What's got everyone so down?

[J. J.]

I went pessimistic in January 2008. 

We might say that there is a malaise settling over the county.  A lot of people that saw promise are seeing failure.

Nik, you cartoon is saying it all.

[bullmoose88]

"Millions of people will die."  Because we didn't pass this version of Health Care?  Seriously?

I get you.  In my view, the system is broken, but making "the sky is falling" type proclaimations--ie MILLIONS--really does a disservice to one's cause.

Marokai's tens of thousands is probably a fairer assessment that won't be as easily drowned in the white noise of "you exaggerate."

[Vepres]

No, because unlike you, most of us care that millions of poor people will now die to lack of health care.

I don't know about other places, but the Boulder and Denver areas are filled with charities and the like for everything, including healthcare. Perhaps it's because we actually have competent local governments (Hickenlooper!).

Millions is a huge exaggeration. Only about 10 million of the uninsured are not eligible for a public plan or not health young adults. Now, if you remove alcoholics, smokers, and drug abusers from that, plus those involved in accidents and/or stupid behavior, I doubt the number would break 50k. (which is large, but in the big picture it's not as bad as some make it out to be) I bet more people die from obesity related disease than lack of coverage.

Besides, if Democrats REALLY wanted this to go through, they'd  have find a way to get it through. If the Democrats had been competent, Brown would not have won. Really, the Republicans only had power because the Democrats let them have power.

[J. J.]

A funny one, since we're all so glum:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2scxJNXjMI

[Franzl]

Yes yes, it's not in the millions, but it's still a huge problem, and I find it disgraceful that any person in a civilized western country would die because of lack of healthcare.

And I don't care who's responsible for the fall of healthcare reform, but it's sure as hell not easier with Brown in the Senate.

[Torie]

A bill limited to subsidizing the health care of those who can't afford it, could have probably attracted some GOP support, if limited to just that. So ... come on, the issue is larger than that. The Dems had larger dreams, and the man behind the curtain remains, and won't go away - we have to ration subsidized health care on a triage basis, after covering everyone somehow. Neither party is being honest about rationing. So finger pointing might be misplaced. Both parties are epic fails on this issue in my opinion. It is quite irritating actually.

[Frodo]

The realization our antiquated political system seems incapable of getting anything done, and that we are pretty much stuck with what we have because any far-reaching attempt to reform it will likely end in failure.  Hell, if we can't reform our health care system, we most certainly cannot reform our political system through a constitutional convention (assuming we even get that far).

In other words, we're witnessing the slow death of America as a constitutional republic, paralyzed by inertia.  

[Eraserhead]

The last few days have been very kind to me. My personal life doesn't revolve around who won a senate seat in Massachusetts.

[memphis]

A bill limited to subsidizing the health care of those who can't afford it, could have probably attracted some GOP support, if limited to just that.

No. The GOP is completely unwilling to work with Obama on healthcare. Period.

[Vepres]

The realization our antiquated political system seems incapable of getting anything done, and that we are pretty much stuck with what we have because any far-reaching attempt to reform it will likely end in failure.  Hell, if we can't reform our health care system, we most certainly cannot reform our political system through a constitutional convention (assuming we even get that far).

In other words, we're witnessing the slow death of America as a constitutional republic, paralyzed by inertia.  

Or Democrats or incompetent, one of the two

[Lunar]

What's got everyone so down?

I finally realized how utterly incompetent the politicians I had the most hope for actually are at the actual process of legislating, governing, and winning reelection. 

[Associate Justice PiT]

What's got everyone so down?

I finally realized how utterly incompetent the politicians I had the most hope for actually are at the actual process of legislating, governing, and winning reelection. 

     I found where you went wrong.

[Lunar]

What's got everyone so down?

I finally realized how utterly incompetent the politicians I had the most hope for actually are at the actual process of legislating, governing, and winning reelection.  

     I found where you went wrong.

I had the most hope for politicians who were not the politicians I had the most distaste for, naturally.  After eight years of Bush and the Republican leadership, where even their economically conservative policies were not based on economically rational principles, I have no shame in rooting for the Democrats to fix things.

[Associate Justice PiT]

What's got everyone so down?

I finally realized how utterly incompetent the politicians I had the most hope for actually are at the actual process of legislating, governing, and winning reelection. 

     I found where you went wrong.

I had the most hope for politicians who were not the politicians I had the most distaste for, naturally.  After eight years of Bush and the Republican leadership, where even their economically conservative policies were not based on economically rational principles, I have no shame in rooting for the Democrats to fix things.

     If that's all, you shouldn't be so dejected when you discover that they're utterly incompetent. Really, I think the events of the last nine years will likely make our generation one of the most jaded & cynical to have been known to exist.

[Lunar]

What's got everyone so down?

