You Can See The Summit, But You Can't Reach It

As if six hours wasn't long enough, they actually stretched the thing for Injury Time.

There were some bright spots - Boston Globe has a list of zingers I quite liked.  It wasn't quite the smackdown that the GOP retreat was, but you certainly reminded us againabout who the adults in the room are.

But nobody watched.  Well, nobody except the hardcore political junkies who TIVO C-SPAN.  This thing really didn't reach many folks, and considering the importance of the issue, there is surprisingly little discussion about it.

And that's because of the foregone conclusion.  Headlines about the impasse still being in place or no breakthroughs being made or the way ahead for HCR being unclear - you could have written them a week ago.  The cynical view that The Process is all just political theatre - well it was true in this case, nobody's mind was changed.  Actually, if anything this has nudged some of the GOPpers further towards reflexive hate and obstruction as some of them are slipping into conspiracy theory land.

Take note you dumbfucks in the Obama Administration - your outreach attempt has only pushed the Republicans further away (insert Overton window commentary sotto voce).  Not only are they just not that into you, they are that much into anything you aren't.  Remember the ruckus about Big Pharma?  Remember how you guys were characterizing him as the Leader of the GOP?

This is one of the reasons I haven't had much to say recently.  The utter EPIC FAIL that has been the official stance from you guys is fucking killing my will to do anything but ignore it all and drink heavily.  Sure it's great to showcase how dishonest and incompetent the morans on the other side are - but NEWSFLASH - THOSE IDIOTS ARE WINNING.  Oh, what about being on the brink of historic legislation - what about all the good stuff you managed to not yet excise from the comprehensive reform package?  Who fucking cares.  Since the summer, the narrative has been pretty much conservatives having their way with item after item of this thing.  Even shit they wanted in in the first place, they've been railing against until you finally cut it out of the package.  Fuck, even though I am opposed to this piece of shit Senate bill you've carefully crafted, I'm starting to lean towards passing the thing before you guys slip a declaration of war against Iran into it.

Your winning debates and sounding reasonable and rational is still ending up with less and less progressive reforms.  No fucking wonder people are demoralized.  Not only that, but we've crept so fucking far to the right that the whole purpose of this thing has been lost.  You put "Expanding Coverage" as the fourth of four items for the summit.  Five and a half fucking hours into a six hour debate you finally get around to talking about the uninsured.

Note to the centre-leftsists who argue that we've got to get this thing done because the GOP is holding the uninsured hostage - Fuck You.  This isn't about the uninsured anymore, not even for "the good guys" - the uninsured are now just an aside, a "free rider" on this deficit reducing, cost cutting legislation.

So yeah, that's a big part of why I haven't had much to say recently.  I'm still full of fiery pissed-off-ness, but the fuckwads that make up Democratic Leadership, and I'm talking specifically about you Barry, have blunted my righteous anger.  Because as mad as I am at them, they are still far and away better than Bomb Iran.  So I've got no targets for my ire.  I'm Mad As Hell, but apparently I've Got To Take Lots More.  Because despite having the better arguments and more capapble side - we've lost so much from what was an opportunity to fix the greivous mess that is health care in the US.  And No One Is To Blame.