Isn't Change Great?

More information on Tom Daschle's double-dealing on health care which, strangely, doesn't seem to bother President Obama all that much:

Six months have passed since the morning when Tom Daschle, the former Senate Democratic leader, under fire for not paying certain taxes, called President Obama in his study off the Oval Office to withdraw his nomination as health secretary and reform czar.

But these days it often seems as if Mr. Daschle never left the picture. With unrivaled ties on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, he talks constantly with top White House advisers, many of whom previously worked for him.

He still speaks frequently to the president, who met with him as recently as Friday morning in the Oval Office. And he remains a highly paid policy adviser to hospital, drug, pharmaceutical and other health care industry clients of Alston & Bird, the law and lobbying firm.

Now the White House and Senate Democratic leaders appear to be moving toward a blueprint for overhauling the health system, centered on nonprofit insurance cooperatives, that Mr. Daschle began promoting two months ago as a politically feasible alternative to a more muscular government-run insurance plan.

It is an idea that happens to dovetail with the interests of many Alston & Bird clients, like the insurance giant UnitedHealth and the Tennessee Hospital Association. And it is drawing angry cries of accommodation from more liberal House Democrats bent on including a public insurance plan.

Evidently this makes it all OK:

Friends and associates of Mr. Daschle say the interests of Alston & Bird’s clients have no influence on his views. They say he sees no conflict in advising private clients on the one hand and advising the White House on the other, because he offers the same assessment to everyone: Though he has often said that he favors a government-run insurance option, the Senate will not pass it.

Remember the days when Barack Obama said it was going to be about Main Street, not K Street?

 A Truly Sympathetic Note To My Lefty Friends: You've been fuckin' had. Big time.

Comments

[elliottg]

You're posting a lot. I hope that means you are still in terrible pain.

[Dennis the Peasant]

We can always count on you to grapple with the issues using all your intellect, can't we elliott?

[Dennis the Peasant]

Actually, PhRMA sent me some free painkillers, courtesy of Barack Obama.

[Mike C.]

Is it just me, or is this blog taking on somewhat of a political tone of late ?

How's your speaking voice ? You keep this up and you're going to be forced to abandon the carefree world of accounting and be doomed to slave away for several hours every week (for a multi-million/year contract) as an evil talk show radio host.

[markg8]

They're buying you off with Oxycontin Dennis? C'mon you can do better than that.

[markg8]

Take Mike C. up on his advice Dennis. Limbaugh, Hannity and O'Reilly have much more influence than any Republican politician.

[David]

"I hope that means you are still in terrible pain."

Nothing distinguishes a progressive like ill-will.

DIAF

[Dennis the Peasant]

Mark-

If it's good enough for Rush, it's good enough for me.

[Mike C.]

"Limbaugh, Hannity and O'Reilly have much more influence than any Republican politician."

More's the pity. On several levels. If anybody out there can actually raise the dead, would you PLEASE bring back James Madison ? Oh, and maybe Samuel Clemens ?

OTOH, those three make some serious coin - Muffy could be positively dripping jewels and fur.

[richard mcenroe]

Mr. Madison's biggest achievement was getting Washington burned to the... oh, wait, I see your point.

Dennis, they been fuckin' had, now they're gonna have the fuckin'.

Don't think that will upset them too much though. If you click on the Resources link at whitehouse.gov they've got a .pdf of "Mandingo" available for download.

With an introduction by Kathleen Parker. Don't know why.

[markg8]

You really must have a tiny penis Richard.

[Mike C.]

"Mr. Madison's biggest achievement was getting Washington burned to the... oh, wait, I see your point."

Never read "The Federalist Papers" eh ? Color me unsurprised.

Ever think of calling Orkin, Dennis ?

[just passin by]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...instead of some multi-syllable, meandering, rationalizing explanation of why they have NOT been bamboozled by the Obamamessiah, your pet lefties come in and crap all over the floor.

Well boys, looks like the only thing left when the bullshit has run out is hate.

Or maybe it's just time to admit that your ONE is a conman, and your party is just as corrupt as the R's...

[PeterUK]

Some scalpel sharp rebuttals from the liberals on this. They must really be hating themselves in the mornings.

[Allen]

It's terrible when the fig leaf is torn away. That's probably why the democrats are so pissed at the republicans right now. They can't blame their own double dealing on republican double dealing.

It does give a new breath to "bi-partisanship"

[PeterUK]

It's terrible when the fig leaf is torn away. It is indeed.

[Dennis the Peasant]

Man, we haven't had this much venom is a thread since that time the 2,000 Big Fat Lesbians showed up.