I finally realized how utterly incompetent the politicians I had the most hope for actually are at the actual process of legislating, governing, and winning reelection. 

     I found where you went wrong.

I had the most hope for politicians who were not the politicians I had the most distaste for, naturally.  After eight years of Bush and the Republican leadership, where even their economically conservative policies were not based on economically rational principles, I have no shame in rooting for the Democrats to fix things.

     If that's all, you shouldn't be so dejected when you discover that they're utterly incompetent. Really, I think the events of the last nine years will likely make our generation one of the most jaded & cynical to have been known to exist.

My rantings are confined to my pet leadership thread in the U.S. Politics forum.  I still have hope for local politics and the House, but if the Democrats give up on moderate legislation, that they said was crucial for the future of our country, with a 59 seat majority in the Senate and an ally in the White House, I don't see how they can be fit to govern.  It's not about the healthcare bill, that bill will do some good and some harm, I think the good will likely outweigh the harm, but the point is that this is a bill far more conservative than Clinton's and Nixon's healthcare plans and our government can't pass a piece of legislation anymore.

[Associate Justice PiT]

What's got everyone so down?

I finally realized how utterly incompetent the politicians I had the most hope for actually are at the actual process of legislating, governing, and winning reelection. 

     I found where you went wrong.

I had the most hope for politicians who were not the politicians I had the most distaste for, naturally.  After eight years of Bush and the Republican leadership, where even their economically conservative policies were not based on economically rational principles, I have no shame in rooting for the Democrats to fix things.

     If that's all, you shouldn't be so dejected when you discover that they're utterly incompetent. Really, I think the events of the last nine years will likely make our generation one of the most jaded & cynical to have been known to exist.

My rantings are confined to my pet leadership thread in the U.S. Politics forum.  I still have hope for local politics and the House, but if the Democrats give up on moderate legislation, that they said was crucial for the future of our country, with a 59 seat majority in the Senate and an ally in the White House, I don't see how they can be fit to govern.  It's not about the healthcare bill, that bill will do some good and some harm, I think the good will likely outweigh the harm, but the point is that this is a bill far more conservative than Clinton's and Nixon's healthcare plans and our government can't pass a piece of legislation anymore.

     We saw how the Democrats jumped to please Mr. 29% & his 49 Senators. Essentially, we face the choice of either paralyzed government that takes months & years to pass even the most basic bills on hot-button issues or foreign wars & fiscal hypocrisy.

     Essentially, the system has failed. We need the Republicans & the Democrats to step aside & let real parties that both believe in what they stand for & are willing to fight for what they stand for arise. Whether that will happen though, remains to be seen.

[Lunar]

No way.  The electoral college is inherently and structurally opposed to third parties.  It allows third party candidacies like Perot and Lieberman, but it doesn't allow those parties to flourish because of a winner-takes-all process.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Which is why the system will continue to fail.

[Lunar]

     Which is why the system will continue to fail.

I'd argue my hope that the Democrats will eventually understand how popular politics works is more rooted than your hope that an effective third party will eventually work

[Holmes]

Conan's last Tonight show, crappy song being Lady Gaga's next music video, wanting more advanced chem courses now, calculus II.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Which is why the system will continue to fail.

I'd argue my hope that the Democrats will eventually understand how popular politics works is more rooted than your hope that an effective third party will eventually work

     Third parties come close to succeeding less often than the Democrats do, so I am less prone to disappointments down the line.

[Lunar]

Conan's last Tonight show, crappy song being Lady Gaga's next music video, wanting more advanced chem courses now, calculus II.

Those problems all sound less significant than the problem of trying to convince somebody to pay you to do what you want to do anyway (otherwise known as employment).

[Holmes]

Conan's last Tonight show, crappy song being Lady Gaga's next music video, wanting more advanced chem courses now, calculus II.

Those problems all sound less significant than the problem of trying to convince somebody to pay you to do what you want to do anyway (otherwise known as employment).

But didn't you leave for New York on your own?

[Lunar]

Conan's last Tonight show, crappy song being Lady Gaga's next music video, wanting more advanced chem courses now, calculus II.

Those problems all sound less significant than the problem of trying to convince somebody to pay you to do what you want to do anyway (otherwise known as employment).

But didn't you leave for New York on your own?

One week or so.  My housing logistics with my potential roommate got stuck up.  I'm buying my ticket to leave next Saturday no matter what he says, I gots an [unpaid] internship interview on Feb. 2nd that I'm not going to miss for a local campaign.

Instead, I'm finding new TV Shows to be acquainted with, am teaching myself a little HTML, and sending out a shotgun blast of job apps.

[Meeker]

Conan's last Tonight show, crappy song being Lady Gaga's next music video, wanting more advanced chem courses now, calculus II.

Gaga's got a new video out?