Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Everybody saw this coming.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

A Senator Walker would also be an insult to reason, rationality, and decency.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

You cannot shame the shameless.

The words do not have to be perfect.

We still have time to mess this up!

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Eh, that’s media spin. biden’s health is fine and he’s doing a good job.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

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47Comments

  1. 1.

    zzyzx

    May I just say that you guys have been amazing the past few months? If this bill passes, you deserve a big pat on the back! I called my rep, but, Seattle, y’know… I was just thanking them for doing the right thing…

  2. 2.

    gene

    E-mailed and called his office a couple of days back. Guess I should call some more.

    Hope Rep. Adler realizes the only way to hold his seat, in a Republican leaning district – held by Rep. Sexton (R) for over 20 years and Adler had a tough win in ’08 on Obama’s coat tails – is to make sure Democrats and Democratic leaning voters are energized.

    He seems to be trying to position himself as a true “Conservadem” and be as Republican-lite as possible.

    Very frustrating having him as my Rep. right now.

  5. 5.

    beltane

    Come Sunday morning I’m going to be waving a foam finger as I watch the vote. This is like watching election night returns in slow motion.

    Chris Murphy is now a definite yes for those who are keeping score.

  6. 6.

    rob!

    Thanks Tim! I’m wondering if my gf and I are the only ones calling him.

    I’ve called his office six times (five calls to his DC office, one to his local office) telling him that, to this constituent, this is THE #1 ISSUE. If he votes against this, he’s not getting a vote from me or my gf, full stop.

    If you need to call him and fake that you live in his district, tell him you live in Marlton, 08053. If they ask for a street, tell them “Across from the Wawa”, which could be anywhere in South Jersey.

  9. 9.

    Houstonian

    Does anyone know how we contact our Reps over the weekend? Are their offices going to be open?

  10. 10.

    slag

    @zzyzx: I made the same kind of call to my “Yes” Rep recently and the staff person exuberantly wished me a “fantastic day!”. They do seem to enjoy those thank-you calls even when they don’t have to worry too much about re-election.

  11. 11.

    mr. whipple

    I don’t know if you saw my last comment in your previous whip thread but Marcy Kaptur is now leaning toward yes.

    I don’t want lean, I want to hear her say yes.

  12. 12.

    The Ace Tomato Company

    Is it me, or does remind anyone else of May 2008 when all the Superdelegates suddenly started defecting en masse towards Obama? It started as a drip and finished as a torrent. Everybody wanted to be on the winning side at the end.

  13. 13.

    FPN

    Adler is a great guy and had a bright future if he can beat Runyan, but he’s letting me down on this issue. A true profile in cowardice. Come on Jon-vote “yes”!

  14. 14.

    zzyzx

    BTW, anyone else stunned that Slitherwink (who works for FDL) has started writing how to whip D’s to vote yes diaries on Daily Kos? If they’re coming back, this will pass!

  15. 15.

    Tazistan Jen

    Tim, when this is all over, please put up a poll so we can say how many times we contacted our reps, and how much was prompted by you. Because I called more than I ever have, and most of it was because of you. I want to take credit and I want to give you credit.

  16. 16.

    beltane

    @zzyzx: Slinkerwink and nyceve no longer work for FDL. They are now employed by another progressive advocacy group affiliated with Darcy Burnor.

    The Jane stands alone.

  17. 17.

    The Ace Tomato Company

    PS – Man it sucks living in DC and not having a meaningful representative to call.

  20. 20.

    Houstonian

    @Tazistan Jen:
    Yeah, Tim, I have never called about anything like I’ve called for this. And I only did it because of your posts. Thanks for turning me into an activist. Feels great!

  21. 21.

    rob!

    Adler is a great guy and had a bright future if he can beat Runyan, but he’s letting me down on this issue. A true profile in cowardice. Come on Jon-vote “yes”!

    Yeah, I’m not sure what Adler is thinking. Like the Rs are going to go easy on him because he votes No on HCR. If he votes Yes, I’d be inclined to help stump for him, like my parents did in 2008–EVEN THOUGH THEY DON’T LIVE IN HIS DISTRICT.

  22. 22.

