Obama & The Dems Appear Ready to Ram-Rod Through Their Massive Health Care Legislation Using the Nuclear Option. The Beans Were Spilled Today...

by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), who admitted publicly today that the decision has been made that the "nuclear option" will be pursued if republicans fail to cave on this legislation in the upcoming health care summit. As you are all probably well aware, the "nuclear option" means the obscure Senate procedural maneuver of "reconciliation," which permits budget-related measures to pass into law by a mere 51 votes, thereby circumventing Senate rules that require 60 votes to escape a filibuster on unpopular legislation. Put another way, the election of Scott Brown to the Senate would be rendered meaningless.

I've blogged several times in this space and elsewhere that Obama and his radical leftist progressive dem counterparts will probably ultimately resort to reconciliation in order to jam through their massive and unpopular health care monstrosity. Typically, for such sentiments, I've been ridiculed by both sides with cries of either "health care is dead" (from the right-wing freaks) or "we would never resort to reconciliation" (from the leftist goons). Sorry, but I've maintained all along that this legislation is not dead (at least not yet) and that these radicals who control DC will resort to any damn thing they please to jam through unpopular measures aimed at implementing nearly irrevocable Huge Government. We'll see how this turns out, but two things are for sure: (1) This legislation is not dead and (2) the upcoming republican-dem health care pow-wow will be a huge joke, just for show, and intended by the radical leftists as nothing more than a propaganda event.

http://www.lifenews.com/nat6000.html

Old Dead Cow Face Sticks Hoof in Mouth, Equates His Team's Disappointing Season With the Haitain Tragedy, Then Today Disavows That He Really Did That.

My only comment here: North Carolina head basketball coach Roy Williams would make a great politician. (Yes, that's an insult, "dadgummit!").

http://digitalsportsdaily.com/college-basketball/21472

Man, I Get Really Tired of Hearing About All This CEO Bonus Stuff.

Obama says one thing previously, now something different, and the radical leftist base is pissed (links below). Who cares?!? For what is supposedly such a hotbed "populist" issue (to me, much more seems like a hotbead "progressive" issue) -- who gives a rat's ass? I suppose there are some Indendents, non-conservatives and non-liberals who do care, but this crap is not even on my radar screen. Here's how I look at the issue (not that I care that much): If the dude/dudess has a contract saying he/she's entitled to the bonus, then they get it. End of story. In contrast, if (1) it's a bonus that's discretionary from the company and (2) the company has accepted some form of bailout or significant federal government subsidy to supports its operations, then that company better be damn sure that the federal government powers-that-be are onboard before issuing said bonus. Is there really any more to this issue than that? Like I said, I'm sick of hearing about it. I don't care.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aKGZkktzkAlA
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/32795.html

The Resounding Answer to the Question Pictured Below? That Would Be a "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!"

...Unless, of course, invading sovereign countries under false pretenses (either known to be false (which I believe) or at best recklessly believed to be true), resulting in horrific wartime deaths of thousands of young American men and women, is your cup of tea.

Folks, this great country deserves so much better than the likes of W and Obama. Both of them represent little ideological fringes of society, not in any way representative of me or you. W was a devoted Neo-Con, a group that doesn't care about much of anything except spreading American power (under the guise of "spreading democracy") by force and intimidation throughout the world. Sorry, that is not what a democratic nation (the greatest in the history of the planet, in my view) goes around doing.

As for Obama -- he's even more garden variety. Garden variety radical far left progressive, that is. If only that garden produced fruit reflective of any more than about 10-15% of the American population, Obama would actually be representing someone. As it stands, he and His Dems in Washington represent hardly anyone. Just another day in America. But I do try to maintain hope. Like I said, we can do better. I hope we will.

(Postscript: Check out the old school Culture Club video, "Miss Me Blind" -- second link below).

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/02/bush_miss_me_yet_billboard_is.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzYGfKGximo

New York Post Is Officially Now My Favorite Newspaper: Today's Headline - Farting Fool Headmaster Gets Busted For Age Discrimination AND Flatulence!

OK, so that's actually a headline that I wrote, but there's plenty of hilarious language in the Post story as well! So apparently this supervisor guy at a New York seminary, who has been referred to as the "unholy 'Gasbag' boss" has been sued for "reeking havoc"! Dude apparently has a very raw ass of almost Biblical proportions (and I thought I was bad). The Post reports that said supervisor "allegedly made life a smelly hell for a longtime employee at the seminary by emitting constant barrages of flatulence in her work area." That's according to the allegations of the employee's new lawsuit. But the story doesn't end there. The employee also alleges that she "caught wind [what else] of an even bigger problem", which would be the supervisor allegedly sending an e-mail to the seminary staff "advocating that older workers put themselves out to pasture." Good stuff from the Post!

