You seem to be under the mistaken notion that the Republican Party represents its members. This is no more true then the idea that the current Democratic Party represents theirs (see unions, women, working class). The Republican Party has been by and for the oligarchs for the past forty years. Frankly they do little to hide it once you look past their pandering to the social bigotry of the evangelicals and the far right.

Once you recognize that, you get that America being a third world country is the goal and is winning to these people. They have been working towards it for over thirty years that I know about. Sadly the rentiers in the DLC have made sure the Democrats in power work for the same thing, and except for some recent work because of wealthy gays haven’t even pandered to any of our social issues.

The majority of America losing, but the Robber Barons being even richer is winning. That they are stupid and short sighted and don’t get that killing the golden goose of the middle class here and in Europe pretty much kills their business model, well no one could have anticipated…

Oh, I get that they got played in 2008. So did a lot of people. But he has also been able to cherry pick among various union leaders on a few issues. I’m thinking specifically of the the three trade agreements he got passed. Sure everyone backed away from the Columbian one, but not one of those suckers should have had any union support.

The truth is that too much of the base have gotten played over and over by the lesser of two evils thing, and we do not learn. That 2 degree thing, really not enough of a difference in the great scheme of things, and that hasn’t just been Obama, Clinton was no prize either. Unions should have been unyielding on a lot of things since the 80′s.
And yeah, hindsight is 20/20, but those almost four decade long attacks were clearly not going away even thirty years ago. More then a few Dems should have been taught that you vote against us or sit it out, we will actively work against you long before the last few years. Let’s look at it another way Obama may not go out of his way for gay causes really, but he learned pretty quickly you don’t diss or punch them. He should have had the same, shall we call it respect, for unions (and progressives) but we have been trained not to strikeback but ask for another.

Perhaps labor shouldn’t have accepted the promises on this or any thing else. Because as far as I can see, besides the Blanche Lincoln thing, they have been doormats to Obama.

And I say that as a long time, and proud union member who thinks the major leadership of unions in this country are clueless fucks.

Here’s a shocker. NOT. I’ve told people around me for the last few years that Obamacare was going to fuck my merely adequate insurance coverage, and that within a decade it would probably destroy any other adequate employer coverage. And I didn’t even need to consider Taft-Hartley to do it. Despite the fact that my union is part of the administration of my health fund, and will fight and tooth and nail to keep providing actual health care with our insurance plan, we are going to get hit by that Cadillac Tax. Maybe not the first year it is in effect, but if we don’t hit that level by year two I’ll eat my hat. Whenever it reaches that point, absorbing the cost of that tax is going to mean benefit cuts and co-pay increases beyond what the premium increases have wrought every year. And that tax threat or cost is going to be there until our plan is a bronze level basic plan.

But hey, since that tax is based on premiums NOT benefits, every friggin’ employer based plan in America will eventually be hit by it and become Bronze level plans. Bronze level plans with big deductibles, co-pays and ever less and less actual health care. Which was the plan from the beginning. Oh, it wasn’t what we were told, but it was the plan. Be thankful for that required free yearly physical, it is probably the most health care that American adults are going to get within ten years. Yeah, I really think it is that bad.

If we weren’t so screwed, I’d be stocking up on the popcorn for the decimation this piece of crap is going to be for the Democratic party over the next decade or so. It can be avoided, but I’m thinking the Democratic leadership are going to be too busy lining up to be roadkill for Tauzin, Big Insurance and Big PHarma…

Mind you while I’m happily suggesting pain and sacrifice for Coburn. The really important and dangerous bipartisan screwing of America continues apace as TPP and the EU trade deal are on track to be Fast Tracked when we all know that what would be best for the majority of America would be their immediate death.

Christ I’m tired of so-called Democrats selling out their base and the country on a regular basis. And I’m tired of trying to make that cost them personally enough to slow or end it. Mostly I’m tired of failing. I admit they have more stamina (and larger bank accounts then I do), they never die.

