Just got this update via Twitter from Matt Yglesias:

Horrible. RT @brianbeutler Kucinich confirms he’s willing to be the deciding vote “against” #hcr http://tpm.ly/….

Really? Really, Dennis Kucinich?

You’re willing to be the deciding vote against healthcare reform?

Come on, people. Enough’s enough.

As NPR reported this morning, we’ve almost forgotten what’s in the Senate bill because of focus on the politics.

Since the Senate passed its version of a health overhaul on Christmas Eve, most of the debate has focused on the politics of the effort. By now, many people have forgotten — if they ever knew — what the bill would actually do.

So here’s a short refresher.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Senate-passed bill would expand coverage to roughly 30 million of the 46 million people in the U.S. who lack health insurance. Most of the remaining uninsured would be undocumented immigrants, who would be ineligible for benefits under the bill.

As President Obama said on September 9, 2009,

We know we must reform this system. The question is how.

There are those on the left who believe that the only way to fix the system is through a single-payer system like Canada’s, where we would severely restrict the private insurance market and have the government provide coverage for everyone. On the right, there are those who argue that we should end the employer-based system and leave individuals to buy health insurance on their own.

I have to say that there are arguments to be made for both approaches. But either one would represent a radical shift that would disrupt the health care most people currently have. Since health care represents one-sixth of our economy, I believe it makes more sense to build on what works and fix what doesn’t, rather than try to build an entirely new system from scratch. And that is precisely what those of you in Congress have tried to do over the past several months.

Now, look, Dennis Kucinich. I am a single payer advocate. I fought for it. I think we need to fundamentally change our system so that it puts patients ahead of profits. I do not believe that any value is added to our healthcare system by having insurance companies that exist to make a profit.

However, I’m also a pragmatist and I recognize that each day we wait, the system gets worse.

And so, I am willing to support an incremental approach if it means that 31 million more Americans get health insurance. I’m willing to support an approach that will cut $500 billion of wasteful spending from our Medicare system. I’m willing to do what it takes to make sure that competition works for consumers, not corporations.

The time for games is over. If you vote against health care reform, I will support your opponent.

Another Late Update 9:58 AM CST: I’m a family systems therapist by training and experience. One of the things we all need to learn is this: The people who have the least to lose have the most power in any negotiations process. I think that explains Kucinich, Stupak, Ben Nelson, Joe Lieberman, and the entire GOP. Taking the default “I’m willing to kill the bill” position gives power to the minority, who can hold the other negotiators hostage by their willingness to walk away from the table. All of us need to keep this in mind as we advocate for change, and when we go to the ballot box. Don’t elect terrorists like Rand Paul, Jim Bunning, and Jim Demint. It’s not just about their stand on the policy issues. It’s about the willingness they have to sabotage the entire political process.

(Comment by Paul Evans: The power trip might explain Stupak, Lieberman and Nelson, but it’s fairly obvious that Kucinich is, although wrongheaded, opposing the health care bill for the right reasons. Poor reasoning, but the right reasons. See below.)

See Obama Health Care Push: Back To His Grasssroots, The Huffington Post, March 8, 2010, by Julie Pace and David Espo, excerpt quoted verbatim:

GLENSIDE, Pa. — Stirring memories of his campaign for the White House, President Barack Obama made a spirited, shirt-sleeved appeal for passage of long-stalled health care changes Monday as Democratic congressional leaders worked behind the scenes on legislation they hope can quickly gain passage.

“Let’s seize reform. It’s within our grasp,” the president implored his audience at Arcadia University, the first outside-the-Beltway appearance since he vowed last week to do everything in his power to push his health care plan into law.

The president’s pitch was part denunciation of insurance companies – “they continue to ration care on the basis of who’s sick and who’s healthy,” he said – and part criticism of his Republican critics. “You had 10 years. What happened? What were you doing?” he taunted members of a party that held the White House for eight years and control of Congress for a dozen.

Comment by Evans Liberal Politics owner Paul Evans: Little Known Fact #3 — Don’t people realize exactly what IS in the health care reform bill??? For example, it pushes back the date at which Medicare becomes insolvent TEN YEARS if it passes?? Little stuff like that? Then, too, you might consider 2010, Congressman Kucinich. If you want the Democratic Party dead in the elections, then just go ahead and block the health care bill.

Apparently Dennis doesn’t “get it”. He may as well be a Republican right winger if he votes against the health care reform bill. It has just the same effect, does it not? Dennis, please, don’t facilitate “Obama’s Waterloo”. That goes for any other Democrat who votes against the bill. It’s pretty dumb, so far as I can see.