    Ron

    Looks like Adler is a no:

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. John Adler Thursday delivered a kick in the gut to President Obama by announcing his opposition to health care reform, defecting at the last minute after playing coy for months.

    (From blog.nj.com)

    (I admit the article is confusing since the caption on the picture says he’s undecided, but the actual article says he’s come out and said he’s voting no.)

  23. 23.

    Citizen_X

    No, this is the comment of the day, from Representative Paul Broun, R-GA: “If ObamaCare passes, that free insurance card that’s in people’s pockets is gonna be as worthless as a Confederate dollar after the War Between The States — the Great War of Yankee Aggression.”

  25. 25.

    slackjawedgawker

    yeah, this is my rep. i keep calling and getting busy signals. i guess that’s good because it means he’s getting calls from other constituents? OFA sent out an email specifically to voters in our district about an hour ago.

  28. 28.

    rob!

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. John Adler Thursday delivered a kick in the gut to President Obama by announcing his opposition to health care reform, defecting at the last minute after playing coy for months.

    Nnnnnnh! What an ass.

  30. 30.

    Wildcat12

    Umm, my rep. is Kevin Brady, who is an R. I checked website, and it’s full of tripe. Should I call him and ask why he opposes this now that the CBO has scored it and projects $150 billion less towards the deficit?

  31. 31.

    slag

    @Wildcat12:

    Should I call him and ask why he opposes this now that the CBO has scored it and projects $150 billion less towards the deficit?

    Is there any doubt?

  32. 32.

    MikeJ

    @slag: 16 days until the Red Sox play the Yankees on opening day.

    WaMo has some HCR info:
    Boccieri (D-Ohio)
    Engel (D-N.Y.)
    Wilson (D-Ohio)
    all yeses now.

    Arcuri (D-N.Y.) A no, with SEIU pulling their support for him and looking for a primary challenger.

  33. 33.

    PanAmerican

    I don’t know who here first mentioned it, but Boehner does carry himself like a man whose primary focus is maintaining until that first highball of the day.

  34. 34.

    RSR

    Bozo Jon Runyan on CBS3 calls #HCR a “huge spending issue,” says “It can’t Happen.”

    Yet “Democrats’ plan is the biggest deficit-reducer in 15 years” http://ow.ly/1ooCw

    This guy just announce he’s running against Adler.

  35. 35.

    TooManyJens

    I just called Kaptur’s office. The staffer who answered sounded like she was bracing herself to be yelled at when I said I was calling about Kaptur leaning yes on HCR, and was very relieved when I told her that I was thrilled to hear it.

  37. 37.

    Davis X. Machina

    If they ask for a street, tell them “Across from the Wawa”, which could be anywhere in South Jersey.

    LOL this. We have occasion to drive from Philly to Tom’s River (via Rte 70) for family from time to time, and when the little ones were just learning to read we used to set them to ‘counting the Wawa’s’.

    The count always went up annually from one Thanksgiving to another, and the last one I remember was in double digits.

    There’s a corner somewhere in Marlton, or Lakehurst, with two Wawas.

  38. 38.

    rob!

    I just called his office, he’s a definite NO. His staffer told me because it “falls far short of the goals we need for health reform.”

    I said if Adler thinks we’re going to get a second chance at this, and that the Republicans are going to go easier on him because he voted No, then I question his grip on reality.

    I told her we are very, very VERY disappointed in him.

  39. 39.

    slackjawedgawker

    Runyan is an enormously popular former Philadelphia Eagle. By ditching his progressive supporters on this bill, Adler would essentially be handing his congressional seat over on a silver platter. Soooooooo stupid.

  40. 40.

    Davis X. Machina

    His staffer told me because it “falls far short of the goals we need for health reform.”

    Sounds like he’s doing what Lynch in MA did — appropriate progressive language to defend something that he’s actually doing for conservative reasons.

  41. 41.

    Johnny's mom

    Dearest Rob,

    You know I love you, but you’ve got to stop browbeating me. I called Adler’s office in Marlton twice, his office in DC twice, and I wrote to him (and you KNOW I write a compelling letter when I put my mind to it).