What he would fund is exactly where Dems and everyone from the NorthEast should demand all offsets come from, and be very clear that they will block any aid with offsets from anywhere that wouldn’t cause Coburn distress and pain – in other words if Coburn wants sacrifice it should start with his. You know target his sponsors and important campaign donors…

No, I mean a White House and their minions in Congress that took practically everything that might have made this Rube Goldberg of a plan work for actually providing health care and not just useless insurance (too expensive to actually go to the doctor) off the table to keep it “Bipartisan” even though everyone with a brain knew it was going to be passed using reconciliation and wasn’t going to be bipartisan in the least.

And if you think 2010 was a blood bath, wait until most of America actually realizes that ACA means that people who did have health care now less of it and the people who were supposed to get some don’t either as premiums and co-pays go up and subsidies get cut. Say 2016 at the latest…

bluevistas has a very good point. IF America had really been making excess use of its health care system prior to the downturn then, and I quote, “but also to rising levels of patient cost-sharing in private insurance plans that discourage use of services,” would mean that the cut back was actually a good thing. However we have little or no evidence that most of America was making excess use of the health care system. In fact, we had a great deal of evidence that a great deal of our country was locked out of health care or having to choose to put off care due to cost before the rising levels of patient cost sharing.

I would love to think this was a good thing and really meant that long term estimates of our country’s fiscal situation would benefit from this. However if it only means that people will continue to put off real health care (not having insurance, but health CARE) then our Medicare and Medicaid costs will skyrocket even further then current estimates as even more people do what so many are doing now – hanging on until those kick in.

That is one of the reasons why Obamacare is a huge friggin’ disaster waiting to happen. It gets more people insurance, but I’m betting we see less and less health care going along with that insurance due to the inability to eat, keep a roof over your head, pay for your mandatory insurance leaves little or nothing for the deductibles and co-pays.

I do not trust Obama in the slightest. However, I think our biggest hope might be the cloture rules. Yeah, I think if it gets a vote it will probably pass. But there might be just enough folks to stop it getting a vote.

And yes I know how sad it is that I’m hoping for this. But frankly, I’m less then outraged by the failure of the weak tea gun background check law to make it past cloture. One because it was weak tea, and little better then nothing, but two because it never had a shot in hell of making it into law even if the Senate did pass it. Despite my reputation of always wanting ponies, I actually do recognize reality. And the reality is that without Congress having to vote on this as the kids were being buried the chance to get it was slim and none. That it was even possible for that short period of time though is a small miracle and got a vote at all is a real chink in the armor.

Gotta love all those Dems who have noticed that Obama’s budget gives away the cow and gets them nothing. You know like Nadia Velasquez and Louise Slaughter. Both of whom consider it part of the negotiations. You know, ladies, just because you live in NY doesn’t mean that your district might not vote you out if you sell out their Nonnas…

You think Reid threatening this when Obama puts forth a budget his own party has members threatening to fillbuster is a coincidence?

Yeah, it could be toothless posturing, but if it isn’t it is all about making sure the Dems toe the line, betray their constituents and guarantee they will either be defeated or will be beat to shit and barely survive the next election instead of actually doing the right thing. This was Reid’s way of saying this is going to happen, we have the sacrificial Republicans lined up, you are not going to gum this up.

So he thinks his walking around money is perfectly adequate. All because someone else provides the roof over his head, the car he rides in, and the food in his belly. Hell if we all had that, we could all live on a hundred a week.

Have I mentioned I hate these people…

I have such Stockholm Syndrome where all this is concerned, I’m going to probably read news reports about this like a game giving points for reporting about how the people really using the Cyprus banks as tax havens and not as their local bank for business accounts and retirement savings got their money out using the London branches leaving the unconnected depositors holding the bag.

And yeah, I’ve come to the conclusion that until there is a real freakin’ bank run, not just the slow leaking ones we have seen already in Greece and Italy and…., that the leaders in all this will get that they have screwed up royally. That or when several hundred bank branches are blown up on the same night as their top people are dragged from their beds and treated to a hot tar skin treatment by people tired of being treated like suckers. Somehow I think only when Jamie Dimon and Anshu Jain and their tools like Merkel feel ‘threatened’ by austerity, will austerity loose its luster…