As I have expressed a number of times in this space, I LOVE the New York Post and all of the language and puns that it uses in its newswriting. Could journalistic purests criticize The Post? Sure. But at least it's the truth, even if spoken in funny words and puns. And BTW, where are all of those journalistic purests when it comes to FoxNews, MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, New York Times, etc., etc., etc., and all of the partisan slants (to both the right and left) that all of those news entities constantly emanate? Until they say anything about that, they can shut the hell up about the NY Post in my view. As a proud grad of the oldest J-School in the country (University of Missouri-Columbia, BTW), I proudly proclaim that I love the New York Post! -- at least they entertain me and don't give me constant reason to distrust their objectivity.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/unholy_gasbag_boss_sued_for_reeking_KIKFRjR8bmHOOqK1QDHdxM

Some Good News for a Change: One of Missouri's Historic Missouri River Bridges Looks Like It Will Escape the Wrecking Ball (i.e. Implosion).

(Thanks to one of my favorite sites, Bridgehunter.com (link below) for this story and the two pictures above). This is the old railroad bridge in Boonville, Missouri, built in 1932 (and actually the third railroad bridge over the river there, with the original one dating back to the 1874). This bridge has been tied up in litigation for years, since its owner, Union Pacific ("UP"), has wanted to demolish most of it and use some of the approach spans as a part of a new bridge over the Missouri River in Osage City, Missouri. The bridge (not used since the 1980's) previously carried the MKT railroad across the river, and thus should (although UP has previously refused to allow it) be a part of the Katy Trail (which is now a pedestrian/bicycle trail across a huge swath of Missouri on the old MKT railroad right-of-way).

Well, that's now apparently changed, and you dems will be happy to know that it appears to be an actual (although unintended) consequence of your massive stimulus bill and all of its non-stimulus-related earmarks (as I always say, a broken watch is right twice a day): The stimulus bill includes monies earmarked towards the building of the new bridge that UP wants in Osage City, and so therefore there is no longer any apparent interest by UP is using parts of the Boonville bridge in Osage City. As a result, it's being reported that UP has agreed to turn over the bridge to the City of Boonville for rehabilitation into a Katy Trail crossing of the Missouri River. I credit you on this one, UP, despite all of my previous criticisms of you (elsewhere on the Net -- I don't think I've broached this topic previously in this space). (BTW, what I want to know is how they are going to get that vertical lift to lower the middle span of the bridge down after 25 year of non-operation!?! -- but I digress).

A couple of further observations here. First, this is a great development. Recent years have seen a constant pattern of these old Missouri river bridges in Missouri being torn down right and left and never preserved (Hermann, Glasgow, Miami, Lexington, Leavenworth (railroad), the Chouteau Bridge in KC, the Boonville highway bridge, and SOON to be demolished: Atchison, Washington, and the Paseo Bridge in KC). Second, and more soberly, I'll frankly believe the Boonville bridge being a part of the Katy Trail when I see it. One fly in the ointment could be at the local level, because this will an expensive project, and Boonville is a small town and we are in hard economic times. But where there's a will, there's a way, and I think Boonville can do it!

More of a concern for me here is that the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers will try to sink their little devious tenacles into this situation. My previous understanding is that they consider the Boonville bridge to be a hazard to commerical barge traffic on the river (they consider every non-used bridge a hazard to such traffic, by the way). This entity known as the "Corp of Engineers" is the worst enemy of bridge buffs and bridge historians across the country. They sweep in the instant ANY historic bridge is no longer being used, with a constant drumbeat, backed up by federal government resources, that the bridge be immediately torn down. And they almost always get their way. As far as this Rager is concerned, the Corp can go you-know-what itself, and really needs to stay the hell out of the Boonville bridge rehab project. If they try to inject their dirty little hands into this situation, it will become a Crusade in this space and in any effort that I can give (in terms of persuading public opinion) that they fail in any such endeavor. Promise ya that. (Can you tell that I love these old bridges? I'm a bit of a nerd like that, so sue me).

http://www.bridgehunter.com/story/1113/

"Which Group Is Most Obnoxious"?