BAGHDAD — Defying a sustained barrage of mortars and rockets in Baghdad and other cities, Iraqis went to the polls in strength on Sunday to choose a new Parliament meant to outlast the American military presence here.

“Iraqis are not afraid of bombs anymore,” said Maliq Bedawi, 45, defiantly waving his finger, stained with purple ink, to indicate he had voted, as he stood near the rubble of an apartment building in Baghdad hit by a huge rocket in the deadliest attack of the day.

Insurgents here vowed to disrupt the election, and the concerted wave of attacks — as many as 100 thunderous blasts in the capital alone starting just before the polls opened — did frighten voters away, but only initially.

The shrugging response of voters could signal a fundamental weakening of the insurgency’s potency. At least 38 people were killed in Baghdad. But by day’s end, turnout was higher than expected, and certainly higher than in the last parliamentary election in 2005, marred by a similar level of violence.

Official results are not expected for at least a few days.

Sunnis who largely boycotted previous elections voted in force, and an intense competition for Shiite votes drove up participation in Baghdad and the south, election observers said.

After seven years of a war whose rationale is deeply disputed in the United States, the Obama administration viewed the vote as a test of Iraq’s stability, a last milestone before the final withdrawal of American troops.

Read the full story, here.

Iraq Election, a New Beginning

*****

The Hurt Locker
Wins Best Picture at the Oscars
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[Kathryn Bigelow Wins Best Director Oscar for 'The Hurt Locker']

Commentary by Evans Liberal Politics owner Paul Evans: Yes, it’s scary these days in the downtowns of the major cities. I don’t mean the financial districts, I mean the downtowns where regular people live. There it is very scary indeed. Look, here at Evans Politics, we’re NOT anti-establishement, we are just pro-Democrat, and we even disagree with the Party on some things like abortion, which we are largely against. Bob Swern is my favorite economic commentator, along with Paul Krugman. I guess that makes me progressive as to economic theory. But it’s not just us who feel, and in fact KNOW the economy is in a mess of trouble. Just go downtown someday: to the REAL downtowns….. If we don’t get the Fed in some semblance of order, get it “under control” and get the investment banks properly regulated, the second dip of the double dip recession is coming, and soon.

Washington, you sure better get it together and do the right thing. Democrats, if you don’t get the Fed and the investment banks under control, it ain’t going to be pretty come the 2010 elections. It’s kind of hard to feel good about the party in power when you can’t get a job, you can’t pay your mortgage, and the whole mood of the country is in some kind of gloom. There are five applicants for every job opening up these days. Also, one in five people who are still considered job seekers is unemployed or underemployed. Everybody knows it is the investment banks, and the Fed, and yes, Washington, which is the problem. Better get it together boys. Better listen to the people and do what’s right. Nobody’s fooled, just you people who seem to be the fools to me.

Bob Swern: IMHO, if had to name the two people most spot-on–whose observations and actions concerning the egregious effects that the Quiet Coup has had upon almost everyone but the status quo–about our nation’s historical economic downturn, they’d be Columbia University economics professor and Nobel Prize-winner Joseph Stiglitz and Elizabeth Warren, the Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel on the Wall Street bailout. Charlie Rose had both of them on his show this week.  You may access both interviews, in their entirety, right HERE. I wanted to focus upon Warren in this diary, and her interview is  directly linked: HERE.

Here’s what Zero Hedge had to say about it: “Elizabeth Warren Discusses The Global ‘Enron’: From Wall Street To Greece And Back.”

The appearance of the Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel, Elizabeth Warren, on Charlie Rose is a must watch. In addition to an in depth discussion of the the consumer protection agency, which despite all valiant attempts to the contrary, will likely end up under the Fed’s jurisdiction, thereby making the world’s most powerful cabal even more powerful, Warren touches on a variety of other issues, including the sovereign debt situation, commercial real estate, and the one concept at the heart of it all: the lack of impairments by stockholders (and certainly by debtholders) in what was a bankrupt financial industry. The world would not have ended had banks been forced to readjust their balance sheets: the outcome would have been far simpler – all those who had their collective net wealth associated with the balance sheets, and specifically the equity tranche, of firms like Goldman, JPM, Citi, BofA and Wells would have been wiped out. But why do that when not just they, but the entire government were willing to make it seems that a balance sheet reorganization is equivalent to liquidation. Once again, those at the top were more than happy to take advantage of the stupidity of the morts (whose great desire to be distracted by stupidity like primetime TV is well known to the financial-media complex) and in the process make themselves even richer, and more powerful. Now, we expect yet another blogger to come out with yet another book discussing this and every other deadbeaten horse issue out there. And with time amoral hazard itself will slowly become illegal, as everything, and we mean everything, succumbs to the decision making of the Federal Reserve’s Politbureau. In the meantime nothing will change until democracy itself is reignited in this country.

