It’s in the 60s out here on the Pacific Coast in Northern California. Rained yesterday and should rain tomorrow, but I think we get a dry day today. Think I’ll take a walk in the park and look at the deer.
3.
Svensker
Predicting 15 inches or so here over the next 2 days. Two days. Gonna attack the damn groundhog with the dang shovel. And I know where he sleeps…
4.
RSA
Snow here too this morning in the Piedmont area of NC; an inch or so within the past two hours.
Hey, maybe you haven’t been keeping up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked by this winter pal!
…
I say we nuke that groundhog from orbit. Only way to be sure.
6.
Mike Kay
I’m watching CSPAN right now, and some winger calls in and talks about how great his federally subsidized health plan is, then he begins to rant about …. wait for it…. big government.
Oy Vey.
7.
Brick Oven Bill
Democrat Ivy League Professor (Columbia) punches lady in jaw so hard the cooks could hear it in the kitchen.
Democrat Ivy League Professor (Harvard) demands child seat which is denied, so punches mom in face while repeatedly stating “I am Doctor Amy Bishop” for the diners at IHOP. Earlier ices her brother and waves a gun in a parking lot. Later ices three more in Alabama.
Democrat Ivy League Professor (Harvard) chases cop out of house screaming mom slurs.
Likely Obama voter crashes plane into IRS offices.
Democrat bites off cop’s nipple.
And now… Drum roll please…
Number One:
Democrat Governor Aide chokes woman, strips her of her clothing, throws her into mirror, and smashes phones to prevent her from calling the cops.
Life seems to be very exciting as a Democrat. Therefore, Teabaggers are unstable.
8.
beltane
We got over a foot but it’s very, very warm out (40 degrees). It’s perfect snow for building snowmen, etc. and I plan on taking a walk in the back woods with the dog later today. Snow itself isn’t bad; snow followed by five degree temps and thirty-mile an hour winds is bad.
I’m still going to plant those spinach and lettuce seeds in the greenhouse.
Calling for rain up here in Canuckistan. I can actually see multiple patches of bare lawn. Everything’s gone bass-ackward this winter, hasn’t it?
10.
kindness
Sorry the snow has you bummed. I guess with what you’ve gone through, body wise, I couldn’t blame you for not liking winter this year.
Me, I’m hoping to get a couple more months of skiing in & am overjoyed that it’s snowing again up in the Sierra’s. Snow isn’t a sure thing in CA any more.
11.
GReynoldsCT00
I think I am ready to shoot that groundhog.
I’m thinking explosives, a la Bill Murray
12.
burnspbesq
am overjoyed that it’s snowing again up in the Sierra’
This. That’s our water supply.
Any John Hiatt fans out there? New album out next Tuesday.
13.
Just Some Fuckhead
I think you mean the cat that shit in your mouth this morning after the truck ran over you.
14.
Ash Can
We got hit with 5 inches of lake effect last night in what seemed like 20 minutes. It came down so hard we even got a thunderclap in the middle of it. But BFD — it’s Chicago, it’s February, and this kind of weather is to be expected.
15.
geg6
I know I’ve often felt like shooting something when I was a drunken fool the night before. Thankfully, I don’t have a gun. That said, I have battled the evil stomach virus/flu that attacked me yesterday and, though very weakened and shaky, come out semi-victorious in that I feel somewhat better but not yet well enough to work. Which may be good luck considering they are calling for another 4 to 6 inches. That damn groundhog is only about 45 minutes from here. I could take him out if I felt better.
Basement flooded. Former contractor’s wife has broken pelvis but he’s still sending someone over to help. Picture of Hatian Dancer with two legs amputated. Apparently Scientologists and all kinds of nuts, homeopathic, energy meridian, lunatic chakra hunters are heading down to Haiti to help the suffering people there. I’m grateful that I’m just dealing with a flooded basement.
aimai
22.
Face
Wait……this doesn’t sound very Georgia Republican-like:
Wrestling with a projected $1 billion budget shortfall, Georgia’s legislature is considering a 1 percent income tax surcharge on those earning over $400,000, a new $1 per pack tax on cigarettes, a new 1.6 percent “fee” on premiums charged by managed care insurers, and a 1.6 percent tax on hospital patient revenues.
I’m sure I’m reading that wrong, but it appears to say a tax-hike for the rich. Just who the fuck took over the GA Legislature and turned them into soc’ialist Libtard zombies?
23.
Walker
I went to take my car in today, in the snow. The mechanic said that it was good that we are getting snow, because it has been a light year.
Ah, the joys of living in central New York.
24.
PurpleGirl
Winter isn’t over in NY until it snows, on Easter, in April.
Easter is April 4th this year.
25.
Chat Noir
Oy, the commentary on MSNBC is pure drivel.
Savannah Guthrie to Andrea Mitchell: “Is this summit good for our democracy?”
Rain showers and another significant rainstorm this weekend. It’s called El Nino. Net result is our rainiest year since 1997-98, after four years of severe drought. So if that means snow for you, I’m sorry, really am, but it might mean the end of water rationing for us. They are still saying that water rationing will continue, because our resevoirs are still only up to 50% capacity, but hope lives on.
29.
Napoleon
Hummmm, they are predicting 12 inches or so here over the next 24 hours. Maybe I should drive to Western NY to ski Saturday morning.
30.
PurpleGirl
Face: It’s very Republican… how many people are there who make over $400,000? Compare that to how many people will be affected by a higher tax on cigarettes? Who will end up paying that higher fee on health care premiums and hospital revenue but the people who pay the premiums in the first place and spend time in the hospital? It looks Republican to me.
Just dropping in before I check out the summit. No snow here in the little city in NC and I think I might be the Piedmont or to the west of it. Got a few flurries yesterday morning, then cold rain. Sunny but freezing today. Very windy again.
36.
Max
With the exception of Obama and Clyburn, it’s a very white room.
The commentators on MSNBC said that the entirety of the GOP message today is, “Let’s start over.” Good luck lasting 6 hours with that, while the President hits you over the head with sensible reform in front of cameras.
Part of what I like about him so much. Also, that’s a clear play to the audience. He’s a realist and a pragmatist.
41.
Brick Oven Bill
Health care is important and nutritious food and exercise are both key.
As a nation, it is true that we need to address the growing threat of obesity. Therefore, if I were in charge, one of my twenty-six (26) personal servants would be assigned to get the little piggies on the treadmill daily, to set a good example for others.
@Walker: My woodpile says it’s been a mild winter. This has been the first big storm of the year and it’s already melting. There are some years where we still have snow on the ground the first week of May; I have a feeling this won’t be one of them.
47.
Ash Can
@dmsilev: So naturally, that’s exactly what the first GOP yahoo does.
Republicans picked a good opening speaker in Alexander. I fundamentally disagree with him, but he’s a lesser known quantity than either Boehner or McConnell. That’s a help to them.
The groundhog is just a symptom of a larger problem, vicious rodents with magical weather control powers. I’m just sick of the cold. 54 is too low for me.
And I want to set my crazy baby kitty on McDonnell’s giant turkey wattle.
FSM, Lamar Alexander is a tool. The entire GOP caucus is a bunch of tools. ARRGGHH! I am so glad I’m going to be in meetings most of the day so I’ll miss these assholes with their “start over” message repeated over and over.
56.
Remember November
We’re jsut getting the icky shmutze here in NY- I don’t mind. Don’t need to break my tailbone sliding off my porch again.
Is this guy trying to filibuster the whole damn summit?
58.
Ash Can
@Adam Collyer: He nevertheless sounds like a twit laying out all the GOP WATB talking points, and Obama looks as though he’s getting ready to go all UofC law prof on his ass. And I hope he does.
ETA: LOL! I see you saw that too.
59.
Max
Watching McCain and his facial tics, makes me praise Allah that he’s not President.
I take back everything I just said about selecting Alexander. He’s speaking for too long and he’s certainly lost the audience that I’m sitting with. Sometimes, you just have to stop.
61.
dmsilev
@Adam Collyer: Yeah, he’s just rambling now. Repetitious, and just spouting talking points.
-dms
62.
ChrisB
The problem with this summit is having to listen to Republicans half the time.
Where’s Rachel Maddow when you need her?
63.
Chat Noir
I hope someone on the Democratic side comes back and reminds Senator Alexander about the Republicans pushing through a $1.3 trillion tax cut for the wealthy via reconciliation back in 2001.
64.
Davis X. Machina
With the exception of Obama and Clyburn, it’s a very white room.
Boehner’s usually orange — does he count?
65.
El Cid
Lamar Alexander’s reading an old history of the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s, when Republicans worked in a bipartisan fashion, particularly when they didn’t, to craft social legislation, so, ‘why don’t you trash what you’ve already passed and let us pass whatever the fuck Republicans agree to?’
66.
Kay Shawn
fab device at Sunlight: the site shows contributors to the campaigns of those speaking at Blair House. !! wow.
It’s the legislative equivalent of the four-corners offense. The best they can hope to do is to keep the ball out of Obama’s hands for as long as possible this morning.
70.
sloan
Lamar Alexander: Tyranny of the majority! This has never been done! Republicans just want to start over and save the taxpayers money!
The look on John McCain’s face is priceless. He can barely control his rage and disgust. That’s what you get for picking Palin! Ha ha ha ha ha!
Pelosi bringing up the personal stories. That’s a good move. Republicans have no conscience. Where’s AsiangrrlMN with her rusty farm implements ™?
73.
Phantomist
The tax legislation enacted under President George W. Bush from 2001 through 2006 will cost $2.48
trillion over the 2001-2010 period.
This includes the revenue loss of $2.11 trillion that results directly from the Bush tax cuts as well as the $379 billion in additional interest payments on the national debt that we must make since the tax cuts were deficit-financed
It’s difficult to see how the Bush tax cuts could provide us with two and a half times the benefits of health care reform. In 2010, when all the Bush tax cuts are finally phased in, a staggering 52.5 percent of the benefits will go to the richest 5 percent of taxpayers.