...asks Politico.com today in a poll you can vote on (link below). Your choices: "Liberals, Conservatives, Libertarians, or Moderates." What, no choice for Independents? I, for one, can be pretty damn obnoxious. BTW, if you force me to make a choice on the four labels that Politico.com includes in its poll, then I'd have to say All of the Above.

http://www.politico.com/arena/

"Revolution"? Sarah Palin Spouts Off Today to Her Conservative Choir. (Nice Legs, By the Way)

The sounds bites I've seen from Palin's speech today at the National Tea Party Convention were mostly the standard talking points-type stuff. But one quote caught my ear -- "America is ready for another revolution and you are a part of this." Maybe I'm being hypersensitive over here (although when have you ever known me to be that way?), but her particular use of the word "revolution" here kind of rubs me the wrong way. I think if you use a powerful word, having a very distinct common meaning, like "revolution," then it shouldn't just be tossed out there, but instead needs some qualification. Such as, "revolution of ideas," "revolution of change," "peaceful revolution" or, heck, my favorite -- "Rager Revolution"! But when you just use the word by itself, and compare the current state of things to the original American Revolution by use of the word "another," I think it's going a bit too far. I think we all know full well that Palin is in no way advocating any type of violent revolution, but I just find her particular choice of words here at best sloppy, and at worst reckless. But it's also not something worth ranting about all night, so I will bid you farewell for now.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/06/palin.tea.party/?hpt=T1

Crawled Out of the Woodwork...

After all these years, new photos of Marilyn Monroe emerge this week from December 1961 (nine months before her mysterious death), when she was 35. Look great. And they're up for grabs if you've got some extra thousands to throw around.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/new_marilyn_monroe_photos_up_for_A4C7TL0TzPv7JalU4v1jaI

Wire Alert!

It appears that Time Warner Cable On-Demand is about to restart a rotation of The Wire series from the beginning. The past few nights, there's been a The Wire entry on TWC's On-Demand menu, but as of yet, no episodes available. But it appears it's about to start.

You know, I don't think I've expressed myself concerning The Wire previously on this blog (which I just started last March): While my blog ranks the Top 5 television sitcoms of alltime (you have to look a ways down on the right hand sidebar), and while I have never endeavored to rank the Top 5 dramatic TV shows of alltime, The Wire officially gives any other dramatic series a run for its money and may be, perhaps, the best dramatic series ever.

Here's my view on The Wire seasons: First two seasons, Absolute Magic. Third season, tended to meander and lose its way a bit. Fourth season: Not as good as the first two, but pretty damn good (forget health care, energy legislation, and even jobs -- Our educational system, particularly its failings in inner-city America, should be one of our very first priorities in the country right now). Final season: Some pretty good elements, but some other stuff that just seemed completely unbelievable (like the whole corpse angle -- like even the McNulty character would ever go that far, and Lester Freeman too!?!).

But I digress. If you have never watched this series -- Watch It. And start from the beginning -- Never, ever, ever try to start watching The Wire in the middle of a season, because you will not have any freakin' idea what's goin' on! (I know that from my very first experience with this show back in its first season).

The Worst Sandwich in America?

A Men's Health top 10 list today on Yahoo.com purports to list the worst sandwiches in America (first link below). It's a decently put-together list, frankly. But I already did such a Top 10 List several months ago (second link below), and I think mine details even worse examples than the Men's Health list. But you can decide...

(Postscript: I was trying to compare my #1 (Captain D's "Catfish Feast") to Men's Health's # 1 (Cheesecake Factory's Grilled Shrimp & Bacon Club) and noticed that Captain D's has, since my original post, radically cut back on the portion size of the so-called "Catfish Feast". The current incarnation of that wonderful "dish" is now about half the cals and half the fat as it was in October 2009. I know it's a cliche, but I truly am laughin' out loud over here!)

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/43781/10-worst-sandwiches-in-america/

http://independentrage.blogspot.com/2009/10/ill-have-diet-coke-with-that-top-10.html

I'm a Troll! I'm a Troll! But My Ma Won't Admit It!

Down Tampa way, the three above-pictured and self-described "Trolls" gang up on an auto mechanic walking back to work after getting his lunch (allegedly). Says Head Troll (the one in the upper left of the mugshots -- i.e. the one most looking like a bona fide troll) to the mechanic:

"I am a Troll! This is MY bridge, so you will have to pay a toll to cross. Hand it over!"

