Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas to the Democrats
and Happy Boxing Day to the Republicans,
not to be PC or leave any others out.
Or other coping havens of hope.

[President Obama Hails Reform/Salon]
[Here they are! The Bills side by side. Detroit Free Press]

[Note that the above two links were read and inserted after the rest of this post, except ** and ***, not to mention David Sirota ]
My comment:

It would seem to me that Congress should be able to "get 'er done" without the 60 votes. Either as some suggest by "going nuclear" (I am against Nuclear Power but) by blowing up the filibuster or somehow utilizing a reconciliation or conference process to do it. Failing that, there are probably enough progressives to kill the bill, but that may not be necessary[or advised**]. Removing the mandate, just might put this in the category of a budget issue under reconciliation, but failing to remove the mandate, might just put this on the track for constitutional review and modification, where it is imagined that a public option just might be the only option. It just might be wise for the Republicans not to push the constitutional issue and settle for a public option now, possibly with a 10-15% buyin margin on Medicare. In the alternative, giving states an option to have a public* plan, and freeing those to sell out of state, might be another crack in the (just say no)[***] armor.

[TruthOut/McClatchy -- Steve Clemons/Huffington}

* one Representative mentioned that the option would have a name other than public, and that could just be non-profit or within the caps imposed.

[In a bit of Re-Mythication, I might say: From hurding cats to a real cat fight, this is no sausage or hot diggity dog eat dog world. Or from Real Mythication to Real Miffication in regards to others, it is better than FAUX News.]

[** semantics are more than a quibble between liberals and progressives, but between principles and progress (side note: some claim that "progressive" is just a label to avoid the "liberal" charge but both are needed, while labels should not give cover for inaction or misconceptions.]
[***(late insert) also: or just say now]

RETRO NOTE: The Ed Show. Not to mention Miff Maddow.
[1-7-09 Hit Ping Pong (see Shhhh!) on the table.]

place holder

The Healthcare Barrage

despite fears
staffers targeting
fishy party

And useful bonus tool.
At first blush a Non-Profit Insurance Option might make sense, but I am only suggesting that the tool be used for moving forward without filibuster.

Leaking Intelligence

Why are Republicans Forcing a Shutdown of Government? This is the ledership to a preemptive thought bubble blown earlier. i.e. I thought that the Republicans are going to force a shut down because they have already blamed one on the Democrats just as the Democrats are about to present their compromise. Now this is not to predict a shutdown, but it is easy for the Republicans to predict one. And indeed it may only be in the Democrats power to force one. Just look at Wisconsin. Woops, even their out of state filibuster did not stop the Republicans. Now, cutting the jest and my tangent. Back to the thought bubble. The Republicans may force a shutdown to blame the Democrats, or the Democrats may force a shutdown to hold their horses. It seems that false equivalents, make it either the Trojan Horse or the Four Horseman. But back to my thought bubble, I just said that.

{Further leaking of nuance and exceptionalism, the so-called Constitutionalists, orginal intenders, and frackin' flip-floppin' neo-cons or Libertarians forget all about the Bush administration and the congressional behaviour then. As I have sketchily outlined the constitution and the war powers act and the partiot act, the president is within his powers until the law or the spirit changes it. How much Iron Knee or I Ron Knee is there that the UN Libya resolution is Numbered 1973? Or that the Patriot act was just extended?

BTW: Freedom is not a license, in reaction to or spin-off of Bill Maher, in respect to the requirement of humor for him and not Beck or O'Reilly, and I might add or Trump a few others.

Hint: on labels and scroll-over tangent I have not always read nor will I read (or reread)all links that are embedded in my blog. But I do wish to note them as sometimes serving as footnotes which I sometimes google post post, which sometimes may just be scrolled over or glannced at after clicking on to get the gist of.

[Toxic Leak? I am concerned with the roles that government spouses play. Not to mention Media Matters and its battle with FOX related to its non-profit status. But let me burst my thought bubble. The Republicans may not hold together on the ability to shut it down, but it will likely be another extention. I don't think either side wants to shut it down, but look who's talking.]
[Speaking of breaking or thought: here is the why, which will be inserted later, but it is for now to get the Democrats to move, and blame them for failure when the Republicans can move the line away a better economy. Stuck bubble: Should Corporate Executive go to jail for killing people? No, since corporations are people the whole corporations should. Just being facitious but really, they should be paying the same taxe rates as people, and have passports.]

May Day!

King County Executive Race
Update.
Yesterday

MAY 5th, Race Forum
The race is now comprised of 4 Democrats and a "nominal independent".
Characterizations are dangerous
but so are closets.
If not amnesia.

Source Dump or Septic Tank:
SoundPolitics
Examiner
RedCounty
RD.net
SeattleTimes
SeattlePIblog
SeattleWeekly

As characterizations go, it may be fair and balance to list it so:
King County Chair Dow Constantine and former Chair and current Council Member Larry Philips are of Seattle, while State Rep and Microsoft manager Ross Hunter, along with former Republican Rep. now Democratic Senator Fred Jarrett are of the Eastside, with former newscaster and current non-profit executive Susan Hutchison is kind of out of the blue. Speaking of executives and managers, how many would love to be able to just hand out money or hold it back in the name of good?

StandUp

This is a wisecrack.
[Actually I did not have the link in mind when I started this post, but unlike many I insert, I have read it completely. I had also previously been wondering why Paul Krugman does not have more influence. I think it is because he does not talk down to his readers, and if he does, the rest of his message is not understood. Not to continue some word play on the letter T, but timing is sometimes everything. Well, nothing is ever everything, but it is always a part of change and existence. So in this case, I suggest that another Key is Obama. Just like the Laugher Curve and one could say that it is more about location, (No Real Estate Pun), please read the above Paul Krugman column with timing, and location in mind. So...sides aside(Keynesian** is not Kenyan) keep in mind that change depends on both timing and location, not to mention that* in other areas***.

* time, location and changes(and our global relationships)
** not to vouch for wisegeek(or ads by google: i.e. Mises, or the Austrian School) let alone wikipedia [And not to emphasize government involvement, but more than just monetary and fiscal involvement.]
*** Field Theory
[Not to be a non-profit prophet, but what about the lameduck congress? And not just to pun, but what is the political calculus of the many bills pending from the House and chance for reconciliation.]
[And speaking of timing, Ed Schultz is not live, but he began his show saying you cannot build a party from the middle. Now by dropping his name I hope you have not tuned out, but I don't mean to agree with everything he says. He was saying this to both parties, or at least to me he was. Maybe he was saying it more to the Democrats, but it should be clear that whatever the Tea Party is, I doubt it is the middle, but it does depend on if you(we) are governing or running, and we should do the former.]

Cap and Trade?

[American Clean Energy and Security Act: Waxman/Markey Bill [** correction below]
Energy Bill narrowly passes House.(Carol Browner: White House Energy Advisor)
The Progress Report at Think Progress.

It seems that if the criticisms this energy plan, as well as that of the public component(The Ed Show) of health care reform have any merit, it will mean that there is no invisible hand of the market. If the competition that a not-for-profit health care option provides will do in the insurance industry, and if a market solution to incentivize pollution reduction is not feasible, then the market might not be the arena that solutions can be found. Maybe the solution would then be found in demand side economics. And given the compromises that comprise the effort to be non-partisan[*], further amendments should be well considered as to not weaken the progress or threaten failure, as further pressure for change might result.

[*]link linked post-post

[Pre-post err us missing link? generational accounting. Suffice to say: accounting is not economics nor math accounting...for values, let alone the right "scoring".]
[6-30-09: See Voodoo Economics Redux?
and "a new clean energy economy"]

[** Waxman-Markey Climate Change Bill or another misnomer aka H.R. 2454]

Avian Update

Chicken Hawk Up.
Media Matters Alert!
Republican Trillions in Error*.
Not one for slow blogging or even reading...mean flighty links and flash blogging.***

[ASTE(R)ISK IV: TO READ(usually a self-admonition or pun)but see below between * & ** and note that the long term errors could be flip-flopped as4 investment turn around i.e Refudiate d Economics. Update under(over) construction.]

QCON: Stephanie** Miller
Conservative claim submitted that Sherrod leak was an Obama distraction from all of Obama's problems. My earlier thought was that it was a distraction from all his successes. In fact, my idea is supported by the fact that Breitbart had this for months.(by one account, accuracy aside) Camel's nose under tent? It occurred to me re: Tax increase verses Expiring Cuts. This means that Republicans are the camel's nose, when they now want to extend cuts scheduled to expire. On the other hump, Democrats will extend the middle class tax cuts. Not to mention one of these could actually pay for the other.[McClatchy]

* Trillions in error: based on 500 billion in 2020 alone
[Not to mention "tax on uncertainty" of small businesses being so impacted: If they hire more, they will be taxed less, and profit more.]
** Obama takes on GOP "shadow groups" and hails DISCLOSE act.
[***] see Deficit Pidgeons? non update ***.