Open Threads

Most people agree that the greatest win scenario that we can reasonably hope for at this point is for the House to pass the Senate bill and for the Senate to pass a supplemental fix through reconciliation. Does anyone have any idea what chance even a relatively mild maneuver like that stands in the Senate? I don’t.

If you have a minute, call your Senators and ask whether they would commit to passing a supplementary fix in reconciliation if the House commits to passing the Senate’s existing bill. Leave your experience in the comments. Mcc will post the results in a second table online.

Time To Whip Count The SenatePost + Comments (80)

Someone ought to call their local paper about this irritating habit of describing Obama’s failures in the passive voice. I suppose that filibusters just sort of materialize out of thin air every time Democrats try to pass a bill, confirm a nominee or congratulate a supermarket in Philadelphia for staying open fifty years. How frustrating!

Describing policy initiatives as if nobody other than Obama has a hand in their success or failure is not just lazy. It’s lying. Call whatever newspaper you subscribe to and find out how seriously they plan to take the problem of filibuster abuse. Below the flip I posted a helpful graph of this cloture data sent in by reader DT. Keep in mind that the 111th Congress still has plenty of time to boost its numbers.

Also, if you don’t phone your Representative about PTDB he might think that you changed your mind. Also.

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Morning Pick Up Your Phone ThreadPost + Comments (22)

Chuck is on in five mins.

And should anything happen to me in surgery tomorrow, I fully expect half of you to blame Rahm and the other half to blame the Jane Hamshers of the left. Why shouldn’t my untimely demise turn into another stupid damned circular firing squad?

Also, according to the twitterati, Obama is foolishly proposing a three year freeze on non-security discretionary spending. I think I’m getting off easy by missing the freakout this will cause. I’m only getting cut into with sharp knives. Krugman and Atrios are going to EXPLODE.

BTWPost + Comments (456)

Mom is in town, I’ve spent the day tying up loose ends, and I’m off to surgery early tomorrow morning. Should be back in the saddle by Wednesday.

Y’all Are On Your OwnPost + Comments (90)

Via Benen, Mark Kleiman reports that even Diane Feinstein’s office has noticed all the callers asking her to Pass The Damn Bill*. Of course I don’t know whether or not Kleiman’s information is accurate; you guys should call and double check.

Meanwhile, several Kos diarists such as Femlaw have written exhaustively about why PTDB Now is really the only way to go. I don’t have the time or skill for that kind of writing, so go read and give her your support. McJoan’s front page piece about contacting the Senate also deserves a read.

(*) In her case, Fix The Damn Bill With Reconciliation, or FTDBWR.

***Update***

Another Comment Of The Day, at Benen’s.

***Update 2***

If they ask whether you’re part of an organized campaign, just tell them that this is blogs. We don’t do organized campaigns.

PTDBPost + Comments (36)

Seth.

Just got off the phone with Congressman David Scott D.C. office(GA’s 13th District) where I spoke to his aid assigned to healthcare reform. Scott was the Rep who had his office (not a mile from my house) defaced with a swastika last August.

His aid said he was in favor of reform but wanted a stronger bill. I told her in no uncertain terms (voice wavering, close to tears) that he needed to ACT and not wait around.

I hit on the hate crime angle multiple times, letting her know that if anyone should realize the cost of getting this done, it was him.

She told me she’d pass it on to him, but also told me to get more folks to call.

She was sharp and knew many of the finer points, but urged me to get my friends to call.

My zipcode is 30082 if you need a place to make your voice heard.

Every one of your calls has an impact.

***Update***

Two interweb-related updates: Our updated whip count is here, and enterprising readers have registered passthedamnbill.com and set it up as a pass-through to Steve Benen’s strategy memo. Good work, guys.

Comment Of The DayPost + Comments (75)