As another one of the gang of Trolls then tries to wedge a pipe up from the ground to use as a weapon, the mechanic drops his burger and runs the hell out of there. The Three Trolls were picked up later and are now asking for their "toll" in the local hoosegaw, although I doubt that they're finding too many payors.

Please remind me in the future that I have absolutely no reason to visit Tampa for -- well -- my entire lifetime for starters?!? (BTW, the Dylan Troll gives Dylans everywhere a real bad name).

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/feb/02/deputies-3-homeless-trolls-arrested-robbery/

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel Versus Sarah Palin In a Cage Fight: Who Wins?

I personally would open up the line with Palin as a 7-6 favorite, but I don't think Emanuel (whom I refer to herein as "Rahm" because it's shorter and easier to type) would be any pushover either. Today's flap between these two: Palin on her Facebook criticizes comments made by Rahm in a "democratic strategy session" discussing a plan by far left progressives to pressure dem Senators viewed as being too centrist. Rahm's comment was that such plan was "F---ing Retarded!" Palin, who obviously has a son with Down syndrome, issued a harsh rebuke on her Facebook, even comparing Rahm's comment to the use of the so-called "N-word" (story linked below).

Now, methinks "Sarah Barracuda" needs to settle down a little bit. Obviously use of the word "retarded" has long been considered inappropriate, and Rahm shouldn't have used it. And I certainly understand Palin's sensitivity on the issue given her personal situation. But to compare use of the word "retarded" to use of the N-word -- which in my opinion is the ugliest word in the English language -- is absolutely an inappropriate comparison. Use of the N-word by a white person is akin to an assertion that an entire group of people is inferior to that person based upon the completely superficial characteristic of which color that group's skin happens to be. The same is mindless, ignorant, anti-intellectual, unenlightened and just plain ugly. There's simply no comparison between that and use of the word "retarded" -- a now archaic, non-politically correct word that was "politically correct" not so long ago. Again, Rahm shouldn't have used it, and he should apologize. But step down (as Palin is apparently calling for)? Please.

And finally, while I do not like Emanuel, I have to say that the progressive plan to which he was referring was, indeed, idiotic. In other words, he was right on the substance, although not in his word choice. If there's one thing that sickens me the most about our two political parties, it's how they are controlled by their extremes, which results in each party being very Tiny Tent. The extremes of these two parties more or less hate people who are somewhere in the center and have no place for such people. And since we have a country comprised of about 40% Independents, plus a whole lot of non-liberal dems and non-conservative republicans, we are left with two very out-of-touch parties and a majority of the country that is not represented by either of them. So what Rahm should have said: "That's F---ing Moronic!"

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0210/Palin_goes_after_Emanuel_on_retarded_slur.html

They Still Have Freak Shows?!? Not Just an Isolated One, Mind You, But "Competing Freak Shows"...

This from the New York Post (BTW, I love their website -- always entertaining material there). Today's story (link below) reports that not only is one "Freak Show" currently thriving in Brooklyn's Coney Island, but apparently a "competing Freak Show" is movin' in to spice up the competition. I can only imagine -- a Freak Show left to monopolize a given market, without any competition, can tend to get a bit stale and full of itself, I would imagine -- at least as Freak Shows go. Although, perhaps rebutting the "stale" description, even the older of these two Freak Shows exhibited the most over-the-top (yet rather sickening) behavior described in the Post's story: "Strong's Coney Island Freak Show made national headlines last year by unsuccessfully trying to stop a five-legged puppy from getting a corrective surgery." I've heard of trying to keep one's roster intact, but that's truly ridiculous.

http://www.nypost.com/p/freak_show_coming_to_coney_oldest_B8RpFdhFu8YAuaBpZfi8cP

When Even Dogs Are Able to Get Access to Guns and Are Using Them on Humans...

...you know we need tighter gun control laws. See linked story -- This is Ruff Stuff. Talk about the country goin' to the dogs...

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/01/ap/strange/main6162474.shtml

The Curious Case of Obama & The Dems' Health Care Legislation: Alive or Dead?

Short answer: It's not dead, at least not yet. What sources told Dick Morris earlier this week -- and as passed along in this space -- was clearly not correct. Morris reported sources telling him that Obama, Pelosi and Reid had basically come to agreement that the House would pass the Senate's version of the bill (with Obama then signing it into law), followed by the House and Senate passing an additional bill that would amend the bill Obama signed so that House dems can get some of the things they want (including, perhaps, a "public option") into the bill. The passage of the second bill was to be accomplished in the Senate by use of the "nuclear option," AKA reconciliation -- an infrequently used procedural gimmick that allows a majority party to circumvent the normal Senate rules and pass a "budget-related" measure by a simple majority vote rather than the typical 60 required to avoid a filibuster.

