Comments for The Unpersons http://theunpersons.wordpress.com "Syme was not only dead, he was abolished, an unperson." Fri, 18 Dec 2009 01:01:20 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on This health care bill should fail by sshelato http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/this-health-care-bill-should-fail/#comment-582 sshelato Fri, 18 Dec 2009 01:01:20 +0000 http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/?p=1202#comment-582 This is a format I can get behind. I wouldn't complain if they kept it going a few more rounds. This is a format I can get behind. I wouldn’t complain if they kept it going a few more rounds.

]]> Comment on This health care bill should fail by Linus http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/this-health-care-bill-should-fail/#comment-581 Linus Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:30:27 +0000 http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/?p=1202#comment-581 And just to follow that up, Jon Walker at FDL posted his 20 answers here: http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2009/12/16/answering-nate-silvers-20-questions-on-killing-the-senate-bill/ And Nate Silver responds to both Walker and Kos here: http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/12/20-questions-20-responses.html And just to follow that up, Jon Walker at FDL posted his 20 answers here:

http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2009/12/16/answering-nate-silvers-20-questions-on-killing-the-senate-bill/

And Nate Silver responds to both Walker and Kos here:

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/12/20-questions-20-responses.html

]]> Comment on This health care bill should fail by Linus http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/this-health-care-bill-should-fail/#comment-579 Linus Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:16:26 +0000 http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/?p=1202#comment-579 Kos provides 20 answers here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/12/16/815402/-20-answers Kos provides 20 answers here:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/12/16/815402/-20-answers

]]> Comment on This health care bill should fail by sshelato http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/this-health-care-bill-should-fail/#comment-578 sshelato Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:54:52 +0000 http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/?p=1202#comment-578 With the timing of the posts at least, it's almost like you and Nate Silver are writing to each other. http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/12/20-questions-for-bill-killers.html With the timing of the posts at least, it’s almost like you and Nate Silver are writing to each other.

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/12/20-questions-for-bill-killers.html

]]> Comment on This health care bill should fail by Linus http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/this-health-care-bill-should-fail/#comment-577 Linus Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:03:06 +0000 http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/?p=1202#comment-577 And another thing, I changed my mind about 20 times last night alone. I very well could do it again. And another thing, I changed my mind about 20 times last night alone. I very well could do it again.

]]> Comment on On defeatism and getting nothing by This health care bill should fail « The Unpersons http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/on-defeatism-and-getting-nothing/#comment-576 This health care bill should fail « The Unpersons Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:02:44 +0000 http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/?p=1198#comment-576 [...] 16, 2009 by Linus As Stendhal hinted, I do indeed come to the opposite conclusion than he does: this health care bill should fail. To [...] [...] 16, 2009 by Linus As Stendhal hinted, I do indeed come to the opposite conclusion than he does: this health care bill should fail. To [...]

]]> Comment on On defeatism and getting nothing by Linus http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/on-defeatism-and-getting-nothing/#comment-575 Linus Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:28:11 +0000 http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/?p=1198#comment-575 Something isn't better than nothing if that something makes life worse. Which is truly the only thing that matters. I don't know if that's true, but I've been bouncing back and forth all night long. This might be the best anti take I've read tonight, and encapsulates many of my thoughts: http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2009/12/15/with-out-a-public-option-the-individual-mandate-is-unacceptable-for-moral-political-and-policy-reasons/ Something isn’t better than nothing if that something makes life worse. Which is truly the only thing that matters.

I don’t know if that’s true, but I’ve been bouncing back and forth all night long.

This might be the best anti take I’ve read tonight, and encapsulates many of my thoughts:

http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2009/12/15/with-out-a-public-option-the-individual-mandate-is-unacceptable-for-moral-political-and-policy-reasons/

]]> Comment on For the last time: there will be no health care bill passed by Linus http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/for-the-last-time-there-will-be-no-health-care-bill-passed/#comment-573 Linus Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:19:13 +0000 http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/?p=1194#comment-573 Right. The White House seems to think that Lieberman is acting in good faith, and that if only they appease him a little more, he'll support health care reform. I think they're being idiots. But even if I am wrong, and King Joe holds the bill hostage enough to get everything he wants and then finally supports it, what will it actually accomplish? The goal was never for Obama to "win," it was to get actual, progressive health care reform that increased coverage and decreased cost. We won't get a progressive or even center-left bill, but a Lieberman bill, which means it will be conservative, and would ensure that the insurance companies headquartered in CT that funnel millions of dollars to Lieberman will reap extraordinary profits. Obama will give a grandiloquent speech about his achievement, while people still won't be able to afford health care and the costs to our nation will rise. Lieberman wins, the insurance companies win, and everyone else loses. Go America. Right. The White House seems to think that Lieberman is acting in good faith, and that if only they appease him a little more, he’ll support health care reform. I think they’re being idiots. But even if I am wrong, and King Joe holds the bill hostage enough to get everything he wants and then finally supports it, what will it actually accomplish?

The goal was never for Obama to “win,” it was to get actual, progressive health care reform that increased coverage and decreased cost. We won’t get a progressive or even center-left bill, but a Lieberman bill, which means it will be conservative, and would ensure that the insurance companies headquartered in CT that funnel millions of dollars to Lieberman will reap extraordinary profits.

Obama will give a grandiloquent speech about his achievement, while people still won’t be able to afford health care and the costs to our nation will rise. Lieberman wins, the insurance companies win, and everyone else loses. Go America.

]]> Comment on For the last time: there will be no health care bill passed by Mertz http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/for-the-last-time-there-will-be-no-health-care-bill-passed/#comment-572 Mertz Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:13:42 +0000 http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/?p=1194#comment-572 http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/12/lieberman-hearts-medicare-buy-in.php I was still optimistic that healthcare reform with some watered down version of a public option would pass until I started seeing shit like this today. I thought that Lieberman and Snowe and Collins would at least have to pretend to be trying for their constituents, who probably realize that but Lieberman is obviously not being subtle about it. Now I'm just depressed about it. Nothing they pass at this point is gonna do much to relieve my frustrations with healthcare as it exists today. http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/12/lieberman-hearts-medicare-buy-in.php

I was still optimistic that healthcare reform with some watered down version of a public option would pass until I started seeing shit like this today. I thought that Lieberman and Snowe and Collins would at least have to pretend to be trying for their constituents, who probably realize that but Lieberman is obviously not being subtle about it. Now I’m just depressed about it. Nothing they pass at this point is gonna do much to relieve my frustrations with healthcare as it exists today.

]]> Comment on For the last time: there will be no health care bill passed by Linus http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/for-the-last-time-there-will-be-no-health-care-bill-passed/#comment-571 Linus Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:43:57 +0000 http://theunpersons.wordpress.com/?p=1194#comment-571 And let's not forgot *why* this is possible. The Democrats welcomed him back to the party, they've refused to take away his seniority positions and chairmanships of senate committees, and they have ruled out reconciliation as a means to bypass his obstruction. In other words, Lieberman holds 100% of the leverage and Harry Reid has none. Jon Chait saw this coming since October: http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-plank/it-was-lieberman-all-along And let’s not forgot *why* this is possible. The Democrats welcomed him back to the party, they’ve refused to take away his seniority positions and chairmanships of senate committees, and they have ruled out reconciliation as a means to bypass his obstruction. In other words, Lieberman holds 100% of the leverage and Harry Reid has none.

Jon Chait saw this coming since October: http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-plank/it-was-lieberman-all-along

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