Warren tells us: “We’ve gone straight from Enron to Greece.” She says, ultimately, it’s all about transparency and honesty, of which there is  virtually none, as far as Wall Street’s concerned. (I posted a diary on this just a few days ago, right HERE.)

Warren touches upon everything from Greece to the too-big-to-fails to wiping out shareholders in bankrupt institutions.

Some snippets from her comments:

On off-balance sheet assets yet to be “marked-to-market” by Wall Street..

“Enron taught us a few years back, you remember, in fact that the books are dirty, that there is one set of books put out in front for everyone to see, but there are effectively off the book transactions that nobody can see that reflect the real risks that your enterprise has taken. “

On wiping out shareholders who made money when everything was profitable… (i.e.: privatizing profits and socializing losses)

‘Wiping out shareholders who were the people who invested and who had profited from all of the mistakes that these companies had made for years and years and years before that, that’s not hard.  That’s not rocket science.  That’s just a difference on who gets to sit at the table and who gets to walk away with money.”

Warren continues on to remind us that, due to the just-commencing downturn in commercial real estate (CRE), approximately 3,000 of our nation’s 8,000 banks are at risk of insolvency in the course of the next 36 months. In what’s just the first inning of a rather massive commercial real estate bust, it’s really all about how this will affect these banks that just happen to be the same banks that have been the traditional source for capital for much of our nation’s small business. As Warren reminds us, this is one of the basic reasons why small business lending’s become so tight in the past couple of years; banks are building up reserves for the crash and burn ahead.

(Comment by Evans Liberal Politics owner Paul Evans: not to mention the great Chinese real estate bubble that’s about to “burst” onto the scene – so maybe it’s a bad pun, but we’re going to have to deal with it. Maybe that will be what triggers the second dip — or the depression we all fear.)

And, on the double-dip Great Recession, the meme that even some of the blogosphere’s most optimistic pundits downplayed up until just the past few weeks…

CHARLIE ROSE: Joe Stiglitz, who you know who was here last night, basically says he fears we’ll see a double dip recession, so the economy has to do with inventory and the end of the stimulus and a whole range of issues, unemployment staying where it is. Do you have that kind of, even though you’re a lawyer and not an economist, fear about this economy?

ELIZABETH WARREN: I am afraid.  I’m afraid because of what I see in the real economy. I’m afraid because I don’t see books that are clean, balance sheets that have been cleaned up.  I’m afraid because in October of 2008, Secretary Paulson came to the American people and he said the problem is toxic assets on the books of the banks, and they’re still there.

–SNIP–

I’m afraid because Secretary Paulson said there’s too much concentration in the banking industry, and there’s even more concentration today than there was…

As Warren closes out the interview she says we have not “…begun to rebuild an economy we can believe in. “

It’s true. As the Senate decides whether or not they’ll even bother to create a very weak, virtual caricature of the Consumer Finance Protection Agency–one without any teeth in it at all; one which Barney Frank just referred to as “a joke”; and one that might very well have been run by none other than Warren, herself–“the truthteller,” Elizabeth Warren, admits she’s afraid of what the future holds for the economic well-being of almost all Americans.

See U.S. Enriches Companies Defying Its Policy on Iran, The New York Times, March 6, 2010, by Joe Becker and Ron Nixon. (And we’re talking $107 billion here.)

Read The U.S. Senate and Bunning’s Universe, Evans Liberal Politics, March 5, 2010 by Paul Krugman.

Find out All about Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman, here.

Read The Up-or-Down Vote on Obama’s Presidency, The New York Times Op-Ed lead, March 6, 2010, by Frank Rich.

** Pat Buchanan in the Miami Herald, Thursday, November 13, 2008: "The GOP needs to confront the truth: The failure of the Bush presidency lies not in a failed execution of policy but in the policies themselves and the neoconservative ideology that informed them." Yes, you read that right. (I guess since then Buchanan has “seen the darkness”, you might say, although he’s not entirely insane. Bigoted, but not insane. Not quite.

Flash: Kansas secedes from union!

Also from Kansas, Evangelical Scientists Refute Gravity With New "Intelligent Falling Theory"

The steadfastly Republican state gave it’s nod to McCain by a margin of 56.8% to 41.4%.

Head over to the "Yes Men’s" beautiful, fully functional parody site on the New York Times.

** 45 percent of Republicans strongly or somewhat agree that "Republicans should give Barack Obama the benefit of the doubt and help him achieve his plans." 47 percent of Republicans strongly or somewhat agree that "Barack Obama will lead the country down the wrong path and Republicans should oppose his plans." This gives some idea of the sorts of splits within the GOP. Source: Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, Nov. 7, 2008

** Ed Kilgore in Thursday’s (November 13) Talking Points Memo Cafe article has a brilliant discussion of the stillborn debate within the Republican Party which, as usual, the Traditionalists seem to have won before the moderates could make any headway. Basically, the Republicans no longer control (think Congress and the Electoral college map) any territory where more moderate views are popular. The article, titled "The Anatomy of Conservative Self-Deception," should not be missed.

Palin Abandoned by Governors

** Over at Think Progress, it just came out that the RGA, the Republican Governor’s Association, has adjourned and revealed their organization’s new leadership positions and that Sarah Palin got NOTHING. South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford was voted RGA Chairman and the other positions were filled, but the Queen of Wasilla was a wash.

Run Sarah Run

Will Sarah Palin run in 2012? Is she a national joke? Was she the reason the Republican base was AT ALL energized in this election or were far more on-the-fence voters, Reagan Democrats and Independents so turned off that Palin caused, at least to a considerable degree, the 9 million vote plus margin of victory for Obama? What do you think? Before you make up your mind, I have this little tidbit to contribute: the CNN analysis of the Saturday Night Live version, and the real version, of part of the Palin interview with Katie Couric. Personally I think that if the Republican leadership should be so foolish as to allow Sarah Palin ANY degree of prominence in the months and years to come, they will really regret it. Hardcore right wing and fundamentalist Republicans still seem very interested in her, but the party leadership (correctly, it appear[ed] to me) seems intent on her fading into the woodwork. As a committed Democrat I think Palin prominent in the Republican Party would guarantee the 2012 election for the Democrats (oops, I guess we should shut up and let them hang themselves). Watch the video and decide for yourself:

Current (3-7-2010) comment by Evans Liberal Politics owner Paul Evans: Well, what’s changed since November 23, 2008?? It IS pretty obvious that the Republican leadership has fully embraced the far right and to a lesser extent fundamentalist positions, and is now opposing Obama tooth and nail. From this post it appears that initially after Barack Obama was elected, it was more like people such as Sarah Palin who were outside the mainstream of the Republican Party. Sadly, that isn’t true anymore. Go ahead, Republicans: run Sarah Palin for President; PLEASE, we Democrats are begging you — run Sarah Palin for President! Pretty please???

CNN Laughs It Up Over Sarah Palin Interview

See also, Keith Olbermann: McCain/ Palin couric interview, September 29, 2008, MSNBC, YouTube video.

*****

"Every company in America should be on its knees thanking Jesus for being born. Without Christmas, most American businesses would be far less profitable." — Bill O’Reilly

…and THIS, kiddies, is how the Republican leadership really feels. This is why the Republicans lost the election. Their leadership feels not humble joy of celebration at Jesus’ birth. No, they’re mainly glad they can make money off him. This is out of touch with the feelings of the American people, largely. Republicans are interested in the top one percent of the population who are wealthy enough to be worthy of their legislative attention. I guess the rest of us aren’t worth much to the G.O.P. I guess they really don’t want crack mothers and crack babies to have food and medicine.

Right?

Click the Gloating Donkey to Listen to Paul’s Playlist of Great Electronic Rock Music!

The fallout has begun from the offensive, insulting and juvenile fundraising pitch by the GOP at its retreat in Boca Grande. Via Ben Smith at Politico:

A prominent Evangelical figure and Republican donor says he will end his contributions to the organized Republican Party in reaction to the leaked fundraising presentation that advised using “fear” to solicit contributions and displayed an image of President Obama as the Joker from Batman.

Mark DeMoss, who heads a major Christian public relations firm in Atlanta and served as a liaison to the Evangelical community for Mitt Romney in 2008, wrote Chairman Michael Steele yesterday that he was “ashamed” of the presentation, calling depictions of Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Majority Leader Harry Reid “shameful, immature and uncivil, at best.”

Ben Smith has the full text of DeMoss’ letter, copies of which were enclosed to all Republican Party Committees as well as the Congressional leadership. But here’s the key graf:

While I realize your office made steps to distance you from this presentation I’m afraid the presentation is representative of a culture and mindset within the Republican National Committee; consequently, I will no longer contribute to any fundraising entity of our Party—but will contribute only to individual candidates I choose to support.