There has clearly not yet been an agreement to pursue that course of action (Morris' sources were wrong). But make no mistake, Obama/Reid/Pelosi are clearly mulling that very same course of action, and just can't seem to make up their minds (see linked story from today's Politico.com). Regardless of outcome, it's going to be fascinating to observe whether the far left powerbrokers ultimately choose to ram-rod something through using the nuclear option or whether the legislation truly does die on the vine (and of course, the dems also have other options, such as trying to pass more-popular bits and pieces of their bill in piecemeal fashion). But keep your eyes open, because the notion of the dems passing a "comprehensive" bill ain't dead yet, folks.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/32285_Page2.html

Oh My! How the Mighty Have Fallen!

Rip Torn -- once the ruler of his own kingdom, master of the massive and powerful Jun horde that pursued The Beastmaster to the edge of Hell, and owner of the highly esteemed title of "High-Priest Sorcerer" Maax -- gets thrown into a Connecticut hoosgaw this weekend for gettin' drunk, packin' heat, and trying to knock over a bank (allegedly). This may be one of the most dramatic falls from grace since footballer Todd Reesing turned Heisman crowing into a 7-game losing streak to wrap up his career at the University of Kansas. Heck, looking even more big picture, Torn's may be the biggest plunge in fortunes since God cast Lucifer out of Heaven and into The Abyss! "He used to rule the world -- Seas would rise when he gave the word..."

http://www.newyorkpost.com/p/news/national/actor_rip_torn_breaks_into_bank_kdpJfu8HvpPMtNwgAVBISP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44xirQ55IgA

"I Am NOT An Ideologue!", Crows Obama Today. Plus, Now He's Considering Having the Justice Department Look Into College Football's BCS System...

First item today: The ideologue denial immediately conjures up for me images of Nixon's infamous "I am NOT a Crook" proclamation, particularly (1) from a White House that has shown some real Nixonian propensities over the past year (most notoriously, encouraging American citizens to report other citizens to the White House if they say anything "fishy" about Obama & The Dems' health care reform desires), and (2) due to the complete absurdity and non-reality that the two statements share.

Second item: The link below is headlining drudge tonight, and discusses how Obama's Justice Department is making noise about investigating college football's BCS system (yes, I emphasize the B & the S in that abbreviation). Should college football toss the BCS system in the toilet and adopt an 8-team playoff system to determine the national champion? ABSOLUTELY. But should the federal government play any role in trying to force that to occur? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Tell me, is there really any aspect of our lives that Obama & The Dems don't want to get their hands on? Well, actually, I'm not sure why I'm even complaining. They are radical left progressives, after all. It's just what they are and what they want. And BTW, SHAME on old republican fat-cat Orrin Hatch for instigating this BCS-investigation silliness in the first place.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/ncaa/01/29/obama.bcs.ap/index.html?xid=si_ncaaf

Good Cause, First Lady!

Michelle Obama is onboard for a new campaign to fight obesity in the country (first link below). Obesity takes lives prematurely. Obesity drives up health care costs. Any initiative designed to combat it (so long as people are not forced or coerced into losing weight) is fine by me, and I applaud it (because it's damn hard to lose weight). I'll even make my own personal contribution of the recipe for a personal invention of mine -- the ultra low fat Slimeball Sandwich (second link below)!

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60R7N020100128

http://independentrage.blogspot.com/2009/05/gingrich-blasts-pelosi-talk-about.html

Good Grief!

Remind me never to set foot in Rubidoux, wherever the hell that is (appears to be somewhere in Cali). Matter of fact, remind me never to set foot within 2-3 states of wherever Rubidoux is.

http://www.ktla.com/ktla-rubidoux-felons,0,3059243.story

Heard the Last 45 Minutes Of the State of the Union. Struck Me As More of the Same.

