CBO update

Erik Kain

Erik writes about video games at Forbes and politics at Mother Jones. He's the contributor of The League though he hasn't written much here lately. He can be found occasionally composing 140 character cultural analysis on Twitter.

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5 Responses

  1. silentbeep says:

    “It almost makes you wonder why they didn’t just make a piece of real progressive legislation and then jam it through, and take hits where they need to. You know, barter. Go big and then work your way down. If you start with such a feckless, unambitious bill, what are you likely to end up with once all is said and done?’

    I’ve been asking myself these questions my entire voting life as a liberal (with very small libertarian leanings). There is a reason why the democratic party has such a wimpy reputation. They are too willing to concede when they don’t have to, way before the inevitable negotiations and whittling down starts. It’s stunningReport

    • greginak in reply to silentbeep says:

      Well the Democratic party is not all that progressive. They are a broad coalition with not that much of the old style lefties still around (conservo inability to understand the definition of words or the political spectrum aside). Also they had to postion a bill to prevent to much opposition from the various powerful forces (AMA, AARP, drug companies, hospitals, etc)Report

  2. silentbeep says:

    “Also they had to position a bill to prevent to much opposition from the various powerful forces”

    Well that’s the thing right? That’s what I mean. Inevitably, the Democrats weren’t going to get everything they wanted, no matter what they proposed. It’s the unwillingness to take the hits that bothers me so much, it’s strange because the “hits” get taken regardless, it’s as if they operate on some delusional assumption that the GOP, deep down inside, really wants to agree with the Dems to pass “blue” proposals. No guts.

    I’m a realistic liberal, there really is nowhere else for me to go, Naderite candidates are not a pragmatic option in my eyes. I’m too leftie to be “independent” cause I vote for Democrats everytime anyway, that’s not very independent.

    The Democratic party needs to learn how to be a “big tent” party again, which includes ultra-blue progressives….I can only hopeReport

  3. Tim Kowal says:

    I don’t get why insuring 29 million previously uninsured is “not bad” but “not great either.” According to Obama, we only have just over 30 million uninsured. And Megan McArdle explains pretty well why the number is actually much lower than that.Report

  4. nick.t. says:

    Well, I don’t know that the Baucosity is going to be much like the final bill that Obama will get to sign. I suspect that this is the high tide for Baucus (which is pretty bad news for him), and that you’ll see a more radical bill in fairly short order. I would agree that a number of Democratic Senators are wishywashy centrists at best, but they can read the polls as well as anyone. What the polls say is that the public option is popular, and that Senators who deny it to their Democratic constituents may not have much of a future. I would be tempted to place a small bet that the final version will include a good public option, that it will get an up and down vote in the Senate, and that about five Democrats will vote against, having previously broken the filibuster.Report