The media may be generally unwilling to discuss Republican deficiencies as we approach the 2010 election, but the culture underlying this presentation ought to become a subject for discussion. This modern version of the GOP has shown itself to be an insular and insolent Party that thinks its insulting and degrading message will play well across the country. And the turning tide shows they’re not entirely right.

See 2010: The Tide is Turning, Daily Kos, March 5, 2010, by kos (highly recommended).

Progressives may be denied their overriding health care priority this time around, but according to President Barack Obama, it won’t be over with this bill.

Obama urged leading progressive Democrats in a closed-door meeting Thursday evening to back the health care bill, placating their concerns about the public option and warning them that the liberal agenda was at stake.

Obama told the group of House members he thought the public health insurance option didn’t have the votes this time, but reportedly assured them he’ll revisit it after the bill’s passage, warning that failure would imperil the issue for a generation.

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) said after the meeting that Obama’s message was, “If this opportunity passes, much of our agenda, on the progressive side…it would be difficult, if not impossible for a generation to get back to this issue,” according to .

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) added, “He encouraged us to understand that this is the beginning of health care reform, not the end of it — and that we will fix it later, as we have with Social Security and Medicare,” in an interview with The Plum Line’s Greg Sargent.

“He doesn’t believe the Senate has 51 votes for the public option,” Woolsey said. She added that Obama “thanked” the assembled, telling them their advocacy made the bill much stronger and that this wouldn’t be the end for health reform.

Grijalva and Woolsey, the two co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, have lately withheld their support for the bill but sounded sold on it by last night.

Sargent reported that Woolsey said “she’s now a definite Yes on the Senate bill” even if it excludes the public option. The congresswoman last week told Raw Story that if the public option fails she would introduce it in a separate package soon after its enactment. ….

“It’s pretty compelling,” said Grijalva, who on Wednesday told Salon he’s leaning toward voting no, of Obama’s remarks.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said Obama told them in the meeting that “31 million people will have health insurance as a result of this bill.”

Read the full article, here.

See President Obama thanks Progressives For Advocacy to Make the Bill Better, Daily Kos, March 3, 2010, by TomP.

From the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: Please help with your contribution for the final push on the health care reform bill.

President Barack Obama called on Congress to schedule a final up-or-down vote on health reform in the next few weeks, saying the time for talking is done and making clear that’s he’s prepared to pass reform on a party-line vote.

“Now is the time to make a decision about how to finally reform health care so that it works, not just for the insurance companies, but for America’s families and businesses,” Obama said at the White House, kicking off what he promised would be a full-on campaign to pass reform.

And without saying the word “reconciliation,” Obama signaled that he’ll pass reform with Democratic votes only if necessary – all but daring the Republican to get on board or watch Congress go ahead without them, using the parliamentary tactics that would require just 51 votes in the Senate.

He laid down a timetable – which would wrap up the bill before the Easter break in Congress – and a Democratic line of attack: we’re not passing this in a backroom deal, we’ve already passed it in both the House and the Senate under the traditional rules. All that’s left now is the clean-up.

“No matter which approach you favor, I believe the United States Congress owes the American people a final vote on health care reform. We have debated this issue thoroughly, not just for a year, but for decades,” Obama said.

The White House announced that Obama would travel to Philadelphia Monday and St. Louis on Wednesday to stump for reform – his most hands-on pitch for health care since last summer, when Obama was doing events daily to make the case for his plan.

Obama signaled that part of his pro-reform push would be an attack on Washington ways, the theme he rode to the presidency.

“I know there’s a fascination, bordering on obsession, in the media and in this town about what passing health insurance reform would mean for the next election and the one after that. Well, I’ll leave others to sift through the politics. Because that’s not what this is about. That’s not why we’re here,” Obama said.

Republicans have already given Obama their answer – a resounding no – to his offer to add GOP ideas to his bill in hopes of getting their votes. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said after the speech that the president is calling on members of Congress “to ignore the wishes of the American people” and said November midterms could turn into a referendum on health care reform.

…..

For a president who Democrats grumbled didn’t do enough early on to guide them, Obama couldn’t have been more clear in the 15-minute address, giving Democrats a calendar, a campaign plan and talking points to sell reform to skeptical voters. And he pledged his own involvement as well.

Read the full article, here.

See Updated: Obama’s final march for health reform (and more good news), Daily Kos, March 3, 2009 ,by Blackwaterdog.