...although I did not catch all of it. What I heard was pretty uninspired. Came across as a professor teaching a class or something. On substance, I heard little to indicate any upcoming Clintonian-style move towards the center. Instead, sounds like he's not moving at all to the center. Heck, he probably could have given this exact same speech a year ago, because very little has changed in his rhetoric or what he wants to pursue. We got the obligatory Blame Bush stuff. And I really don't get how he is still calling for earmark reform when he signed a massive "stimulus" bill that had thousands of earmarks, or how he is still calling for more transparency in Washington when he stood by and did nothing as the Senate dems forged all these slimey back-room deals in order to ram through a highly unpopular health care bill. Sorry, it all just rings hollow and missing in any real conviction. Bottom line: Mediocre stuff. I give him a C (lower likely if I'd heard the entire speech, but I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt for the part that I didn't hear).

Random Thoughts...Who Says I'm Some Deranged Right-Winger or Loony Left-Winger? Or Am I Both at the Same Time?

For example, I'm intrigued by the idea of the spending freeze that Obama had proposed. (Of course, his partisans on the left in Congress reject the idea, while mindless right-wingers of course claim that it doesn't go far enough, and so they oppose it too.) If Obama truly wants to turn over a new populist leaf, however, he should first push for a bill that amends the massive stimulus bill of the past year in order to eliminate all of the pork that was not designed nor intended in any way, shape or form to "stimulate" the economy or to create any new jobs. (Obviously, that's never going to happen, I realize.)

Another thing intriguing to me is the idea of caps on credit card interest rates. I saw today that both the banking industry and the Obama administration oppose such caps. (BTW, that particular combination agreeing on something should probably be your first clue that the idea of caps might have some merit). I'm not up on the issue nor well-informed at the moment, but I would at least be open to the idea. Like I said, random thoughts tonight.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/32033.html

Told You So: Reports of the Dems' Massive Health Care Bill Being Dead Were Apparently Greatly Exaggerated.

I had read and heard that Obama, Pelosi, Reid and other high-level dems were meeting this past weekend to talk about possible strategies for saving a large-scale health care bill like the versions that passed the House and Senate last year. Well today, Dick Morris reports on the plan that came out of those meetings. Here's the new plan, according to what sources have told Morris: First, the House will vote to pass the version of the bill that the Senate previously passed. That bill will then go to Obama, who will sign it into law. Of course, radical left progressives in the House hate the Senate bill -- And so why would they ever vote for it? Because in advance of voting for it, Senate dems will promise them in writing that certain changes will be made to the Senate bill after it's signed into law. How can that be, you ask? The changes will be made in the form of new legislation that will "amend" the bill that's already been signed into law.

So next you ask -- How could such "amendments" ever get through the Senate since the dems have lost their 60-seat supermajority? Well, according to Morris, that's where the so-called "nuclear option" (the obscure budgetary procedure called "reconciliation") would come in, with the Senate ramming through the "amendments" by needing only 51 votes -- effectively bypassing the normal legislative process in the Senate, which requires 60 votes to avoid a filibuster.

Now, if there was ever a case in which a person actually hates to say I told you so, this would it. I only wish the dems' massive and widely unpopular health care bill was truly dead. Maybe it will still die (e.g., if not enough House or Senate dems agree to buy in on this new Obama/Pelosi/Reid plan), but it certainly would appear that it ain't dead yet (subject to Morris' sources being way off, which I doubt).

http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/2010/01/25/pelosi-and-reid-plot-secret-plan-for-obamacare/#more-710

Obama & The Dems: We're Gonna FIGHT! Are They Blind? Or Purely Fatalistic?

The rhetoric from Obama & The Dems this weekend is that of No Retreat, No Surrender, No Movement to the Center. Despite the recent results in Massachusetts, Virgina and New Jersey, they're ready to FIGHT, they claim, and to remain on course with the far left progressive agenda that they've been trying to force down our throats over the past year. Not that any of this comes as a surprise. As expressed in this space and elsewhere, I had little confidence following the Brown victory this week that Obama would show the political shrewdness of Bill Clinton after the repubs took control of Congress in 1994, which resulted in a sharp march to the center by Clinton (saving Clinton's presidency and garnering him a second term).

Do Obama & The Dems really think it's just a little noisy group of conservative republicans and tea partiers who have rejected the far left course that they want to lead this country down? Well, I for one don't think they're that dumb. I think they know full well, or at least have some strong indication, that the opposition to their vision runs rampant among Independents, non-conservative republicans and non-liberal dems alike. I just don't think they really care (even though they risk losing the entire Congress this fall if they proceed as they have been). And that complete indifference to the Will of The People is precisely what makes them so dangerous. We have not yet seen the end of Scary Days, folks.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703415804575023503578243386.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories