does.

    Also, the fact that he still has to call Obama, Mr. President, makes him throw up in mouth every time he has to utter it.

  160. 160.

    Martin

    @mcc: You mean the GOP wish that would strip states rights away? I thought the GOP was going all 10th amendment on the bill as it is?

  164. 164.

    ChrisZ

    Obama is trying to be more transparent but he has to figure out how to do it in such a way that it isn’t an obvious trap!

  165. 165.

    mai naem

    Please please please let Obama tell McMavericky that Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the country.

  167. 167.

    JohnR

    Andrew Golis wrote the lead Yahoo news story on that hard-hitting back-and-forth:

    First, ‘..Sen. John McCain launched into a spirited attack..’, on the Democratic corruption and broken promises in the process so far, but

    ‘Obama didn’t take kindly to McCain’s attack, saying bluntly to McCain “We’re not campaigning anymore. The election is over.”‘after which

    ‘Chuckling, McCain responded “I’m reminded of that every day.”‘

    Clearly, McCain won that one.

    Somehow I’m not surprised.

  168. 168.

    Paula

    Obama has made it clear in his LAST televised House Rep smackdown (the one where Boner was sitting on stage) that he’s willing to work w/ them on tort reform, but that it only makes about $5 bil in savings.

  169. 169.

    El Cid

    @mai naem:

    Please please please let Obama tell McMavericky that Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the country.

    So? They enacted malpractice reform. That saves doctors and insurers money. F*** patients and the uninsured. Why would Republicans care about them?

    Also, McCain: RECONCILIATION IS UNFAIR 60 VOTES IS THE CONSTITUTION I WILL BE ANGRY IF MAJORITY RULES

  170. 170.

    Corner Stone

    @David Hunt: You’re right. That was part of Murphy’s homage to Prior being the G-D genius he was.
    Do people laugh when you say what you say? Do you get paid?
    Then tell Bill…

  173. 173.

    Martin

    ZOMG! The Republicans aren’t being allowed to speak!

    POTUS M.C. Hitler: 57 minutes
    DEMS Soshulists: 50 minutes
    GOPers Totally Not-Gay Patriots: 56 minutes

  174. 174.

    Corner Stone

    @mai naem:

    Gee, I wonder if Jim Cooper voted for the War in Iraq and the Bush Tax cuts? He’s a member of the Blue Dawg caucus. Anybody wanna guess?

    If Cooper isn’t the person who killed the Clinton HCR in the 90’s then he is at least as equally guilty as anyone else that did.

  176. 176.

    mai naem

    Is Cantor texting on his Blackberry? McConnell is fidgeting like a 6 yr old kid at his daddy’s political debate.

  177. 177.

    El Cid

    OOOOOO — Obama slaps GOP:

    “I think there’s a conflict, I’ve heard a lot said today about not having the federal government override the states — but you guys, your side seems to support overriding the states when it’s things that you like.”

  178. 178.

    jenniebee

    Obama just does such a great job of seeming evenhanded and fair. I can see how it infuriates partisans (zomg on both sides!) but his aides seem to have figured out that he can do this sort of thing on the teevee and it makes him look great, it makes partisans look like shit, and the Republicans can’t stay away without looking even shittier.

  179. 179.

    You Don't Say

    I feel like my head is going to explode. I just turned it on to hear Obama say that Boehner said that med mal is the single biggest driver of medical inflation. What horseshit. The just make shit up. Assholes.

  180. 180.

    inkadu

    @mai naem: McCain also doesn’t realize what “relative advantage is.” People moved to Texas because it offered a more forgiving environment for doctors.
    But McCain thinks doctors grow like plants. Have policy that encourages doctors, and voila! next year you’ll have thirty-seven more doctors. If we just do what they did in Texas, we’ll have more doctors everywhere.

    Locusts!

  181. 181.

    aimai

    I agree with Alex S. There’s always been something absolutely hollow about Boehner. He looks to me like a man in great, secret, pain. If its not foot tapping in airport restrooms, two wet suits and a dildo, dead interns, diapers, cocaine, or something else really common I just can’t figure out what it is.

    aimai

  182. 182.

    El Cid

    Who’s this — Durbin? Somebody’s giving a serious slapdown using CBO figures on how this ‘tort reform’ would save a pissant tiny pile of money and it would shitty up health care and endanger patients.

  183. 183.

    JohnR

    @Midnight Marauder:

    Boehner might be more of a putz, but Cantor makes my “Silence of the Lambs” alarms go off in a deafening roar. I bet nobody in Congress is willing to be alone in the same room with him.

  186. 186.

    flukebucket

    McConnell is fidgeting like a 6 yr old kid at his daddy’s political debate.

    Probably needs to piss.

  188. 188.

    demkat620

    Wow, McCain is coming across as angry. Does anybody else get the sense that the real winner here is the American people?

    Cause whatever else seeing both sides talking and debating can not be a bad thing.

    Obama: Turning the country back to adult behavior, one step at a time.

  189. 189.

    fraught

    BTW: McCain had his surgery the DAY he got Medicare. That’s why he hates it so much. He thinks Medicare stole his prostate.

  191. 191.

    You Don't Say

    @aimai: I’m not sure it’s anything more than an incredible, awful, soul-destroying sense of entitlement and the resulting anguish when the world does not follow him.

  192. 192.

    El Cid

    Holy shit! Durbin’s kicking their ass on this “tort reform” / “malpractice reform” bullshit.

  194. 194.

    El Cid

    Durbin’s just used the whole Anatole France “the Law in its Majestic Equality forbids both rich and poor from sleeping under bridges” on members of Congress enjoying the “best health care in the world,” because they’re rich and lucky.

  196. 196.

    mai naem

    OMG, Dick Durbin just mentioned Dr. Gawande and he said Manifesto. That means commie pinko plan.

    Also too, just remember Dick Durbin lost his daughter after the election from a chronic heart condition. I think he knows more about hospitals than Boner.

  197. 197.

    bemused

    @aimai:
    I’ve always thought Boehner looks like a guy that is just counting off the minutes untill he can slug down a few shots.

  198. 198.

    JC

    Again, what Durbin is saying should lead every nightly show – “Durbin demonstrates that Boehner lies and speaks in bad faith”.

    THAT should get as much coverage, as say Hilary Clinton’s did she/didn’t she observe something 10 years ago from a helicopter.

  199. 199.

    El Cid

    @JC: There are almost no media or political consequences to Republicans’ lying. There was a brief period during the late stages of the McCain campaign where the mass news media noticed that McCain and Palin were both lying out their asses, but in general Republicans can just make up whatever ridiculous shit they want — including saying they dressed as pimps and went into ACORN offices — and the major media treat them as honest and for true.

  200. 200.

    RareSanity

    I am starting to think that

    @the Reverend boy:

    is one of the best explanations of what we are seeing.

    Democrats: Being on the offense is actually kind of cool.

    I think they are starting to get a taste of the power of majority and are starting to like it.

  202. 202.

    MikeJ

    Have policy that encourages doctors, and voila! next year you’ll have thirty-seven more doctors.

    Texas has policy that encourages more bad doctors.

  203. 203.

    jenniebee

    @El Cid: I saw that. I thought it was kind of risky to quote Anatole France and then in the next sentence say “you may call this socialism but…”

    However, Anatole France kicks butt.

  205. 205.

    mcc

    @JC: I missed most of the summit but the Durbin speech was beautiful. I really hope that gets wrapped up and put on youtube to spread.

  207. 207.

    El Cid

    Doh! Obama just pointed out that Orange Boner’s “plan” would maybe cover 3 million extra people, the Senate & House version 30 million, so, um, there’s 27 million difference there.

  210. 210.

    Martin

    @mcc: He came with his ‘A’ game since Grassley is also in the room. This is the best compare/contrast that Iowans will ever see between Dem/GOP, and it’s important since they’ve got a governors race coming up that is leaning toward a guy that will likely crater the state.

  214. 214.

    El Cid

    Senator Doctor John Barasso believes that what matters is when you poll small town Americans and seniors in senior centers whether or not they think that this Demo-Krap bill will cost them more money or take coverage away.

  215. 215.

    slag

    I love it when Republicans talk about the effectiveness of their misinformation campaigns as if they’re reflective of the bill: Oh we can’t do this! People believed us when we talked about death panels! It must be true.

  217. 217.

    Anne Laurie

    @inkadu:

    Joe Biden has “an inordinate amount of respect” for Enzi. Heh. Inordinate. That means he respects him more than he deserves. I love it when people use big words they don’t understand.