I appreciate Pelosi’s opening statement, but I do think she continues to drone on. One of the primary issues that we have in politics is knowing how to keep things concise and to the point.
Politicians are notoriously terrible, Senators and leadership in the House in particular. Know your audience, get out your primary points, and move on.
77.
Chat Noir
Health care should be a right, not a priviledge. Nobody should go bankrupt because they get sick.
When they start breaking out things like, “my most esteemed colleague from…” you know that the gloves are off.
85.
Ash Can
Reid does appear to have come out swinging. Maybe he’s the designated bad cop. Or maybe he’s just fed up with all the crap. Whatever the reason, me likey.
@Ash Can: Reid is tougher than people give him credit for.
93.
Ash Can
@wmsheppa: I’d laugh out loud if they walked out. That would be tantamount to waving the white flag. I doubt it’ll happen, but then, the GOP has surprised me before by being bigger fools than even I thought they were.
94.
dmsilev
@valdivia: Short recap:
Obama: We need to reform healthcare because right now, it sucks.
Republican opening statement (Sen. Lamar Alexander): No comprehensive concern, because, well, because.
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid: Lamar Alexander is a fool.
Right now, Obama: Lamar Alexander is a fool.
Too bad Obama doesn’t say they won’t use reconciliation if you go on record ensuring an up or down vote.
But sadly, my guess is that the headlines are already written: Obama refuses to start from scratch and renounce reconciliation (although it will incorrectly refer to it as the nuclear option).
97.
wmsheppa
@Ash Can: I don’t really think they’ll all walk out, I’m just seeing one Joe Wilson type asshat who walks out in a highly theatrical matter at some point. The Republicans as a group probably aren’t that stupid, but I’d bet one of them in the room is.
McCain looks as clueless now as he did in 2008 at the financial crisis meeting that he demanded.
Why does he keep showing up for these things? It looks like he wants to strangle Obama. Don’t worry Maverick, Palin will analyze it all on Hannity tonight!
@wmsheppa: I tend to agree. People blame him for the institutional and personnel problems of the Senate and teh Caucus (by which I mean, there are a lot of assholes), but aside from a lot of ahistorical fantasizing about LBJ, I’d like to know who could do better.
106.
dmsilev
You’d think that after the House GOP got pwned by Obama not too long ago that their Senate colleagues would have learned the lesson. Guess not.
Really? And just where, pray tell, in all this demonstration of ” concern”, is your consideration of the needs of the executives, employees and stockholders of the country’s Healthcare Industry?
Don’t count on McCain for any policy help, Lamar. He’s even more ignorant than you on these issues.
111.
wmsheppa
@Elisabeth: I tried to think of a clever way to say it, but no. The real question is whether he vaults the table to go after Obama/Reid at some point or not.
112.
Chat Noir
@Max: When are these nitwits going to learn that Obama is WAYYYYYY smarter than any of them? He’s like the Big Dawg in that he can recite facts and figures like nobody’s business. I am constantly amazed at his capacity for being able to recite this stuff from memory.
I am constantly amazed at his capacity for being able to recite this stuff from memory.
One of them gets their debate prep from actual policy studies. The other gets their debate prep from talk radio. It’s not much of a contest.
121.
Legalize
Barack just put his foot up Alexander’s ass and Lamar wilted like a bitch, looking to MCCAIN for policy help! Dumb ass.
122.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
Obama made himself a Lamar sandwich and ate that fucker whole on national teevee. Shorter Lamar – don’t want to argue with you where folks can judge, but will mail it in cause I am no match for you Mr. Presnit
123.
Quackosaur
Does Coburn really want to go down the road of why things cost so much? I wonder if the AMA and the AHA have pre-approved him approaching this topic…
124.
wmsheppa
Does anybody take Tom Coburn seriously? “He’s a Doctor, so he knows about um… cost containment? Yeah..”
Wasn’t this the guy who said Terry Schiavo wasn’t in a vegetative state based purely on a video?
Awkward awesome. The President’s final line was, “We’ll get everything out on the table today, because I don’t think I’m wrong. But I’m happy to have this discussion.”
126.
Chat Noir
Here we go. Doctor Senator No.
OK, ladies, how many of you would like Senator Coburn to be your OB-GYN?
127.
ChrisB
I can’t believe the Republicans will let Obama school them the way he just did to Lamar.
But what can they do other than throw out talking points and then squirm or flail when confronted with facts to the contrary?
128.
Max
Really, the rest of the Dems are just window dressing.
Obama is all we need at this thing. Maybe Biden too, so Barack can take a bathroom break once in a while.
129.
Trinity
@Chat Noir: Ugh…I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.
130.
The Moar You Know
Unless McCain is wearing a dynamite vest, I can’t imagine why they bought him. It’s not like he can say anything; he’s been having a lot of “senior moments” lately and Obama would cut him to pieces with facts.
@The Moar You Know: He makes the rest of the GOP look good by comparison. That’s probably why he was invited.
-dms
135.
El Cid
TORT REFORM! THAT’S ALL YA NEED! TORT REFORM! STOP THEM DAMN GREEDY CRIPPLES FROM SUING THE 5% OF DOCTORS WHO KEEP INNOCENTLY REMOVING THE WRONG LEG OR KIDNEY!
136.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
All the wingnuts have is whining about reconciliation. And faux talking points that all fall down under a minimum of open debate. And kudos to Harry Reid. Brought his boxing gloves today.
137.
geg6
WTF is Coburn talking about? Does he even know? I’d never let him near me as a doctor. He talks about preventing asthma as a cost cutting measure but we don’t get his ideas on how we do that?
138.
Legalize
But what can they do other than throw out talking points and then squirm or flail when confronted with facts to the contrary?
Nothing. That’s why they’re wholly opposed to this televised meeting. There really is no need for any of the Congressional Dems to be here from this point on. Obama can handle all of the GOP dumb-assery on his own.
I almost wish he would ’cause I’d love to see someone punch him in his face. POW or not.
140.
El Cid
By the way — what evidence is there that lowering costs via ‘tort reform’ would be passed on to patients?
141.
mr. whipple
If Obama is anything like me, in about 30 minutes, Obama is gonna need a cig. And is gonna start getting very cranky, and less charitable towards these douchenozzles, and less patient.
142.
Citizen_X
Oh God, yes, bring in fucking Coburn for the relief. And what is he telling us? It’s all the gubmint regalations! And TORT REFORM, bitches! Whoo!
You can hear Obama, “umm hmm, umm hmm” while thinking WTF!?
147.
Ash Can
Food stamps and school lunches. Coburn, do you really want to go there?
148.
El Cid
Ya don’t need no damn commie helf reform. You just need to stop the cripples from suin’. And STOP ALL DA SPENDIN’! AND CUT THE DEFFSIT! AND CUT THE TAXES!
149.
Face
Reid is tougher than people give him credit for.
No he’s not.
150.
Quackosaur
Coburn: Malpractice is extortion! Help me! I am a poor doctor!
151.
Legalize
Where the fuck is Coburn getting these “fraud” numbers?
152.
John S.
I am constantly amazed at his capacity for being able to recite this stuff from memory.
I suspect Obama is good at mnemonics, like myself.
Nothing enrages your colleagues like being able to call up facts, figures and precise recollections of events with startling accuracy. Especially when they are proven to be wrong and/or completely full of shit.
‘We believe that several trillion dollars of health care costs are from negroes gettin’ free houses from Jimmy Carter.’
155.
dmsilev
@mr. whipple: Remember that SNL skit from last year about Obama getting angry and turning into “The Rock Obama” and throwing a bunch of GOP twits out a window? I’d pay to see that in reality.
-dms
156.
El Cid
@Elisabeth: Screw you! I don’t need yer damn ‘evidence’ and facks! I know that it’s TORT REFORM, and ACORN.
@geg6: Coburn has TOTALLY lost me. He seems to be saying that all we need to do to solve this is feed kids “right”, stop suing Docs, and, of course, get the gummit out of Health Care (which has “always solved the issue”).
Bizarre. I’ll be curious to see if Obama et. al. even bother to respond.
…wait. “Undercover Patients” is the solution to fraud? Seriously? SERIOUSLY?
My apologies to all for mixing up Coburn and Frist.
@dr. bloor: The image of McCain in pinstripes charging at Obama is priceless…
Reid is cranky this morning.
165.
El Cid
GOP: TORT REFORM! WASTE! FRAUD! ABUSE!
166.
Jay C
Isn’t Sen. Coburn the one whose website makes a special point of pointing with pride to his record of opposition to each, every and all initiatives of the Government in general, and the Obama Administration in particular?
@dmsilev: Oh crap, I was just thinking about that! And my Brother does that Rahm “get angry” voice so well/creepy, he’s actually banned for ever saying it again.
170.
Quackosaur
How do “secret shoppers for doctors” work? There’s only so much you could lie about. Or are they just going around to different doctors and seeing how their diagnoses and treatments differ?
171.
Citizen_X
I need to get cancer so’s I can git one o’ them sweet gubmint undercover patient jobs.
172.
Max
@Adam Collyer: Switch to Fox. Never thought I’d say that.
Hey, job creation and fraud prevention all at once.
175.
El Cid
@Citizen_X: We need to crack down on all these damn patients irresponsibly getting expensive diseases. Follow Utah’s example on miscarriage and declare it illegal, un-American, and un-Christian to get bad diseases. That should stop it.
Also, TORT REFORM, TAX CUTS, AND STOP DA SPENDIN’.
A commentator on MSNBC just said that the President is naive, that the GOP sounds “reasonable and thoughtful” and that the Democrats don’t get enough time to speak in this forum because the President has to engage Republicans.
Then Steny Hoyer gets the microphone after a long statement by Tom Coburn, and……..we cut to this nonsense panel.
I happen to like baby seals. And don’t like to watch them clubbed mercilessly by the tall skinny black dude. It’s necessary, but who will clean up all the green lizardtoid blood on the floor when it’s over?
186.
Quackosaur
@valdivia: Steny Hoyer, the House Majority Leader.
