"This was the voice of moderation until 13 Sept, 2025"
by publius Inside Max Baucus’s Senate conference room. The bipartisan panel of six Senators is negotiating a bipartisan deal on health coverage reform. The Democratic Senators are Baucus, Conrad, and Bingaman. The Republican Senators are Grassley, Snowe, and Enzi. BAUCUS: Thanks everyone for being here. I know everyone understands the historical stakes, and everyone wants … Read more
by Eric Martin This highly recommended, if heart-rending, story from the Colorado Springs Gazettetells of a group of soldiers that returned from Iraq only to fall prey to severe mental illnesses that were largely self-medicated through, and as a result exacerbated by, drug abuse. The soldiers in the applicable unit have committed serial acts of violence, including murder, since their return. Although painful to read, the … Read more
by von Confirmation bias probably plays a role here, but: now that we have the actual transcript, it seems clearer than ever that Officer Sergeant Crowley was out of line in arresting Professor Gates. As Andrew Sullivan notes, you can't reconcile Crowley's report with either the tape or the witnesses. Crowley seems to have arrested Gates for being annoying rather … Read more
by von There are three essential components to health care reform — or else it's not worth doing. Coverage. Obviously, the reform has to cover folks who are currently uninsured. Personal. Everyone should have access to good health care; good health care shouldn't depend on a person having a job. Health care is a personal good. Aside … Read more
by publius I've never read No Exit. My understanding of the general plot is that three people get stuck in a room in hell with some rather annoying Chatty Cathys. They think they'll be tortured, but actually the punishment is confining them together in a room from which they can't escape each other's company. "Hell … Read more
by publius In my ongoing obsession with the Blue Dogs, I've been wondering — why exactly should we expect the 52-member Blue Dog coalition to vote as a bloc? How exactly can the coalition's leadership maintain discipline once Pelosi starts twisting arms? In thinking about all this, I decided to run some numbers on the … Read more
by von I am a bit surprised by the lesson offered in Publius' post, The Fool's Errand of Political Cover. Contrary to Publius, the lesson from the debates over the Democratic stimulus package is not that it's pointless to try to cooperate with the other side (i.e., folks like me). Rather, the lesson may well be that y'all need … Read more
by publius The current GOP line of attack is that the stimulus is a “failure.” Even if you think the stimulus is bad policy, this argument is ridiculous. Maybe the stimulus will ultimately fail, but it’s too early to say anything either way (though it has helped states). In short, the "failure" argument is aimed … Read more
by publius As I’ve noted, the Blue Dogs currently benefit from the Democratic Party’s institutional commitment to health care — both nationally and locally. Nationally, this commitment has helped elevate the Dems into the majority, which benefits every member of the caucus. Health care is a key part of the national brand, and it has … Read more
by publius The schedule for Austin City Limits (a ginormous music festival in early October) is out. You can see the schedule here. So here's my bleg — I need help plotting my listening strategy (which takes months of intense preparation). There are always several bands playing at once — and I've never heard of … Read more