    Fact of the matter, he was NEVER for it. He probably made the calculation that Marlton used to be run by Republicans, the only way he could get elected, at the time, and then get RE-ELECTED was to call himself a Dem, but act like a Republican. DINO. He just used the name to ride the wave of anti-Republican sentiment to get in. But, like you always say, the Republicans are never going to vote for Adler, regardless of what he does. He needs the left and middle.

    Fool me once, shame on you, John Adler, fool me twice, shame on me.

    I thank you, though (Rob, of course, not the dino) for getting me to grow a pair and make some noise and let them know we’re watching.

    l,
    t

  42. 42.

    gene

    Adler voted ‘no’ the first time HCR came up in the House last year.

    I’m not surprised he’s voting no again. Disappointed, but not surprised.

    I wonder who to write in on the ballot this November, because he sure as hell lost my vote.

  43. 43.

    r norton

    20 years of insurance magnate saxton, now 20 years to look forward of the dirtiest player in football. I’m moving.

  44. 44.

    RSR

    We’re across the river in Philly. We donated a little to Adler last year to help with ‘the wave.’ But that’s all over now, baby blue.

  45. 45.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @zzyzx:

    May I just say that you guys have been amazing the past few months? If this bill passes, you deserve a big pat on the back!

    You mean Tim F., of course.

    The others, not so much. Especially John. He’s too concerned about riding herd on the 3% of lefties that aren’t goose-stepping high enough.

  46. 46.

    ed

    Called both offices (DC and Toms River). Spoke with staffer in Toms River who said Adler was a definite “no” because the bill did not have enough cost containment, and that it would make it harder for working families “in these tough economic times”.

    I argued “eloquently” and he told me to write a letter. I did,

    Rep. Adler,

    Vote YES on health care reform. If you’re concerned about the bad economy and the rising cost of healthcare you must vote YES. You can argue that this bill doesn’t do enough to bend the cost curve (which is debatable), but the alternative is the rapidly rising cost curve with ZERO protection against recission, pre-existing conditions, and massive administrative costs. A NO vote is a vote for the unsustainable status quo. My costs are already rising so quickly I can’t keep up. At the very least, a YES vote would insure I get real value for my increasing premiums — mainly that they can’t drop us when we get sick.

    If you vote NO, you’re squandering the best chance we’ve ever had to actually do something about this injustice. You’d also be betraying the core mission of the Democrats. This can be a signature achievement, or an epic failure…the choice is yours. I’ll say this though — if you’re the deciding NO vote, there’s no nice way to say this — you will have made chumps out of all the loyal Democrats that sent you to Washington to fix this problem. And I would be in favor of replacing those Democrats with new ones, and would work hard to do so.

    Please don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. The signature achievements of Democrats were all passed with imperfections — Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, etc, but all of them became so popular that improvements were achieved and their status became givens. And now, these programs are so popular that even the Republicans defend them (in between massive gulps of hypocrisy, but I digress.)

    If I had my druthers, we would have single payer health care. Failing that I think the public option should be in this bill. They are not. That is no reason to abandon the good things in this bill, including reducing the deficit, capping admin fees and costs, closing the donut hole, ending the
    anti-trust exemptions and the rest.

    And abandoning this bill now practically ensures that you will never have a chance to address it again — forget tweaks, there won’t be another bite at

    this apple for a generation or more. There is no excuse for Democrats to punt on this issue and leave it for future generations to fix. Fix it as best we can now, and make improvements later.

    To vote NO is a terrible move in terms of politics and policy, and a de facto endorsement of the status quo.

    So please vote YES.

    I’ll call and write again tomorrow.

  47. 47.

    Hugh Jee

    If Adler votes NO h’ll lose the vote of not only progressives in his district, but many mainstream Dems as well. If the bill goes down to defeat, I can’t imagine the Dem heavy hitters supporting him….maybe they’d even find a challenger for the nomination.

    But if he voted YES….he’d likely lose to John Runyan in November. Its the THIRD, its been Republican since the invention of fire.

    Bottom line…..he’ll likely lose to Runyan no matter how he votes tomorrow. So why not do the right thing, and maybe save the lives of 45,000 who don’t have health insurance who will likely die this year without medical care?

    What he’s doing is one of the most self centered and selfish acts I think I’ve ever witnessed in politics.

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