187.
dmsilev
I like how Hoyer called McCain “Candidate McCain”. Let his legacy be that carwreck of a campaign and nothing else.
My roommate walked into the room. Not overwhelmingly politically inclined.
“Why do these people need to be on my screen explaining to me what’s happening on my screen? This isn’t sports.”
193.
El Cid
ISS TOO MANY PAGES! YOU WRITE A LOT! HOW COME YOU GOT SO MANY WORDS! GET HED-AYK!
194.
Ash Can
Kline: We Republicans aren’t smart enough to understand complicated bills.
195.
ChrisB
Notice how all we’re getting from the Republicans are prepared statements? No actual engagement on the issues (except for Alexander’s brief, helpless flailing). No surprise though.
196.
El Cid
Does anyone remember how someone went through and showed that the bill isn’t that long once you deal with the huge print and the huge margins and the notations / chapter titles etc.?
197.
Ash Can
“We’ve all studied this issue a lot”
Baucus, you’re kidding yourself.
(ETA: Although I appreciate him going into detail on the various programs and provisions)
198.
dmsilev
@El Cid: Yesterday, they were complaining that the White House proposal was too short.
Someone should ask them what the proper length should be, so that the fonts and margins can be appropriately adjusted.
-dms
199.
El Cid
@dmsilev: it’s too short but it has too many words not enough pictures and balloon diagrams like the budget we made when we had no numbers
Federal politicians obviously speak in a dialect of American English that only the media can understand, so they must distill the finer points for their confused audiences.
Obama just outcrazied Coburn, “Maybe we can include that undercover patient thing.” Hmm
202.
Quackosaur
McConnell: I’d like to yield to John [Boehner].
Boehner: I’d like to yield to some random Republican.
Can’t they coordinate things beforehand?
203.
Morbo
Sigh… Dave Camp…
204.
El Cid
We are NOT spending “a trillion dollars” on this plan.
We would be spending — per the CBO on the Senate bill as passed — about $600 billion net in the first 10 years with a god-damned surplus over the next 10.
good. lets hope it stays that way in a few years when i move to portland. i’m done with snow.
218.
Jules
These idiots do not seem to understand that there are already business organizations that have insurance pools and they are just too damn expensive.
The Federal Gov is just fucking larger and create a larger pool of folks.
219.
Max
@El Cid: Obama just reminded McConnell that he’s the President and his time won’t be monitored or be considered part of the “Dems” response.
Obama is showing remarkable restraint. I would have said fuck you a couple of times by now.
220.
Chat Noir
Someone just emitted a long, bored sigh.
221.
El Cid
@Jules: They understand. They’re just firing every volley of FREEDOM and PRIVATE ENTERPRIZE bullshit they’ve got. Repeat.
I loved Paul Ryan’s rant: Should we regulate the insurance market? Should we actually do our jobs? No. We’re paying you to sit there and clap harder for the free market fairy. I’m glad we agree on that.
227.
Ash Can
@valdivia: I don’t think the R’s are really getting away with lies. They’re not getting called on every single detail — that would bog everything down and Obama clearly doesn’t want that — but Obama and the rest of the Dems aren’t giving them passes on their tiresome rhetoric either.
228.
El Cid
NO FAIR! Chuck Schumer is remembering the past! Republicans are free from past reality! They make their own reality! If they want to have not done something in the past, they didn’t do it! If they want to have done something in the past, they did it!
thanks. I snuck out from the meeting for a sec and caught Kyl on tv with a mountain of paper in front of him. hmm. are they back to complaining about it being too long?
231.
demo woman
I just got home.. how is it going? What President showed up?
232.
El Cid
NO FAIR! The Demo-Kraps want to mandate that insurers spend more money on actual health care versus profits & “administration” (i.e., executive wheeee)!
It warms my heart to know this. It is hell to have to sit here and wonder how things are going.
241.
El Cid
I think we have the Obama today who showed up to that last televised GOP interaction thing.
242.
El Cid
@valdivia: The FREEMARKET is not a slave to your petty “rationality” and your “facks” and “logic”. That’s why it must be FREE.
243.
Quackosaur
Shorter Obama: I don’t want to have what happened to credit cards (or even incorporation) to happen to health insurance.
244.
Corner Stone
@El Cid: El Cid – I’m becoming more than a little concerned about you.
Not only have you mastered their lingo but you indiscriminately use CAPS in befuddling ways.
Are you pulling a reverse-Cole?
Stop now! While you still can!
Just proud to be an ‘merican when I look at presnit rock!
247.
R-Jud
you indiscriminately use CAPS in befuddling ways.
When the CAPS get religious, you know he’s gone over.
CAPS LOCK JESUS LOVES ME!
248.
Trinity
I’m at work and can’t listen but reading the tweets and live-blogs on teh tubez is keeping me happy. …And El Cid you are cracking me up!
kthnxbai
249.
El Cid
@Corner Stone: I was telling someone earlier how easy it is to imitate right wing dunderheads, cause he/she didn’t believe BOB could be a spoof.
250.
cat48
Love Clyburn…..only pol in the state I can stand. Saw that people in the prez’s office have nicknamed him “Sage.” Clyburn has had a hard life here in SC & Sage fits him.
251.
Corner Stone
@cat48: He seems to speak with some dialect I can’t quite place.
Of course, doctors can hire people to take care of (most of) the paperwork for them, but that would cut into their salaries; I suppose no one has told him that. I’m sorry that keeping track of what happens to your patients is so burdensome and unnecessary.
259.
El Cid
‘As a small business doctor, like any small business owner, I am given the power to know how to run the entire economy. It’s true. Just ask any small business owner.’
260.
El Cid
@Quackosaur: The paperwork is overwhelmingly dealing with insurance companies. If only there were some sort of institution, maybe elected by citizens, which could implement some sort of rules, or guidelines, or ‘laws’ which could, you know, do something about that.
261.
Corner Stone
@El Cid: “I employ literally handfuls of people. My knowledge is scaleable.”
262.
Ash Can
@valdivia: He was saying that the American people want Congress to ditch the current bill and take a step-by-step approach.
263.
Quackosaur
Have the American people voted on the bills Dr. Boustany? How do you know what the American people want? Is it because you were a small and have been imbued with omniscience?
That is Orangeburg, SC dialect, with a touch of Gullah also called GeeChee, a type of creole dialect. It is quite common for Black folks to have this dialect near the coast of the Carolinas and Georgia. When they came from the islands or Africa, they lived on the coastal sea islands, so it is a dialect unique to this area called the “Lowcountry” in SC. Just the coast…….but I ramble……Interesting to me because I lived in IL for yrs and everyone sounds different here regardless of race. A real learning experience and interesting.
265.
El Cid
@Corner Stone: Nearly every small business owner I’ve ever encountered consider themselves amateur economics experts.
@Quackosaur: Well, then, he’s way overpaid. He should start his assault on government “waste, fraud, and abuse” by cutting his own damn salary to reflect the work he’s willing to do.
What you propose is GODLESS SOSHULISM!!!!! How dare you suggest that the hard-working Americans of Anthem and Wellpoint are burdening our doctors with their just inquiries into the well-being of patients! After all, they’re only trying to help.
Edit- WordPress really doesn’t like excessive exclamation points. I’m just trying to be emphatic. Why does WP hate America?
268.
Corner Stone
@cat48: I honestly do appreciate your info – but actually that was snark on the Negro Dialect comment of Harry Reid fame.
I don’t put the snark tag on posts because it should just be my signature tag.
269.
Corner Stone
Oh no he didn’t!
270.
dmsilev
Now, here comes John McCain to kvetch about everything and anything.
-dms
271.
Corner Stone
Clue Wagon to Senator McCain – The American People do not give a flying bejeezus how HCR happens! FOAD you god damn choad licking moran.
272.
Ash Can
Crap. I was just about to say that, so far, McCain hasn’t said word one, and that, for once, that really was good news for him. So much for that.
273.
El Cid
John McCain: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS! NO C-SPAN CAMERAS ‘TIL NOW! CORNHUSKER GIVE-AWAY! FLORIDA FAVORS! I’M DEEPLY HURT AND INSULTED THAT I WASN’T PRESIDENT!
274.
geg6
Fuckin’ Walnuts is deeply concerned about earmarks. Ooo, and slammin’ on his boyfriend’s state, CT. Blah blah blah. Gawd he sucks.
275.
Corner Stone
I could not be giggling any harder. Obama must have space-age polymer ear plugs installed because if he is actually listening to McCain and not laughing out loud? Superhuman willpower.
276.
El Cid
Actually, McCain’s right about the behind-closed-doors deal with Big Pharma in exchange for them not opposing HCR and for their multi-million dollar ad campaign.
He’s a hypocrite, because Republicans don’t give a shit about that and want less regulation and more subsidies for Big Pharma, but still, it’s a good point.
277.
Mike Kay
McCain is beyond pathetic.
278.
Corner Stone
That’s it! I’ve had it. I just had to turn the sound off and am now doing my own interpretations of what I believe McCain to be saying.
And they could not be any crazier than the shit he was actually spewing.
279.
demo woman
John can remember how many pages in the document but can’t remember that he suspended his own campaign.
280.
Chat Noir
Oooh! “The election’s over.”
Obama bitch-slaps McCain again.
281.
dmsilev
“We’re not campaigning any more, John. The election is over”.
Gotcha Corner Stone. I just get all mushy when I see Clyburn……lot of respect for him. Ok for the Rock though–I think he may have an uppity dialect…….or maybe, arrogant….
/Snark
288.
Corner Stone
Obama to McCain – John. STFU.
289.
geg6
And Obama gives Walnuts a roundhouse. And another. And another.
290.
Comrade Mary
So what’s all this about an erection?
Oh. Never mind. [/litella]
291.
dmsilev
Obama: “Earth to John McCain: Most people don’t give a rat’s ass about Senate procedure. If you don’t have anything to say about the policy, please shut up and listen to people who do.”
