Will Obamacare get its act together in time?

[regexcellent]

One would think a gun to your head would be substantial incentive to negotiate in good faith...

[kentonio]

Yes, the political system is built on working together to find solutions--because EACH BRANCH HAS A CHECK AND BALANCE ON THE OTHER BRANCH. The house of representatives during the shutdown was using its CONSTITUTIONALLY OUTLINED CHECK on the other branches of government and house of congress to use as a negotiating position, EXACTLY AS THE FRAMERS OF THE CONSTITUTION INTENDED. There was no blackmail or extortion, and the entire process was working exactly as designed except for the part where the president refused to give an inch. Which was RETARDED of him, since it would have saved him from his current crisis in exchange for relatively minor embarrassment that no one would have remembered in six months.

You're funny. If you genuinely think the current Republican behaviour is how the system is intended to work then you know **** about your own system of government. This shouldn't really be a surprise.

It's hard to overstate how much of a political disaster this is for the democrats. The Republicans are going to hold vote after vote after vote after vote about fixing the most awful problems in Obamacare, which are uncoincidentally the most ideologically dear to the democrats. Democrats will have to choose between ideological anathema and unpopular voting records. It's like a fork in chess. Beautiful.

Sure, just keep telling yourself that.

[kentonio]

If the Liberal Democrats did what the Republicans did, which they could, Britain would have to hold an election. Or they would have to negotiate. Our elections are at regular intervals so we only have the option of negotiation or shutdown.

First I don't think you really understand what a coalition government is. Secondly, if the Lib Dems tried to block all government work, there certainly would be a new election, and we'd almost certainly have a cast iron conservative majority, because people get REALLY pissed off when politicians try and stop the government from doing their job.

But, importantly, withholding supply traditionally in Britain was the only check Parliament had on the King. I can just imagine Kentonio now screaming about how Parliament had a gun to the king's head, how could he be expected to negotiate in good faith with them?

So let me get this right, you think a style of governance from 500 years ago (that has long since been superceded) is a model for modern America? Beautiful.

One would think a gun to your head would be substantial incentive to negotiate in good faith...

You really believe that don't you? Did your parents hire Patrick Bateman as your nanny when you were little?

[regexcellent]

lol no u

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Regarding willingness to negotiate. WH vows veto of bipartisan bill

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2013/11/15/White-House-vows-to-veto-GOP-healthcare-bill/UPI-31821384498800/

Best comment I read for rationale per Charles Cooke

The president will veto any congressional attempt to change Obamacare on the grounds that it infringes upon the divine right of kings.

Which explains much of the love affaire Ken has for Obama.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I'm not entirely sure you know what the word 'bipartisan' means as the article you linked repeatedly referred to it as:

a Republican House bill

And also:

House Democratic leaders plan to offer a bill Friday that mirrors and supports Obama's proposal.

[kentonio]

They probably got one southern Democrat to support it.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

I'm not entirely sure you know what the word 'bipartisan' means

It means that you are a moron apparently as the Landrieu Bill has Upton's support as well, indicating he would be willing to support her bill rather than forward his own. Hers extended the pledge to keep your plans indiefinteily while his was less extensive and extended only through 2014.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/house-gop-leader-open-to-democratic-plan-that-would-halt-insurance-cancelations/article/2539067

House Democratic leaders, you mean the same ones vested in this mess that have a full scale revolt on their hands.

[DinoDoc]

Does anyone in the Democratic caucus realize that this is exactly what the law was intended to do from the outset and that the reason uncanceling these policies started out as a GOP idea is that it strikes at the very financial heart of the law they want to defend? I would like a Dem leader to go tell the skittish Dems to go **** themselves, it's too late to back away now.

[MikeH]

First I don't think you really understand what a coalition government is. Secondly, if the Lib Dems tried to block all government work, there certainly would be a new election, and we'd almost certainly have a cast iron conservative majority, because people get REALLY pissed off when politicians try and stop the government from doing their job.

If the polls are right, we'd have a cast iron Labour government.

[kentonio]

If the polls are right, we'd have a cast iron Labour government.

In the scenario he described though where a minor party in the coalition blocked everything from going through, they wouldn't have been able to carry out the policies that have made them so unpopular.

[Imran Siddiqui]

The Landrieu Bill being the one that "that mirrors and supports Obama's proposal."? Includes the language Obama wants to include that wasn't in the Upton Bill, which is why Obama was threatening to veto the Upton Bill?

[MikeH]

In the scenario he described though where a minor party in the coalition blocked everything from going through, they wouldn't have been able to carry out the policies that have made them so unpopular.

I don't know, I voted Lib Dem and I'm not going to vote for them because they didn't block all that stuff.

[kentonio]

****ed if I know who I'm going to vote for next time, I've never had an election decision this hard before.

[MikeH]

I did a who should I vote for type thing and the result was like 85% match with the Green party.