[JeffS]

Or maybe it's just time to admit that your ONE is a conman, and your party is just as corrupt as the R's...

I'd argue that the R's are SLIGHTLY less corrupt than the D's, JPB. But not very hard. Or very long.

It does give a new breath to "bi-partisanship"

Amen.

[Dennis the Peasant]

If the Republicans are slightly less corrupt, it is only because they lack sufficient imagination. It certainly isn't for lack of trying.

[PeterUK]

Socialists are worse because they pretend they are doing it for you.

[JeffS]

It certainly isn't for lack of trying.

That's why I wouldn't argue hard or for long. And I don't view incompetence in corruption as a virtue.

[JeffS]

Socialists are worse because they pretend they are doing it for you.

And that's why I would try, at least at first. There are enough idiots out there who will swallow it whole, uncooked, and without any seasoning (Mark, for instance). Pretending it's "for my own good" is more than a little condescending, and very insulting. Don't count me in.

[markg8]

Man, we haven't had this much venom is a thread since that time the 2,000 Big Fat Lesbians showed up.

LOL, do you even read your own stuff?

Apparently Americans don't agree with you guys. Democrats politicians might be losing some popularity (mainly among the impatient base) but Republicans? They're as popular as Nazis. I wonder why?

[markg8]

I tell you what, we'll pass health care reform without any Republican votes and we'll see how it plays out shall we? Let's face it you guys don't really believe all that nonsense about death panels and government takeover. You're afraid that once again our guys will do something yours never did, help Americans. The thought of that just scares the shit out of you. And it ought to.

[Dennis the Peasant]

Mark-

You're sounding a lot like Amanda Marcotte these days. Seriously.

I hope, for your sake, that you find that disturbing.

[Guesst]

Yeah repubs are just like d.My sides!!

[Guesst]

Yeah repubs are just like d.My sides!!

[just passin by]

"Socialists are worse because they pretend they are doing it for you."

Republicans said they would fight a war for us, and bled out our troops lives without a grand strategy, without fighting the left's lies in the public arena, and without placing their own political careers in jeopardy to back the war. They wanted to fight the war on the financial and political cheap, and did so. You can thank America's troops for being so kick-ass that we've had the success we have had so far!

Any repercussions to the Palestinian terrorists? Any attempt to enlarge the military after stretching our resources to fight two wars? Any response to the Iranian government's acts of war in Iraq? Any use of force against North Korean belligerence?

Nope, I gave up on the Republicans in 06. Not just on their lack of will on the national security front, but their unwillingness to approach illegal immigration in realistic terms (yes, I am a racist because I want employers to follow the labor laws that protect the working class of legal Americans, thanks George!), and in general their exuberance in stuffing themselves at the trough of corruption during the middle of two wars.

The Republicans proved that they are unfit to lead this country during hard times, end of story.

We expect the Democrat's to fuck things up, because that's their voter base, but why vote for the R's if they won't do anything other then what the D's do?

[just passin by]

"I'd argue that the R's are SLIGHTLY less corrupt than the D's, JPB. But not very hard. Or very long."

"If the Republicans are slightly less corrupt, it is only because they lack sufficient imagination. It certainly isn't for lack of trying."

They shoot...They score!

[richard mcenroe(and his appendage, "Thor")]

Have you ever seen them together?

[richard mcenroe (and his appendage, "Thor")]

Crap. Page turned.

Dennis, have you ever seen Amanda and Mark together?

[elliottg]

Dennis, sounding like Malkin for six months.

[PeterUK]

He's only getting in touch with his feminine side.

[Tim Worstall]

"You're sounding a lot like Amanda Marcotte these days"

Jeebus....you mean it's catching?

[Eric Blair]

Hahahahahaha...."Non-profit insurance cooperatives" Otherwise known as the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

Leave it to Congress to reinvent what is already out there.

I love that "we" that Mark always uses. It's so cute.

[richard mcenroe]

Republicans: Trillion dollar deficit during a war.
Democrats: NINE trillion dollar deficit, with NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT.

You can't even begin to make the comparison anymore.

[markg8]

Tom Daschle via Bloomberg:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a9fjicD6YGqk

In a separate interview, former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle said Obama is losing patience with negotiations between three Democrats and three Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee, the only congressional panel seeking a bipartisan consensus on a plan to remake the nation’s health- care system.

“He’s waited and waited,” Daschle said yesterday after meeting with the president. “He has indicated, much to the chagrin of people in his party, that virtually everything’s on the table. And he’s gotten almost nothing in return for it.”

It's impossible to negotiate with dining room tables.

Richard -

We had a $990 billion nat'l. debt when Carter left office in 1981. Thanks to decades of tax cuts, mostly for the rich, which Bill Clinton reversed and Dubya reversed once again when Obama came into office the nat'l debt was $11 trillion.

That's eleven fucking TRILLION in debt. Your trickle down economics didn't work. We were promised it would pay for itself with huge tax revenues brought on by unprecedented business expansion. What it actually led to was stock market bubbles and unprecedented debt, not just for the government but the American people too.

Your guys failed us. We couldn't have our cake and eat it too. Now we have adults back in charge and we're going to fix this mess. It'll take years if not decades. If you don't like it then come up with a better plan instead of the same old garbage that got us into the mess in the first place. Cuz in case you haven't noticed Republicans are as popular as Nazis these days and it's because they're touting the same old policies that almost destroyed us.

[PeterUK]

Mark,you are getting repetitive.

[PeterUK]

Presidential approval rate.

[markg8]

It bears repeating for idiots with short memories like you.

[richard mcenroe]

reptile: Nine TRILLION dollars. In less than a year. Embrace it. Love it. Own it. Cuz yer gonna eat it.

[PeterUK]

Richard.Only if he has a job.

[markg8]

*Sigh* Richard go reread the article ya moron.

[Satanam in computatrum]

"LOL, do you even read your own stuff?

Apparently Americans don't agree with you guys. Democrats politicians might be losing some popularity (mainly among the impatient base) but Republicans? They're as popular as Nazis. I wonder why?"

"You guys?" "Republicans?" What is it about us criticizing Democrats that makes you assume we are Republicans? Or are you selectively editing out all of the stuff Dennis has had to say for - oh, about the last 3 years - concerning Republicans? Including 4 comments above your own!

Before you tell him to read his own stuff, you should bother reading it.

And as for passing this shit sandwich without any Republican votes, if the Democrats thought they wouldn't have a bloodbath on their hands in 2010 as it is, they would have already passed it. I mean, isn't that the point of FILIBUSTER-PROOF MAJORITY MANDATE 2008!!!111!1 What, do you think their hesitation is due to some noble wish of bipartisanship (with evil, greedy people nonetheless)? If so, doesn't it piss you off that their attempt to "help Americans" is being held up because they want Republicans on board? If the Democrats have enough votes to pass it without any Republicans, then whose fault is it that it hasn't passed?

[PeterUK]

"If the Democrats have enough votes to pass it without any Republicans, then whose fault is it that it hasn't passed?"

Oh! Now that is downright nasty. Being a Democrat means always having somebody to blame. BTW. When did the Democrats gain a majority in the House?

[markg8]

Satanam they would have passed it already? You don't know enough about the legislative process or calender to bother reading the rest of your tripe. Come back when you do.

[markg8]

And if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it's a duck. Not so long ago Dennis was proudly proclaiming himself a "Reagan Republican" as if he thought he could get away with claiming the current party didn't ascribe to the old fraud's principles. Nothing's changed about conservatives since Goldwater's time except for co-opting the insane religious wingnuts for their own purposes. You can thank St. Ronnie for that. If I had my way I'd carve a big "R" into your foreheads like Brad Pitt does to fuckin Nazis in Inglorious Basterds.

[just passin by]

Bullshit, Mark...

If there was a nazi in the room you'd get down on your knees for him just like you'd do for any jihadi terrorist...

Play the internet tough all you want, but who you are is perfectly obvious to the rest of us.

[Satanam in computatrum]

"Satanam they would have passed it already? You don't know enough about the legislative process or calender to bother reading the rest of your tripe. Come back when you do."

My apologies. I neglected to dumb it down to 5th grade reading level for you. Forgot what I was talking to.

Educate me, then. The Democrats (superhero good guys that only want to "help Americans") have a large majority in the House and a near filibuster-proof one in the Senate (yes, I can count...I say "near filibuster-proof" because it hasn't been tested yet). If this issue is, as you claim, supported by an overwhelming number of Americans, why hasn't it been passed yet? The Democrats control when votes take place, control a majority of those votes, and have an Executive that hung a major part of his political capital on passing this. So what's the hold-up?

Answer: they have only the overwhelming support of the voices in your head. The American people? Not so much.

[PeterUK]

"If I had my way I'd carve a big "R" into your foreheads like Brad Pitt does to fuckin Nazis in Inglorious Basterds."

Mark,you are way too old to play Brad Pitt. Incidentally,that would count as a war crime.
You need help.