-dms
292.
demo woman
Nice smack down. I missed the Lamar exchange so I will have to search for that online.
293.
Corner Stone
@Quackosaur: Actually I was wrong. He kept his laughter inside until he could unleash it all onto Johnny Mac.
That was brutal.
294.
Chat Noir
OK, gotta say it. As a brunette who’s going gray and doesn’t want to color her hair, I love Kathleen Sebelius’s hair color and style.
295.
cat48
I think Rock thinks Kathleen is a fine specimen…..he always smiles real purty at her…..
I’m sure McCain’s just upset that McConnell won’t let him extort favors from the Democrats. Well, that and losing to Obama and being overshadowed by Sarah Starbursts.
297.
Corner Stone
I’ll never understand how Sebelius was ever elected to office. IMO, she’s a very poor speaker.
298.
Corner Stone
Now the REAL Clown Show can begin!
299.
dmsilev
Ooh. Eric Cantor. Arguably the dumbest member of the House Leadership.
This is totally just a seminar class in college/law school/graduate school. Obama’s the prof and the Repubs are the “that kids” who think they know better. The professor lets them say idiotic things, only to then smack them down. I don’t know how often this happens at other places, but this happens a lot at the U of C; of course, “that kids” never learn, so it’s always amusing to watch them crash and burn.
302.
Ash Can
Sebelius up now to address the nuts and bolts of insurance costs. Since the R’s shot their wad in the first segment bitching about everything at once, all they’ll be able to do now is repeat all the shit they’ve already spewed. Great.
I’m wondering how many Republicans in attendance, instead of returning to the room after lunch, send some 22-year-old intern to read a statement about how the Congressman objects to the highly partisan atmosphere and feels his time can be better spent doing his job serving his constituents and the American people, blah blah blah.
Also — Obama to Cantor: SMACK! “That’s for your stupid prop, idiot.”
303.
Midnight Marauder
Obama’s face when Eric Cantor said “We don’t care for this bill. The American People don’t care for this bill” was priceless. Hand over his lower face like “Is President Obama gonna have to choke a bitch today?”
304.
Corner Stone
Why does he have so many stacks in front of him?
/rhetorical
305.
Chat Noir
In the dictionary under the word “weasel” is Eric Cantor’s picture. Whatta piece of shit human being he is.
Edit: Obama’s body language while Cantor is droning on is priceless. “Eric, you’re a fucking moron and I’m president.”
Obama just outcrazied Coburn, “Maybe we can include that undercover patient thing.” Hmm
IIRC, Coburn’s senatorial privileges barely got him out from under federal charges for performing hysterectomies on Medicare patients without their consent. Any kind of legitimate “undercover patient” quality control would’ve put the fat fvck in jail after taking his license away.
320.
bob h
The snow in NJ is as wet as it can get. My snowblower clogs in about 10 seconds. Guessing the hand surgeons are going to be busy in the ERs tonight.
Before reading the comments: I am very jealous of all y’all getting more feet of snow. We got a dusting earlier this week. That’s it. I WANT SNOWWWWWWWW!
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Jay C
Really not advisable, John.
The recoil will play hell with your busted shoulder……
Anyway, what are the temps there? it’s coming down hard in the City this morning, but it’s not all that cold, so it probably won’t stick.
Yet.
Bob In Pacifica
It’s in the 60s out here on the Pacific Coast in Northern California. Rained yesterday and should rain tomorrow, but I think we get a dry day today. Think I’ll take a walk in the park and look at the deer.
Svensker
Predicting 15 inches or so here over the next 2 days. Two days. Gonna attack the damn groundhog with the dang shovel. And I know where he sleeps…
RSA
Snow here too this morning in the Piedmont area of NC; an inch or so within the past two hours.
Carnacki
Hey, maybe you haven’t been keeping up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked by this winter pal!
…
I say we nuke that groundhog from orbit. Only way to be sure.
Mike Kay
I’m watching CSPAN right now, and some winger calls in and talks about how great his federally subsidized health plan is, then he begins to rant about …. wait for it…. big government.
Oy Vey.
Brick Oven Bill
Democrat Ivy League Professor (Columbia) punches lady in jaw so hard the cooks could hear it in the kitchen.
Democrat Ivy League Professor (Harvard) demands child seat which is denied, so punches mom in face while repeatedly stating “I am Doctor Amy Bishop” for the diners at IHOP. Earlier ices her brother and waves a gun in a parking lot. Later ices three more in Alabama.
Democrat Ivy League Professor (Harvard) chases cop out of house screaming mom slurs.
Likely Obama voter crashes plane into IRS offices.
Democrat bites off cop’s nipple.
And now… Drum roll please…
Number One:
Democrat Governor Aide chokes woman, strips her of her clothing, throws her into mirror, and smashes phones to prevent her from calling the cops.
“I’m scared he’s going to come back,” she said.
Number Two:
Cole’s hung over and loading his gun.
Life seems to be very exciting as a Democrat. Therefore, Teabaggers are unstable.
beltane
We got over a foot but it’s very, very warm out (40 degrees). It’s perfect snow for building snowmen, etc. and I plan on taking a walk in the back woods with the dog later today. Snow itself isn’t bad; snow followed by five degree temps and thirty-mile an hour winds is bad.
I’m still going to plant those spinach and lettuce seeds in the greenhouse.
RedKitten
Calling for rain up here in Canuckistan. I can actually see multiple patches of bare lawn. Everything’s gone bass-ackward this winter, hasn’t it?
kindness
Sorry the snow has you bummed. I guess with what you’ve gone through, body wise, I couldn’t blame you for not liking winter this year.
Me, I’m hoping to get a couple more months of skiing in & am overjoyed that it’s snowing again up in the Sierra’s. Snow isn’t a sure thing in CA any more.
GReynoldsCT00
I’m thinking explosives, a la Bill Murray
burnspbesq
This. That’s our water supply.
Any John Hiatt fans out there? New album out next Tuesday.
Just Some Fuckhead
I think you mean the cat that shit in your mouth this morning after the truck ran over you.
Ash Can
We got hit with 5 inches of lake effect last night in what seemed like 20 minutes. It came down so hard we even got a thunderclap in the middle of it. But BFD — it’s Chicago, it’s February, and this kind of weather is to be expected.
geg6
I know I’ve often felt like shooting something when I was a drunken fool the night before. Thankfully, I don’t have a gun. That said, I have battled the evil stomach virus/flu that attacked me yesterday and, though very weakened and shaky, come out semi-victorious in that I feel somewhat better but not yet well enough to work. Which may be good luck considering they are calling for another 4 to 6 inches. That damn groundhog is only about 45 minutes from here. I could take him out if I felt better.
slag
Am I the only one who has been loving the WH.gov website for the last year?
Robertdsc-iphone
It’s relatively clear & cool in LA. Bummed about the Blair House showdown.
Trinity
@slag: Nope. I check it out almost every day.
kay
I love snow. This has been the best winter in a long time.
I mean it, too. Now you-all can throw things at me.
You’re kneejerk anti-snow, as far as I’m concerned.
dr. bloor
@Brick Oven Bill:
Either you shouldn’t post before your morning coffee, or we’re going to have to start calling you B- Bob. C’mon, you can do better than this.
aimai
Basement flooded. Former contractor’s wife has broken pelvis but he’s still sending someone over to help. Picture of Hatian Dancer with two legs amputated. Apparently Scientologists and all kinds of nuts, homeopathic, energy meridian, lunatic chakra hunters are heading down to Haiti to help the suffering people there. I’m grateful that I’m just dealing with a flooded basement.
aimai
Face
Wait……this doesn’t sound very Georgia Republican-like:
I’m sure I’m reading that wrong, but it appears to say a tax-hike for the rich. Just who the fuck took over the GA Legislature and turned them into soc’ialist Libtard zombies?
Walker
I went to take my car in today, in the snow. The mechanic said that it was good that we are getting snow, because it has been a light year.
Ah, the joys of living in central New York.
PurpleGirl
Winter isn’t over in NY until it snows, on Easter, in April.
Easter is April 4th this year.
Chat Noir
Oy, the commentary on MSNBC is pure drivel.
Savannah Guthrie to Andrea Mitchell: “Is this summit good for our democracy?”
Max
And we’re off! It’s Summit time.
Obama and Biden are tie-coordinated. Love them.
Mike Kay
@Chat Noir:
and they wouldn’t stop talking, even when the President began to speak. What A-holes.
Bill H
Rain showers and another significant rainstorm this weekend. It’s called El Nino. Net result is our rainiest year since 1997-98, after four years of severe drought. So if that means snow for you, I’m sorry, really am, but it might mean the end of water rationing for us. They are still saying that water rationing will continue, because our resevoirs are still only up to 50% capacity, but hope lives on.
Napoleon
Hummmm, they are predicting 12 inches or so here over the next 24 hours. Maybe I should drive to Western NY to ski Saturday morning.
PurpleGirl
Face: It’s very Republican… how many people are there who make over $400,000? Compare that to how many people will be affected by a higher tax on cigarettes? Who will end up paying that higher fee on health care premiums and hospital revenue but the people who pay the premiums in the first place and spend time in the hospital? It looks Republican to me.
The Grand Panjandrum
If anyone is interested, TPM streaming HCR conference here.
Max
Obama is making this opening statement very personal.
ETA – and he’s throwing the GOP quotes back at them. Smart.
Morbo
Don’t hate the playa; hate the game.
Chat Noir
The Republicans looked bored.
Libby
Just dropping in before I check out the summit. No snow here in the little city in NC and I think I might be the Piedmont or to the west of it. Got a few flurries yesterday morning, then cold rain. Sunny but freezing today. Very windy again.
Max
With the exception of Obama and Clyburn, it’s a very white room.
We need more people of color in Congress.
Adam Collyer
@Max:
It seemed to be a smart move.
The commentators on MSNBC said that the entirety of the GOP message today is, “Let’s start over.” Good luck lasting 6 hours with that, while the President hits you over the head with sensible reform in front of cameras.
dmsilev
@Chat Noir: It’s probably constipation.
-dms
dmsilev
@Adam Collyer: Obama just said something along the lines of “let’s not just recite talking points”. If nothing else, the man is an optimist.
-dms
Adam Collyer
@dmsilev:
Part of what I like about him so much. Also, that’s a clear play to the audience. He’s a realist and a pragmatist.
Brick Oven Bill
Health care is important and nutritious food and exercise are both key.
As a nation, it is true that we need to address the growing threat of obesity. Therefore, if I were in charge, one of my twenty-six (26) personal servants would be assigned to get the little piggies on the treadmill daily, to set a good example for others.
twiffer
here in CT we’re on the rain side of this storm. no snow. flood watch though.
i’ve always found that it feels colder when it rains in the winter. mostly because rain gets you wetter than snow does.
Chat Noir
McCain’s demeanor has “bitterness” written all over it.
dmsilev
What’s the over-under on how long it takes before John McCain either falls asleep or starts drooling?
-dms
Kryptik
@GReynoldsCT00:
“Don’t drive angry. Do-don’t drive angry!”
beltane
@Walker: My woodpile says it’s been a mild winter. This has been the first big storm of the year and it’s already melting. There are some years where we still have snow on the ground the first week of May; I have a feeling this won’t be one of them.
Ash Can
@dmsilev: So naturally, that’s exactly what the first GOP yahoo does.
Adam Collyer
Republicans picked a good opening speaker in Alexander. I fundamentally disagree with him, but he’s a lesser known quantity than either Boehner or McConnell. That’s a help to them.
dr. bloor
@Chat Noir:
It’s not easy to sit around for so long before being given the opportunity to tell the country to fuck off.
beltane
@dmsilev: I miss Ted Stevens. He always used to sit right up front, picking his nose on camera. Those were the good old days of Senate comity.
dmsilev
The Republican “step by step” plan:
Step One: Cut taxes
Step Two: Cut taxes
Step Three: Whine about the deficit
Step Four: Cut taxes
Step Five: PROFIT!
-dms
dmsilev
@beltane: Senator Misses Simpler Time When He Could Do Abominable Things In Peace
-dms
ruemara
The groundhog is just a symptom of a larger problem, vicious rodents with magical weather control powers. I’m just sick of the cold. 54 is too low for me.
And I want to set my crazy baby kitty on McDonnell’s giant turkey wattle.
Adam Collyer
@dmsilev:
The President has this great look on his face that just says, “Look, you and I both know that you’re full of BS. But I’ll politely let you finish.”
arguingwithsignposts
FSM, Lamar Alexander is a tool. The entire GOP caucus is a bunch of tools. ARRGGHH! I am so glad I’m going to be in meetings most of the day so I’ll miss these assholes with their “start over” message repeated over and over.
Remember November
We’re jsut getting the icky shmutze here in NY- I don’t mind. Don’t need to break my tailbone sliding off my porch again.
slag
Is this guy trying to filibuster the whole damn summit?
Ash Can
@Adam Collyer: He nevertheless sounds like a twit laying out all the GOP WATB talking points, and Obama looks as though he’s getting ready to go all UofC law prof on his ass. And I hope he does.
ETA: LOL! I see you saw that too.
Max
Watching McCain and his facial tics, makes me praise Allah that he’s not President.
Adam Collyer
I take back everything I just said about selecting Alexander. He’s speaking for too long and he’s certainly lost the audience that I’m sitting with. Sometimes, you just have to stop.
dmsilev
@Adam Collyer: Yeah, he’s just rambling now. Repetitious, and just spouting talking points.
-dms
ChrisB
The problem with this summit is having to listen to Republicans half the time.
Where’s Rachel Maddow when you need her?
Chat Noir
I hope someone on the Democratic side comes back and reminds Senator Alexander about the Republicans pushing through a $1.3 trillion tax cut for the wealthy via reconciliation back in 2001.
Davis X. Machina
Boehner’s usually orange — does he count?
El Cid
Lamar Alexander’s reading an old history of the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s, when Republicans worked in a bipartisan fashion, particularly when they didn’t, to craft social legislation, so, ‘why don’t you trash what you’ve already passed and let us pass whatever the fuck Republicans agree to?’
Kay Shawn
fab device at Sunlight: the site shows contributors to the campaigns of those speaking at Blair House. !! wow.
http://sunlightfoundation.com/live/
Adam Collyer
@Davis X. Machina:
He’d do really well on Jersey Shore, Season 2.
mr. whipple
GOP: start over or we do nothing.
Hey GOP: blow me.
dr. bloor
@Adam Collyer:
It’s the legislative equivalent of the four-corners offense. The best they can hope to do is to keep the ball out of Obama’s hands for as long as possible this morning.
sloan
Lamar Alexander: Tyranny of the majority! This has never been done! Republicans just want to start over and save the taxpayers money!
The look on John McCain’s face is priceless. He can barely control his rage and disgust. That’s what you get for picking Palin! Ha ha ha ha ha!
dr. bloor
@Davis X. Machina:
Nice to know that the Oompa-Loompas are fairly represented.
arguingwithsignposts
Pelosi bringing up the personal stories. That’s a good move. Republicans have no conscience. Where’s AsiangrrlMN with her rusty farm implements ™?
Phantomist
The tax legislation enacted under President George W. Bush from 2001 through 2006 will cost $2.48
trillion over the 2001-2010 period.
This includes the revenue loss of $2.11 trillion that results directly from the Bush tax cuts as well as the $379 billion in additional interest payments on the national debt that we must make since the tax cuts were deficit-financed
It’s difficult to see how the Bush tax cuts could provide us with two and a half times the benefits of health care reform. In 2010, when all the Bush tax cuts are finally phased in, a staggering 52.5 percent of the benefits will go to the richest 5 percent of taxpayers.
valdivia
hey what happened to the Summit Open Thread?
MikeJ
@valdivia: groundhogs ate it.
Adam Collyer
I appreciate Pelosi’s opening statement, but I do think she continues to drone on. One of the primary issues that we have in politics is knowing how to keep things concise and to the point.
Politicians are notoriously terrible, Senators and leadership in the House in particular. Know your audience, get out your primary points, and move on.
Chat Noir
Health care should be a right, not a priviledge. Nobody should go bankrupt because they get sick.
cat48
@Max:
Rep Becerra is there I think.
wmsheppa
Republicans idea of a bipartisan talk: say you won’t pass health care or we quit.
Bets on how long it takes the first Republican to walk out? I’m putting the over/under at 11:30.
dmsilev
Did Harry Reid just violate some rule of “Senate comity” by obliquely calling Lamar! an ignorant fool?
-dms
Adam Collyer
Whoa. Harry Reid? On the offensive? Against a GOP colleague?
Color me surprised.
Max
Go Harry! Push back on the reconciliation bullshit!
The Mormon affect makes it hard to sound angry, but the words are there.
Omnes Omnibus
@MikeJ: Bad marmots!
Quackosaur
@dmsilev:
When they start breaking out things like, “my most esteemed colleague from…” you know that the gloves are off.
Ash Can
Reid does appear to have come out swinging. Maybe he’s the designated bad cop. Or maybe he’s just fed up with all the crap. Whatever the reason, me likey.
Chat Noir
@Max: He was a boxer in his younger days.
I like it when the Dems push back with facts.
valdivia
so I am stuck in a meeting so I can not see the thing. Can you guys update this poor soul on what is going on?
El Cid
I’m shocked that Reid is emphasizing the deficit cutting nature of the HCR bill.
Seems like Democrats forgot all about that in the post-Scott Brown diaper-dirtying.
chopper
the snow out here in brooklyn is wet and flabby. if this is ‘snowmageddon II: electric boogaloo’ color me unimpressed.
Max
Oh hell, here comes Obama pushing back on Lamar’s “process” lies.
Hang on to your hats folks.
chopper
@Quackosaur:
“my esteemed colleague from the state of denial…”
wmsheppa
@Ash Can: Reid is tougher than people give him credit for.
Ash Can
@wmsheppa: I’d laugh out loud if they walked out. That would be tantamount to waving the white flag. I doubt it’ll happen, but then, the GOP has surprised me before by being bigger fools than even I thought they were.
dmsilev
@valdivia: Short recap:
Obama: We need to reform healthcare because right now, it sucks.
Republican opening statement (Sen. Lamar Alexander): No comprehensive concern, because, well, because.
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid: Lamar Alexander is a fool.
Right now, Obama: Lamar Alexander is a fool.
-dms
Elisabeth
@Adam Collyer:
He lost me when he began the story.
Ed in NJ
Too bad Obama doesn’t say they won’t use reconciliation if you go on record ensuring an up or down vote.
But sadly, my guess is that the headlines are already written: Obama refuses to start from scratch and renounce reconciliation (although it will incorrectly refer to it as the nuclear option).
wmsheppa
@Ash Can: I don’t really think they’ll all walk out, I’m just seeing one Joe Wilson type asshat who walks out in a highly theatrical matter at some point. The Republicans as a group probably aren’t that stupid, but I’d bet one of them in the room is.
valdivia
@dmsilev:
LOL. and thanks. your recap is the best of the morning!
Elisabeth
@Quackosaur:
I’m waiting for “wholly owned subsidiary of the insurance industry” myself.
Elisabeth
@wmsheppa:
Can McCain hold his temper for six hours?
sloan
McCain looks as clueless now as he did in 2008 at the financial crisis meeting that he demanded.
Why does he keep showing up for these things? It looks like he wants to strangle Obama. Don’t worry Maverick, Palin will analyze it all on Hannity tonight!
Adam Collyer
And here’s the pushback from the President. Firmly in control.
Max
Obama and Lamar going head to head over CBO comment.
Obama says to Lamar “let me respond to what you just said because it’s not factually accurate”
Lamar is the whipping boy so far.
Will
Obama just de-pantsed Lamar.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@wmsheppa: I tend to agree. People blame him for the institutional and personnel problems of the Senate and teh Caucus (by which I mean, there are a lot of assholes), but aside from a lot of ahistorical fantasizing about LBJ, I’d like to know who could do better.
dmsilev
You’d think that after the House GOP got pwned by Obama not too long ago that their Senate colleagues would have learned the lesson. Guess not.
-dms
valdivia
Oh loving it. Obama schooling Lamar?
Catsy
I fucking hate El Niño.
This has been the worst excuse for a winter I’ve seen in the PNW in quite some time. Not so much as a fraction of an inch of snow on the Eastside.
Jay C
@Chat Noir:
Really? And just where, pray tell, in all this demonstration of ” concern”, is your consideration of the needs of the executives, employees and stockholders of the country’s Healthcare Industry?
Why do you hate America???
[/snark]
Will
Don’t count on McCain for any policy help, Lamar. He’s even more ignorant than you on these issues.
wmsheppa
@Elisabeth: I tried to think of a clever way to say it, but no. The real question is whether he vaults the table to go after Obama/Reid at some point or not.
Chat Noir
@Max: When are these nitwits going to learn that Obama is WAYYYYYY smarter than any of them? He’s like the Big Dawg in that he can recite facts and figures like nobody’s business. I am constantly amazed at his capacity for being able to recite this stuff from memory.
Adam Collyer
@valdivia:
It was awkward. Senator Alexander tried to talk about the increase in premiums and the President literally cut him off at the pass at least 3 times.
Omnes Omnibus
@wmsheppa: Too old and feeble to vault anything.
Will
Lamar just gave up. “Maybe we can talk it over later?”
Quackosaur
Lamar: “I don’t want you [Obama] to keep making me look like a fool, so I’ll let other people talk.”
dmsilev
Obama to McConnell: OK, now that I’ve eviscerated Lamar, who’s the next sacrificial goat that you’ve got?
-dms
Ash Can
@Will: And, predictably, Lamar is obviously not prepared for this meeting.
valdivia
@Adam Collyer:
awkward bad or awkward good?
Will
@Chat Noir:
One of them gets their debate prep from actual policy studies. The other gets their debate prep from talk radio. It’s not much of a contest.
Legalize
Barack just put his foot up Alexander’s ass and Lamar wilted like a bitch, looking to MCCAIN for policy help! Dumb ass.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
Obama made himself a Lamar sandwich and ate that fucker whole on national teevee. Shorter Lamar – don’t want to argue with you where folks can judge, but will mail it in cause I am no match for you Mr. Presnit
Quackosaur
Does Coburn really want to go down the road of why things cost so much? I wonder if the AMA and the AHA have pre-approved him approaching this topic…
wmsheppa
Does anybody take Tom Coburn seriously? “He’s a Doctor, so he knows about um… cost containment? Yeah..”
Wasn’t this the guy who said Terry Schiavo wasn’t in a vegetative state based purely on a video?
Adam Collyer
@valdivia:
Awkward awesome. The President’s final line was, “We’ll get everything out on the table today, because I don’t think I’m wrong. But I’m happy to have this discussion.”
Chat Noir
Here we go. Doctor Senator No.
OK, ladies, how many of you would like Senator Coburn to be your OB-GYN?
ChrisB
I can’t believe the Republicans will let Obama school them the way he just did to Lamar.
But what can they do other than throw out talking points and then squirm or flail when confronted with facts to the contrary?
Max
Really, the rest of the Dems are just window dressing.
Obama is all we need at this thing. Maybe Biden too, so Barack can take a bathroom break once in a while.
Trinity
@Chat Noir: Ugh…I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.
The Moar You Know
Unless McCain is wearing a dynamite vest, I can’t imagine why they bought him. It’s not like he can say anything; he’s been having a lot of “senior moments” lately and Obama would cut him to pieces with facts.
Adam Collyer
@wmsheppa:
I think that was Frist. Say what you want about the former Majority Leader, but he didn’t baffle me as much as this current group of Republicans.
John
@wmsheppa:
No, that was Bill Frist.
ChrisB
@wmsheppa: That was Frist, not Coburn.
dmsilev
@The Moar You Know: He makes the rest of the GOP look good by comparison. That’s probably why he was invited.
-dms
El Cid
TORT REFORM! THAT’S ALL YA NEED! TORT REFORM! STOP THEM DAMN GREEDY CRIPPLES FROM SUING THE 5% OF DOCTORS WHO KEEP INNOCENTLY REMOVING THE WRONG LEG OR KIDNEY!
General Egali Tarian Stuck
All the wingnuts have is whining about reconciliation. And faux talking points that all fall down under a minimum of open debate. And kudos to Harry Reid. Brought his boxing gloves today.
geg6
WTF is Coburn talking about? Does he even know? I’d never let him near me as a doctor. He talks about preventing asthma as a cost cutting measure but we don’t get his ideas on how we do that?
Legalize
Nothing. That’s why they’re wholly opposed to this televised meeting. There really is no need for any of the Congressional Dems to be here from this point on. Obama can handle all of the GOP dumb-assery on his own.
Elisabeth
@wmsheppa:
I almost wish he would ’cause I’d love to see someone punch him in his face. POW or not.
El Cid
By the way — what evidence is there that lowering costs via ‘tort reform’ would be passed on to patients?
mr. whipple
If Obama is anything like me, in about 30 minutes, Obama is gonna need a cig. And is gonna start getting very cranky, and less charitable towards these douchenozzles, and less patient.
Citizen_X
Oh God, yes, bring in fucking Coburn for the relief. And what is he telling us? It’s all the gubmint regalations! And TORT REFORM, bitches! Whoo!
dr. bloor
@wmsheppa:
I’d pay cash money to see that. It’d be Don Zimmer charging Pedro Martinez all over again.
arguingwithsignposts
$150 billion in fraud. They pulled that number out of their asses.
My notes so far from the GOP talkers:
Alexander – DIAF
Coburn – DIAF
I expect most of the rest of the notes would be the same.
ETA: Undercover patients! WTF?! Medical malpractice=extortion. !$#@%$!
dmsilev
Can’t *any* of these Republicans talk in anything but talking points?
Oh, and Dr. Coburn, we’d create a lot less diabetes if our farm policy stopped subsidizing high-fructose corn syrup.
-dms
Elisabeth
@geg6:
You can hear Obama, “umm hmm, umm hmm” while thinking WTF!?
Ash Can
Food stamps and school lunches. Coburn, do you really want to go there?
El Cid
Ya don’t need no damn commie helf reform. You just need to stop the cripples from suin’. And STOP ALL DA SPENDIN’! AND CUT THE DEFFSIT! AND CUT THE TAXES!
Face
No he’s not.
Quackosaur
Coburn: Malpractice is extortion! Help me! I am a poor doctor!
Legalize
Where the fuck is Coburn getting these “fraud” numbers?
John S.
I suspect Obama is good at mnemonics, like myself.
Nothing enrages your colleagues like being able to call up facts, figures and precise recollections of events with startling accuracy. Especially when they are proven to be wrong and/or completely full of shit.
Elisabeth
@El Cid:
The answer: ask Texas.
El Cid
‘We believe that several trillion dollars of health care costs are from negroes gettin’ free houses from Jimmy Carter.’
dmsilev
@mr. whipple: Remember that SNL skit from last year about Obama getting angry and turning into “The Rock Obama” and throwing a bunch of GOP twits out a window? I’d pay to see that in reality.
-dms
El Cid
@Elisabeth: Screw you! I don’t need yer damn ‘evidence’ and facks! I know that it’s TORT REFORM, and ACORN.
Citizen_X
“Undercover patients?” WTF???
Will
Coburn is using a tried-and-true GOP: throw so much crazy up in the air no one will be able to catch all of it when it comes down.
Max
Harry Reid just shut down Coburn’s filibuster, saying “I’m not an expert on much, but I am on filibusters and you are filibustering”.
hehe
djork
Undercover patients? WTF?
mr. whipple
Proctologists.
Woodrow "asim" Jarvis Hill
@geg6: Coburn has TOTALLY lost me. He seems to be saying that all we need to do to solve this is feed kids “right”, stop suing Docs, and, of course, get the gummit out of Health Care (which has “always solved the issue”).
Bizarre. I’ll be curious to see if Obama et. al. even bother to respond.
…wait. “Undercover Patients” is the solution to fraud? Seriously? SERIOUSLY?
Elisabeth
@El Cid:
And tax cuts!
wmsheppa
My apologies to all for mixing up Coburn and Frist.
@dr. bloor: The image of McCain in pinstripes charging at Obama is priceless…
Reid is cranky this morning.
El Cid
GOP: TORT REFORM! WASTE! FRAUD! ABUSE!
Jay C
Isn’t Sen. Coburn the one whose website makes a special point of pointing with pride to his record of opposition to each, every and all initiatives of the Government in general, and the Obama Administration in particular?
dmsilev
@djork: Like honesty shoppers at Walmart?
-dms
Adam Collyer
Can someone tell me why David Shuster is on my TV right now?
Woodrow "asim" Jarvis Hill
@dmsilev: Oh crap, I was just thinking about that! And my Brother does that Rahm “get angry” voice so well/creepy, he’s actually banned for ever saying it again.
Quackosaur
How do “secret shoppers for doctors” work? There’s only so much you could lie about. Or are they just going around to different doctors and seeing how their diagnoses and treatments differ?
Citizen_X
I need to get cancer so’s I can git one o’ them sweet gubmint undercover patient jobs.
Max
@Adam Collyer: Switch to Fox. Never thought I’d say that.
Elisabeth
@Adam Collyer:
You’re not watching CSPAN-3.
Elisabeth
@Quackosaur:
Hey, job creation and fraud prevention all at once.
El Cid
@Citizen_X: We need to crack down on all these damn patients irresponsibly getting expensive diseases. Follow Utah’s example on miscarriage and declare it illegal, un-American, and un-Christian to get bad diseases. That should stop it.
Also, TORT REFORM, TAX CUTS, AND STOP DA SPENDIN’.
Adam Collyer
So let me get this straight…
A commentator on MSNBC just said that the President is naive, that the GOP sounds “reasonable and thoughtful” and that the Democrats don’t get enough time to speak in this forum because the President has to engage Republicans.
Then Steny Hoyer gets the microphone after a long statement by Tom Coburn, and……..we cut to this nonsense panel.
No wonder the news industry is dying.
Quackosaur
@Elisabeth: Second the watching on CSPAN-3.
valdivia
who is talking now and who is schooling Colburn?
geg6
Oy. Secret shoppers will save the health care system! And did Steny Hoyer just fuck up McCain big time? I’m no Hoyer fan but that was awesome.
Trinity
@Adam Collyer: cspan.org
Morbo
@Max: Yeah, but if it gets too brutal for the (R)’s they’ll cut away to talking morons.
ChrisB
Don’t like the way Hoyer was referring to the public option in the past tense.
Ash Can
I agree, TV viewers: CSPAN-3 FTW.
El Cid
For those with limited bandwith / data limits or can’t be watching, C-Span radio is streaming the summit, for Windows Media & RealPlayer.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
I happen to like baby seals. And don’t like to watch them clubbed mercilessly by the tall skinny black dude. It’s necessary, but who will clean up all the green lizardtoid blood on the floor when it’s over?
Quackosaur
@valdivia: Steny Hoyer, the House Majority Leader.
dmsilev
I like how Hoyer called McCain “Candidate McCain”. Let his legacy be that carwreck of a campaign and nothing else.
-dms
cat48
@Chat Noir:
I would only go to Dr. No is if I could be one of his “undercover patients to prevent fraud” he suggested.
Ash Can
lulz — Obama to Coburn, translated: Read the damn bill, you lazy moron, and you might see that you’re wasting our time with your phony “concerns.”
valdivia
@Adam Collyer:
who was that commentator?
Max
@dmsilev: I liked that too. The best part was what preceeded it…
President Obama and Candidate McCain.
hehe
Adam Collyer
C-SPAN 3 it is.
My roommate walked into the room. Not overwhelmingly politically inclined.
“Why do these people need to be on my screen explaining to me what’s happening on my screen? This isn’t sports.”
El Cid
ISS TOO MANY PAGES! YOU WRITE A LOT! HOW COME YOU GOT SO MANY WORDS! GET HED-AYK!
Ash Can
Kline: We Republicans aren’t smart enough to understand complicated bills.
ChrisB
Notice how all we’re getting from the Republicans are prepared statements? No actual engagement on the issues (except for Alexander’s brief, helpless flailing). No surprise though.
El Cid
Does anyone remember how someone went through and showed that the bill isn’t that long once you deal with the huge print and the huge margins and the notations / chapter titles etc.?
Ash Can
“We’ve all studied this issue a lot”
Baucus, you’re kidding yourself.
(ETA: Although I appreciate him going into detail on the various programs and provisions)
dmsilev
@El Cid: Yesterday, they were complaining that the White House proposal was too short.
Someone should ask them what the proper length should be, so that the fonts and margins can be appropriately adjusted.
-dms
El Cid
@dmsilev: it’s too short but it has too many words not enough pictures and balloon diagrams like the budget we made when we had no numbers
Quackosaur
@Adam Collyer:
Federal politicians obviously speak in a dialect of American English that only the media can understand, so they must distill the finer points for their confused audiences.
@Ash Can:
Isn’t that what Hill staffers are for?
cat48
@Will:
Obama just outcrazied Coburn, “Maybe we can include that undercover patient thing.” Hmm
Quackosaur
McConnell: I’d like to yield to John [Boehner].
Boehner: I’d like to yield to some random Republican.
Can’t they coordinate things beforehand?
Morbo
Sigh… Dave Camp…
El Cid
We are NOT spending “a trillion dollars” on this plan.
We would be spending — per the CBO on the Senate bill as passed — about $600 billion net in the first 10 years with a god-damned surplus over the next 10.
STOP LETTING THEM SAY THIS.
Ash Can
@El Cid: Too many notes.
ETA: Obama to Camp: You’re in a hole. STOP DIGGING, idiot.
dmsilev
First allusion to Death Panels!
Everyone drink!
-dms
El Cid
F*** you a**hole, I already do “consider price”, and there aren’t that many choices for non-shitty care available.
Quackosaur
@El Cid:
But people won’t be scared if they don’t frame cost in BIG NUMBERS!!1!!!
Apparently, Camp doesn’t trust bean counters (i.e., federal bureaucrats).
Obama: Camp, your laundry list bores me.
El Cid
TORT REFORM! BYUROKRATS! GUBMIT! PRICE SHOPPING! SMALL BIDNESS! PRIVATE!
valdivia
so any more good smackdowns or things are calmer now?
Quackosaur
Kline just used “my friend.” By noon there will be fist-cuffs.
Max
McConnell is sitting there with a stopwatch counting the minutes that Dems/GOP speak.
What an idiot.
El Cid
WASHINGTON! MANDATE! SKEERY!
bemused
Undercover patient? Anybody know what that means?
El Cid
@Max: It’s not necessary. I’m sure the Hannitards and Becktards can just twitter him with the count.
valdivia
is Obama not intervening anymore is this now all congresspeople, the reps getting away with their lies?
chopper
@Catsy:
good. lets hope it stays that way in a few years when i move to portland. i’m done with snow.
Jules
These idiots do not seem to understand that there are already business organizations that have insurance pools and they are just too damn expensive.
The Federal Gov is just fucking larger and create a larger pool of folks.
Max
@El Cid: Obama just reminded McConnell that he’s the President and his time won’t be monitored or be considered part of the “Dems” response.
Obama is showing remarkable restraint. I would have said fuck you a couple of times by now.
Chat Noir
Someone just emitted a long, bored sigh.
El Cid
@Jules: They understand. They’re just firing every volley of FREEDOM and PRIVATE ENTERPRIZE bullshit they’ve got. Repeat.
Quackosaur
Cantor is itching to read from his phonebooks…
valdivia
@Jules:
Cohn has an excellent summary of this in his blog and/or his twitter feed.
here is the link: http://twitter.com/jcohntnr
Ash
How completely useless. All I’m seeing are all these asshats saying the same bullshit they’ve been saying for a year now?
El Cid
@Max:
There’s a reason I’ve never even considered running for office.
slag
I loved Paul Ryan’s rant: Should we regulate the insurance market? Should we actually do our jobs? No. We’re paying you to sit there and clap harder for the free market fairy. I’m glad we agree on that.
Ash Can
@valdivia: I don’t think the R’s are really getting away with lies. They’re not getting called on every single detail — that would bog everything down and Obama clearly doesn’t want that — but Obama and the rest of the Dems aren’t giving them passes on their tiresome rhetoric either.
El Cid
NO FAIR! Chuck Schumer is remembering the past! Republicans are free from past reality! They make their own reality! If they want to have not done something in the past, they didn’t do it! If they want to have done something in the past, they did it!
Quackosaur
@slag:
I’m sure Ryan believes he’s only there to fund the military and legislate contract law. Everything else is an affront to the Constitution!
now, Kyl: we cannot support Washington regulation!
valdivia
@Ash Can:
thanks. I snuck out from the meeting for a sec and caught Kyl on tv with a mountain of paper in front of him. hmm. are they back to complaining about it being too long?
demo woman
I just got home.. how is it going? What President showed up?
El Cid
NO FAIR! The Demo-Kraps want to mandate that insurers spend more money on actual health care versus profits & “administration” (i.e., executive wheeee)!
valdivia
Cohn says that the study Kyl is mentioning was commissioned by the insurance industry.
cat48
@demo woman:
The Rock Obama one.
mr. whipple
@Ash:
Pretty much. I’ve still got it on my TV, but have gone back to work.
DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)
@cat48:
Well at least he can now say that they might actually have a good idea and then let the Senate kill it…lol
“Can’t they coordinate things beforehand?”
Nobody told them which talk radio channel to tune into last night.
El Cid
@valdivia: Why do you hate FREEDOM and the FREEMARKET?
Quackosaur
I love how Obama’s basically calling all Congress-people hypocrites about healthcare spending.
valdivia
@El Cid:
LOL. Because I am rational?
flukebucket
@cat48:
It warms my heart to know this. It is hell to have to sit here and wonder how things are going.
El Cid
I think we have the Obama today who showed up to that last televised GOP interaction thing.
El Cid
@valdivia: The FREEMARKET is not a slave to your petty “rationality” and your “facks” and “logic”. That’s why it must be FREE.
Quackosaur
Shorter Obama: I don’t want to have what happened to credit cards (or even incorporation) to happen to health insurance.
Corner Stone
@El Cid: El Cid – I’m becoming more than a little concerned about you.
Not only have you mastered their lingo but you indiscriminately use CAPS in befuddling ways.
Are you pulling a reverse-Cole?
Stop now! While you still can!
El Cid
@Quackosaur:
BUT… BUT… CHOICE! CROSSING STATE LINES! FREEDOM!
cat48
@flukebucket:
Just proud to be an ‘merican when I look at presnit rock!
R-Jud
When the CAPS get religious, you know he’s gone over.
CAPS LOCK JESUS LOVES ME!
Trinity
I’m at work and can’t listen but reading the tweets and live-blogs on teh tubez is keeping me happy. …And El Cid you are cracking me up!
kthnxbai
El Cid
@Corner Stone: I was telling someone earlier how easy it is to imitate right wing dunderheads, cause he/she didn’t believe BOB could be a spoof.
cat48
Love Clyburn…..only pol in the state I can stand. Saw that people in the prez’s office have nicknamed him “Sage.” Clyburn has had a hard life here in SC & Sage fits him.
Corner Stone
@cat48: He seems to speak with some dialect I can’t quite place.
flukebucket
@cat48:
I was so god damn proud of him after the beatdown in Baltimore that I didn’t know what to do with myself.
I was hoping today would turn out to be maybe not as good but close.
El Cid
Does Washington know best for the people? Or does the individual know best?
(There are no such things as insurance and pharmaceutical companies who have any role in such matters.)
valdivia
I can’t listen but just from passing images the Reps look like they are sucking on lemons!
Cat–love that they call Clyburn sage. Fitting.
Corner Stone
He just pulled out the Spies Like Us quote!
Dr, Dr, Dr, Dr, Dr, Dr
Ash Can
Boustany is just plain making shit up.
ETA: I wonder how much it’s costing the insurance industry to keep him in their pocket.
valdivia
@Ash Can:
sorry to keep nagging. what is he saying?
Quackosaur
Dr. Boustany: Paperwork is the devil!
Of course, doctors can hire people to take care of (most of) the paperwork for them, but that would cut into their salaries; I suppose no one has told him that. I’m sorry that keeping track of what happens to your patients is so burdensome and unnecessary.
El Cid
‘As a small business doctor, like any small business owner, I am given the power to know how to run the entire economy. It’s true. Just ask any small business owner.’
El Cid
@Quackosaur: The paperwork is overwhelmingly dealing with insurance companies. If only there were some sort of institution, maybe elected by citizens, which could implement some sort of rules, or guidelines, or ‘laws’ which could, you know, do something about that.
Corner Stone
@El Cid: “I employ literally handfuls of people. My knowledge is scaleable.”
Ash Can
@valdivia: He was saying that the American people want Congress to ditch the current bill and take a step-by-step approach.
Quackosaur
Have the American people voted on the bills Dr. Boustany? How do you know what the American people want? Is it because you were a small and have been imbued with omniscience?
cat48
@Corner Stone:
That is Orangeburg, SC dialect, with a touch of Gullah also called GeeChee, a type of creole dialect. It is quite common for Black folks to have this dialect near the coast of the Carolinas and Georgia. When they came from the islands or Africa, they lived on the coastal sea islands, so it is a dialect unique to this area called the “Lowcountry” in SC. Just the coast…….but I ramble……Interesting to me because I lived in IL for yrs and everyone sounds different here regardless of race. A real learning experience and interesting.
El Cid
@Corner Stone: Nearly every small business owner I’ve ever encountered consider themselves amateur economics experts.
slag
@Quackosaur: Well, then, he’s way overpaid. He should start his assault on government “waste, fraud, and abuse” by cutting his own damn salary to reflect the work he’s willing to do.
Quackosaur
@El Cid:
What you propose is GODLESS SOSHULISM!!!!! How dare you suggest that the hard-working Americans of Anthem and Wellpoint are burdening our doctors with their just inquiries into the well-being of patients! After all, they’re only trying to help.
Edit- WordPress really doesn’t like excessive exclamation points. I’m just trying to be emphatic. Why does WP hate America?
Corner Stone
@cat48: I honestly do appreciate your info – but actually that was snark on the Negro Dialect comment of Harry Reid fame.
I don’t put the snark tag on posts because it should just be my signature tag.
Corner Stone
Oh no he didn’t!
dmsilev
Now, here comes John McCain to kvetch about everything and anything.
-dms
Corner Stone
Clue Wagon to Senator McCain – The American People do not give a flying bejeezus how HCR happens! FOAD you god damn choad licking moran.
Ash Can
Crap. I was just about to say that, so far, McCain hasn’t said word one, and that, for once, that really was good news for him. So much for that.
El Cid
John McCain: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS! NO C-SPAN CAMERAS ‘TIL NOW! CORNHUSKER GIVE-AWAY! FLORIDA FAVORS! I’M DEEPLY HURT AND INSULTED THAT I WASN’T PRESIDENT!
geg6
Fuckin’ Walnuts is deeply concerned about earmarks. Ooo, and slammin’ on his boyfriend’s state, CT. Blah blah blah. Gawd he sucks.
Corner Stone
I could not be giggling any harder. Obama must have space-age polymer ear plugs installed because if he is actually listening to McCain and not laughing out loud? Superhuman willpower.
El Cid
Actually, McCain’s right about the behind-closed-doors deal with Big Pharma in exchange for them not opposing HCR and for their multi-million dollar ad campaign.
He’s a hypocrite, because Republicans don’t give a shit about that and want less regulation and more subsidies for Big Pharma, but still, it’s a good point.
Mike Kay
McCain is beyond pathetic.
Corner Stone
That’s it! I’ve had it. I just had to turn the sound off and am now doing my own interpretations of what I believe McCain to be saying.
And they could not be any crazier than the shit he was actually spewing.
demo woman
John can remember how many pages in the document but can’t remember that he suspended his own campaign.
Chat Noir
Oooh! “The election’s over.”
Obama bitch-slaps McCain again.
dmsilev
“We’re not campaigning any more, John. The election is over”.
Ow.
-dms
Adam Collyer
Wow. John McCain – served.
“With all due respect John, the election is over.”
El Cid
OOOOO — “we’re not campaigning any more, John, the election’s over.” OUCH!
Ash Can
Obama: “John, we’re not campaigning anymore. The election is over.”
LOLOLOL!
Mike Kay
OH SPLAT !
Obama just decked the old fucker: “John, the campaign is over”
Quackosaur
@Corner Stone: It comes with the territory of being a professor.
Also, Obama: We’re not campaigning; the election’s over.
cat48
@Corner Stone:
Gotcha Corner Stone. I just get all mushy when I see Clyburn……lot of respect for him. Ok for the Rock though–I think he may have an uppity dialect…….or maybe, arrogant….
/Snark
Corner Stone
Obama to McCain – John. STFU.
geg6
And Obama gives Walnuts a roundhouse. And another. And another.
Comrade Mary
So what’s all this about an erection?
Oh. Never mind. [/litella]
dmsilev
Obama: “Earth to John McCain: Most people don’t give a rat’s ass about Senate procedure. If you don’t have anything to say about the policy, please shut up and listen to people who do.”
-dms
demo woman
Nice smack down. I missed the Lamar exchange so I will have to search for that online.
Corner Stone
@Quackosaur: Actually I was wrong. He kept his laughter inside until he could unleash it all onto Johnny Mac.
That was brutal.
Chat Noir
OK, gotta say it. As a brunette who’s going gray and doesn’t want to color her hair, I love Kathleen Sebelius’s hair color and style.
cat48
I think Rock thinks Kathleen is a fine specimen…..he always smiles real purty at her…..
Quackosaur
@dmsilev:
I’m sure McCain’s just upset that McConnell won’t let him extort favors from the Democrats. Well, that and losing to Obama and being overshadowed by Sarah Starbursts.
Corner Stone
I’ll never understand how Sebelius was ever elected to office. IMO, she’s a very poor speaker.
Corner Stone
Now the REAL Clown Show can begin!
dmsilev
Ooh. Eric Cantor. Arguably the dumbest member of the House Leadership.
-dms
Corner Stone
Obama to Cantor – Eric. Don’t be a putz.
Quackosaur
@Corner Stone:
This is totally just a seminar class in college/law school/graduate school. Obama’s the prof and the Repubs are the “that kids” who think they know better. The professor lets them say idiotic things, only to then smack them down. I don’t know how often this happens at other places, but this happens a lot at the U of C; of course, “that kids” never learn, so it’s always amusing to watch them crash and burn.
Ash Can
Sebelius up now to address the nuts and bolts of insurance costs. Since the R’s shot their wad in the first segment bitching about everything at once, all they’ll be able to do now is repeat all the shit they’ve already spewed. Great.
I’m wondering how many Republicans in attendance, instead of returning to the room after lunch, send some 22-year-old intern to read a statement about how the Congressman objects to the highly partisan atmosphere and feels his time can be better spent doing his job serving his constituents and the American people, blah blah blah.
Also — Obama to Cantor: SMACK! “That’s for your stupid prop, idiot.”
Midnight Marauder
Obama’s face when Eric Cantor said “We don’t care for this bill. The American People don’t care for this bill” was priceless. Hand over his lower face like “Is President Obama gonna have to choke a bitch today?”
Corner Stone
Why does he have so many stacks in front of him?
/rhetorical
Chat Noir
In the dictionary under the word “weasel” is Eric Cantor’s picture. Whatta piece of shit human being he is.
Edit: Obama’s body language while Cantor is droning on is priceless. “Eric, you’re a fucking moron and I’m president.”
Will
Why does Cantor speak like he’s talking to a room full of deaf seniors? Does he not realize he has a microphone?
cat48
Cantor’s dialect really, really, really, annoying……the whining……
Mike Kay
New healthcare thread just started
Quackosaur
Obama: Shocker! Healthcare is complicated! Bills to tackle things will be long!
Ash Can
Obama to Cantor and the rest of the R’s: Healthcare reform is complicated, you lazy asses. Deal with it.
dmsilev
The problem with Obama’s analogy of making food cheaper by eliminating meat inspectors is that the GOP probably thinks that’s a good idea.
-dms
demo woman
Move over Michelle.. I love this guy!!!!!!!
Corner Stone
Obama to GOP – Republicans. It’s called government.
Corner Stone
God, Cantor just looks like douche personified.
Corner Stone
Cantor is going to continue as if Obama just said nothing at all.
Classic douche Republican.
cat48
Why would Cantor want to “gap a bridge?”
valdivia
so are we all going to the new thread? because i don’t want to miss Obama smacking the living daylights out of that idiot cantor!
Gus
@Face: Christ, as a Minnesotan I’ve never before wished for Georgia’s state government, but that might change if that shit passes.
Anne Laurie
@cat48:
IIRC, Coburn’s senatorial privileges barely got him out from under federal charges for performing hysterectomies on Medicare patients without their consent. Any kind of legitimate “undercover patient” quality control would’ve put the fat fvck in jail after taking his license away.
bob h
The snow in NJ is as wet as it can get. My snowblower clogs in about 10 seconds. Guessing the hand surgeons are going to be busy in the ERs tonight.
asiangrrlMN
Before reading the comments: I am very jealous of all y’all getting more feet of snow. We got a dusting earlier this week. That’s it. I WANT SNOWWWWWWWW!