    It’s an Irish Catholic thing. Back in parochial school, we knew to STFU when a nun used ‘inordinate respect’ at us because what she meant was “Why does My Lord ask that I not simply walk into this classroom and beat you little punks severely about the head and shoulders every morning? ! ?” The phrase also came out at extended family gatherings shortly before the fist-fights started. Context is everything.

  219. 219.

    El Cid

    Barasso: The way to save money on health care expenditures is to copy the thrifty shopping methods of catastrophic health care patients, because people with less serious difficulties are spendthrifts?

    Also, WE HAVE THE BEST HELF CARE SYSTEM IN THA WORLD. All the Canadianites come here to escape their soshulist hellhole.

  220. 220.

    Martin

    @mai naem: Doh! I need to stop commenting – this has been the week from hell and my brain is shot.

    Need moar vodka and hockey after work.

  221. 221.

    Midnight Marauder

    John Barrasso is a world-class idiot. “If you ask them ‘Are you worried about the quality of your insurance getting worse if this bill passes,’ every hand goes up.”

    Hey, John. If someone asks a room of people “Do you think John Barrasso greases the stairs at nursing homes as a recreational hobby,” and every hand goes up, IT DOESN’T MAKE IT A TRUE STATEMENT!

    Although, believe me, I certainly wish it worked that way.

  222. 222.

    jenniebee

    Oh geez, this is disingeneous, Barasso is basically arguing that his disinformation is reality because the lies his party has told about the bill have sunk in.

    Then he says that people with catastrophic-only coverage are the best consumers of health care because unlike people who are insured who just get whatever tests their doctors think best, … aaaaaand CNN cuts away.

    Brilliant.

  223. 223.

    freelancer

    This doctor on the GOP side is coming across as a douche, “those who wait to use the catastrophic care side of health care are the best consumers of health insurance, they shop around more and ask the best questions.”

    Yeah, that’s what I’m going to tell my dad, if he has a heart attack, “Fuck the ambulance, dad. Shop around!”

    YES! O calls him on it, “Do you think Catastrophic care is the best option for people in this room?”

  224. 224.

    RareSanity

    @mai naem:

    Actually the current tact of completely marginalizing him is even better. He still gets more and more irrelevant, but the Dems don’t get painted as “vengeful”.

    If you look back Peak Lieb, that one Sunday when he first put on his turn-coat, he has become consistently less relevant ever since.

  226. 226.

    JGabriel

    Shorter John Barasso: Desperate people without insurance are the wisest health care shoppers and people who need care are fat smokers who don’t deserve to live anyway. And if I ask a roomful of Republicans, they all agree.

    .

  227. 227.

    Paula

    OMIGOD. IT’S ALL THE LAZY PEOPLE/FAT PEOPLE/SMOKERS’ FAULT.

    Obama couldn’t even hold back a snicker on that one.

  228. 228.

    mcc

    Okay wait I wasn’t really paying attention. Did Barasso just argue we needed to move to catastrophic care only? Or was he arguing everyone should move to HSAs, or what?

  232. 232.

    mai naem

    I cannot f&*ing believe that a f$%$ing doctor is pushing for catastrophic care. This prick knows that people won’t get stuff taken care and it will be a whole lot more expensive.

  234. 234.

    fraught

    Shepard Smith on Fox is acting strange. ‘my producers want me to show you these surveys” showing that everyone hates HCR and want to start over. He seems pissed at the R’s for stalling everything. ‘we missed 60-70 commercials today. Same old Democratic/republican talking points.” So Fox cuts off at 4:00 just after O says “we’ll stop at 4:30.”

  235. 235.

    Mike Kay

    ya know every single one whinnng about “washington” health care, uses Washington health care.

    take McSame, for example, he’s rich beyond belief, he can afford to pay outta pocket or to purchase any policy he wanted, but noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, he uses washington healthcare.

  237. 237.

    mcc

    So I actually had an HSA for awhile. It was really neat!

    The problem is that HSAs only work for some people, some circumstances. If you have, for example, a recurring health care cost, HSAs become ruinous.

    So I had an HSA for awhile. Then my health care situation changed and I was no longer in that sweet spot where HSAs are good for you. So I switched to something else. I don’t think I’d be able to manage going back.

  240. 240.

    jenniebee

    LOL Wolf asked Mary Matalin why a majority vote would be “jamming it through” and she was obviously not prepared to answer the question. She babbled a little and then “just everybody knows that this is jamming it through and the American people know it too”

  243. 243.

    FlipYrWhig

    Some guys try to pick up girls, and get called assholes.
    That never happened to John Barrasso.

    No, wait, it did. All the time. And it actually explains a lot.

  244. 244.

    cat48

    @mcc:

    Dick has to be a badass because he used to be a medical malpractice atty in IL with no caps……..we loves us some malpractice awards in IL…….if nec.

  245. 245.

    mai naem

    McMaverick has been on gubmint healthcare his whole life. As in from birth. The guy was under his daddy’s VA benefits and then his own VA benefits and then his Congressional benefits.

  246. 246.

    Mike E

    @Morbo:

    I’m not going to be able to stomach NPR on the drive home tonight, am I?

    Just store it in your sack for future digestion.

  248. 248.

    freelancer

    Anyone notice the GOP blindspot here? It seems so universal, but it’s as if, in any policy discussion, the unspoken a priori reply inherently contains the statement,

    “Pfffft! WTF are you talking about? Who the fuck in this country can live on less than 100K a year?! You’re making that up!”

    They blatantly issue out-of-hand dismissals toward anything that might concern middle/lower class citizens. It’s absurd.

    ETA: Wow, the next guy makes my point FOR me. “Medicaid doesn’t work for anyone”.

  249. 249.

    Pasquinade

    SamSeder Tweet:

    Hey Doc/Sen- shouldn’t the first question be : Doc, should I get an MRI ?- not can I afford it?

  250. 250.

    JGabriel

    Shorter Roskam intro: Obama’s changed! He’s not as deferential as President as when he was a State Senator!

    .

  252. 252.

    David Hunt

    @JC:

    How can these guys just keep getting away with the lies?

    They typically tell them on televisions talk shows where the interviewer is an ignoramous and/or accomplice and the most/all of any panel is usually on their side too. Newspapers are just as bad about just printing their claims after (maybe) running them through a spell-checker. In short, they keep getting away with it because there’s almost no one within range of a mic that will subject their claims to even minimal scrutiny.

  254. 254.

    Mike in NC

    I can’t decide if I hate John Boehner or Eric Cantor more. They’re both morons.

    Sort of like, “If I had only one bullet left, would I shoot Himmler or Goebbels?”, isn’t it?

    There’s always been something absolutely hollow about Boehner. He looks to me like a man in great, secret, pain.

    He looks like an undertaker who can only enjoy sex with cadavers.

  255. 255.

    mai naem

    I love the look on Obama’s face when Roskam talked about etch a sketch.
    “OMG ,! I am in grade school. S&*t, I am going to need a smoke after this.”

  257. 257.

    Oscar Leroy

    How can these guys just keep getting away with the lies?

    Well for one thing, no matter how insulting or mendacious they are, the president and his party insist upon taking them seriously and catering to their proposals.

  258. 258.

    Will

    I know this is beyond obvious to everyone here, but still: can you even begin to imagine our former president conducting this type of lengthy discussion with his opposition? Forget “in public”. Forget “on camera”. Forget even “un-scripted”. Just this type of discussion AT ALL.

    The fact that this is even happening unfortunately never gets credited to the emergence of a person like Obama to the presidency, but it really is one of the unsung transformations we have seen in the last year.

  260. 260.

    cat48

    Actually, the post title “Grumpy Old Man” refers to the Rock now……..needs smokes……….

  263. 263.

    Stefan

    Somebody has to do a “Downfall” parody of this. If only we could edit in McCain to all the Hitler scenes….

  264. 264.

    Corner Stone

    There are at least two certainties in this world.
    1. When a prostitute tells you she loves you she is lying
    2. When a Senator says he will be brief he is lying

  265. 265.

    Xecky Gilchrist

    @Will: it really is one of the unsung transformations we have seen in the last year.

    I quite agree. It’s sad that such a transformation is actually just things being done as normal, where “normal” means anything before Gee Dumbya’s reign of error.

  266. 266.

    El Cid

    We just need to let insurance companies compete across state lines so that Mississippi or Wyoming can undo all regulations and let people buy the shittiest, no responsibility coverage, if they’re healthy.

  268. 268.

    cat48

    @Will:

    No, Obama FAIL, won’t fire staff–bring in old white men whom Villagers adore……Gergen is the best I hear

  272. 272.

    JC

    it really is one of the unsung transformations we have seen in the last year.

    You know what? I bet you, that if a Republican on the level of Bush’s level of communication, ability, were to come in, and NEVER have something of this nature – the press would conveniently forget the competence of Obama.

  274. 274.

    freelancer

    I fervently hope, that it is sinking in to this President, that these shmucks are not listening. They just keep repeating the same bullshit.

    “Free Markets”
    “Tort Reform”
    “Interstate choices”
    “Government Run Healthcare”
    “premiums in TX are lowered by malpractice reform” (Nevermind the largest population of uninsured in the US)

    They don’t address universal or near universal coverage at all.
    This is some post-modernist Dada-esque joke, right?

  276. 276.

    El Cid

    What? Joe Barton (R-Douche) is saying “medical malpractice” gets agreement from Durbin, when Durbin just fucking got through with saying how fucking LITTLE it matters in the overall picture and how it screws over the maltreated patients?

    Oh, now it’s $150 billion a year saved from malpractice patient fucking because I just pulled that number out of my ass.

    And that’s the only way not to destroy our free market system.

  277. 277.

    Comrade Kevin

    @Punchy:

    I’m looking forward (not) to the 294 Kos diaries soon to be blaring: “BREAKING: Obama PWNZ McCain!” or some such shit.

    Unlike this post from DougJ?

    That site’s become a whore’s bath of self-fellating libtards.

    Then don’t read it.

  279. 279.

    JGabriel

    Every Republican mentions how much malpractice insurance goes down in states that limit malpractice suits. Ignore that they’re probably exaggerating or lying – notice that none of them talk about reductions in health care costs, just malpractice insurance.

    It’s almost like the savings aren’t passed on to patients.

    .

  281. 281.

    El Cid

    @JGabriel: Well, I would imagine that if you limit malpractice awards, the amount of malpractice settlements awarded would go down.

    Just like when you rewrite welfare rules to eliminate lots of recipients, the number of recipients goes down.

  282. 282.

    Michael D.

    For the past several hours this is what has been happening:

    1. Republicans told a lie.
    2. Obama explained, in detail, how what they were saying was a lie.
    3. Someone later repeated the same lie.
    4. Obama repeated how it was a lie, step-by-step.
    5. Later, the same lie is repeated.

    …and the viewing public still believes the lie and will not punish Republicans. They’ll vote for them because they’ll enact tort refor which, as the “largest single factor affecting insurance premiums,” is the most important way to save health care ever.

    Conclusion: The American Public is stupid and has the collective attention span of half a shrew.

  283. 283.

    geg6

    Why do these guys think Californians, who went through the energy fiasco a few years ago with deregulation on energy prices, would want to do the same thing with their medical coverage? Do they think Californians have forgotten that? Or that anyone doesn’t get that the credit card race to the bottom hasn’t affected what is happening to the finance and credit system? People are getting rid of credit cards. People, once they see how shitty unregulated interstate policies will be, will get rid of their health care. And then we’ll have 200 million uninsured instead of only 40 million.

  284. 284.

    Tax Analyst

    @thomas:

    Cindy’s not letting him anywhere near management. He’d crash the family fortune faster than he crashed 4, 5? jets.

    That’s golden, Thomas.

    And with all the houses they own he might crash that fortune into one of them and not even realize it.

  285. 285.

    arguingwithsignposts

    F**k CNN. They just showed Joe Barton’s entire b.s. spiel about malpractice reform, then cut to a commercial when Ron Wyden started talking. F**k these stupid bastard “journalists,” especially Wolf Blitzer!

  288. 288.

    El Cid

    Mitch McTortoise: AMERICANS HATE THIS 27,000,000 PAGE BILL AND THEY ALSO DON’T WANT TO LET DEMOCRATS DETONATE A NUCLEAR WEAPON IN THE SENATE WITH YOUR RECKLESS CONCILIATION.

    ALSO, BLANK PAGE AND BEST HELF CARE IN WORLD.

  291. 291.

    freelancer

    Shorter GOP:

    TL;DR, teabaggers say Bad! Start over! Etch-a-sketch!

    Reminds me of the scene in Arrested Development when Maeby is reading movie scripts in the attic she gets a paper cut from one of them and says “Ow, back to film school [bleep].”

  293. 293.

    matt

    K-lo on twitter:

    “today is one of those days i definitely feel like i am living in a bubble. trouble is, the bubble people affect american lives.”

    I don’t even know where to start unpacking this.

  294. 294.

    El Cid

    Blank page, start over, federal gubmit takeover, washington bureaucrat, tort reform, malpractice reform, compete across state lines, $1 trillion bill, social security’s broke, medicare’s broke, we can’t afford this, and BEST HELF CARE IN WORLD.

    The whole GOP day.

  295. 295.

    Oscar Leroy

    I fervently hope, that it is sinking in to this President, that these shmucks are not listening. They just keep repeating the same bullshit.

    I hope so, too.

  298. 298.

    Midnight Marauder

    I can only imagine how much frustration President Obama is going to have to work out of his system after this summit today. The dude is probably going to need to hoop it up for a good 3 days nonstop just to get over the rampant stupidity of Eric Cantor and John Barrasso…and John McCain…and Tom Coburn…

  299. 299.

    Upper West

    “the process was unsavory with all due respect.”

    How can you accuse someone of being ‘unsavory’ with respect?

    McCain is showing utter lack of respect to the President, for a bullshit non-substantive point.

    Disgraceful and pitiful.

  300. 300.

    El Cid

    Fuck Coburn: the “key goal” is to reconnect purchaser and purchases. Fuck you. That is not the god-damned goal of health care reform, you weirdo shit.

  301. 301.

    Throwin Stones

    TORT REFORM!
    INSURANCE ACROSS STATE LINES!
    CATASTROPHIC CARE!
    NO GUBMINT TAKEOVER!

    ad nauseum

    Getting smacked down with facts over and over doesn’t seem to affect these ‘pubs.

    I guess we already knew this. Too bad so few are paying attention, and our media sucks.

  302. 302.

    El Cid

    @Corner Stone: This is this complete bullshit line of fantasy that if we were all idealized versions of glasses-on-the-nose shopkeepers that if we carefully used the internetz to shop for doctors and hospitals we’d all spend much less money.

  303. 303.

    JC

    Every time the dems, Obama, Durbin, etc, point out the untruths these guys say, the Repubs just say them again. No shame, and no media reaction to those lies.

  304. 304.

    freelancer

    Oy, listening to it on a minimized browser. When did Rangel become possessed by Harvey Fierstein?

    Sheesh, followed by Kermit the frog. This is turning into the David Lynch policy summit.

  306. 306.

    Midnight Marauder

    “I think any Republican who says you can start from scratch, that’s bogus talk.”

    Go get ’em, Dingell!

  307. 307.

    Corner Stone

    It’s awful. I think Dingell’s making some great points here – but I just can’t listen to him.

  308. 308.

    jenniebee

    @El Cid: it’s time to acknowledge that while both sides recognize that the problem exists, but that Republicans and Democrats have such radically different approaches to solving it that the two are irreconcilable. And Democrats are in the majority, so it’s their responsibility and their goddamn job tyvm to do what they think best to solve this problem.

    Because Republicans have made it absolutely clear today that they think that the real problem is not just that we have Medicare and Medicaid, but that people have insurance at all in the first place. Their argument, at its essence, is that any pooling of risk is unsustainable, because it means that consumers of health care are spending other people’s money and therefore will buy more than they need.

    I bet Tom Coburn thinks that women came in for pap smears just for the thrill of having him take a look at their privates.

  309. 309.

    mcc

    Someone needs to make a video consisting of nothing but John McCain’s facial expression over the course of the day.

  312. 312.

    Mike in NC

    Wolf asked Mary Matalin why a majority vote would be “jamming it through” and she was obviously not prepared to answer the question.

    Thinking about Mary Matalin and “jamming it through” leaves one with a queasy feeling.

  314. 314.

    dmsilev

    @mcc:

    Someone needs to make a video consisting of nothing but John McCain’s facial expression over the course of the day.

    Just a single grimace on endless loop would come pretty close, and wouldn’t take much effort.

    -dms

  316. 316.

    RareSanity

    @Mike in NC:

    Thinking about Mary Matalin and “jamming it through” leaves one with a queasy feeling.

    I know.

    Even more creepy is the fact that Carvell really likes it…

  318. 318.

    Ash Can

    I have to go fetch Bottle Rocket from school now, but it sure sounds like Obama’s wrapping things up by saying, “See, everyone? I told you the Republicans have nothing. Here’s the proof.”

  319. 319.

    El Cid

    @jenniebee: Hell, Republicans are simply angry that doctors and hospitals have to deal with poor and working class people at all, and women in general.

  320. 320.

    El Cid

    OOOOO — Obama mentioned that Tort Reform didn’t happen under a Republican Preznit and Republican Congress.

    Some Rethug said ‘we needed 60 votes in the Senate,’ and Obama said ‘See? See?’

    And fuck your made up numbers, Joe Barton.

  321. 321.

    CalD

    I realize I say this over and over again, but it bears repeating: everything in Washington is about social status. McCain was a big man inside the beltway for years, he had Dana Milbank regularly fellating him until about a week ago, and then some nobody waltzes in and starts acting like he’s in charge. And that’s hard for McCain to take.

    Are you suggesting that Dana Milbank has stopped fellating John McCain? Or just that he’s not doing it as regularly?

  322. 322.

    SRW1

    @Koz:

    McCain probably thinks (with some justification) that he’d beat Obama today.

    You mean like:

    Terry: You don’t understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let’s face it

  323. 323.

    Corner Stone

    @Mike in NC:

    Thinking about Mary Matalin and “jamming it through” leaves one with a queasy feeling.

    Think “wooden stake” and it eases your troubles.

  324. 324.

    Chris Johnson

    Shepard Smith on Fox is acting strange. ‘my producers want me to show you these surveys” showing that everyone hates HCR and want to start over. He seems pissed at the R’s for stalling everything. ‘we missed 60-70 commercials today. Same old Democratic/republican talking points.” So Fox cuts off at 4:00 just after O says “we’ll stop at 4:30.”

    Shepard Smith is interesting. I think he might be the one smart guy over there, and he reeks of John Cole Old School Republican.

    THIS is Shepard Smith-
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6gyCBBRv9g

  325. 325.

    Corner Stone

    I’m waiting for this to all end so I hope they show something – will the Republicans all pick up their stage prop phone book 27,000 page HCR bill BS? Or will they walk off and leave others to pick up their shit for them.

  327. 327.

    Mnemosyne

    @Corner Stone:

    Of course he did — he doesn’t want to take a chance that some enterprising Dem aide would pick up the “bill” and discover that all he did was type “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” over and over again.

  328. 328.

    Dave

    @David Hunt:

    In fairness, although that was part of Murphy’s stand-up routine, Murphy attributed the quip to Richard Prior and even did the line imitating Prior’s voice…which made it funnier. I’m going with the assumption that the exchange that Murphy was performing actually happened, which would make the remark a Richard Priorism.

    Actually, since the joke itself was from so very long ago, it’s technically called a Richard Priaprism.

  329. 329.

    tyrese

    February 25th, 2010 at 3:14 pm Reply to this comment
    JC
    Listening to this, in snatches, it just is amazing just how much smoother in speaking, in command of the facts, and in summation, that Obama is.
    Whether it is the Democrats, Republicans, Obama is just so much CLEARER.
    How is he just so much better, than everyone else?

    Last week someone on I believe maddow called him the best political communicator of their lifetime.

    I agree.

  330. 330.

    tyrese

    February 25th, 2010 at 4:00 pm Reply to this comment
    mr. whipple
    Damn, Obama is coming down hard on Barrasso.
    HIT HIM WITH THE FUCKING CHAIR.

    LOL!

    Can you smell what Barack is cooking!!

  331. 331.

    Jager

    Lets see, I’ve just been told I have a virilent form of cancer, the first thing that pops into my mind is; “I have to start shopping for the Hospital and the Doctors that will give me the best “deal” on my treatment.” Prior to my radiation therapy, I’m negotiating with radiologists on price, while I need to start my chemo soon, I’m shopping for a low cost oncologist so I get the best price. See, I’m a smart medical consumer…what a crock of shit!

  332. 332.

    Matthew Hooper

    @jenniebee: Unfortunately, they’re right. Insurance is a pretty lousy way of dealing with health care.

    However, good luck getting single payer rammed through with a multibillion dollar industry blocking your way.

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