The word "centrist" should be abandoned by all serious journalists to describe the Diane Feinsteins and Blanch Lincolns of our Senate, as well as our right wing President. By using the term, even ironically, you reinforce the myth that they are to be distinguished from right-wing Republicans. Please, begin using the terms RIGHT WING DEMOCRATS to identify them properly. This article's theme most certainly challenge's their fake "moderate" identity - and I appreciate this gesture - but just think how much more powerful a title like "Right Wing Democrat Liars Try to Kill Healthcare" would be.

It is obvious to anyone with a shred of intelligence that the reason so called 'centrists' vote with Republicans is that the states they represent are the home bases for all the insurance companies, agribusiness corporations, big pharma, etc. Corporations go to states with low taxes so that they can get away with all the looting that they do. As a result, all their workers suffer. I think they should be taxed as heavily as possible, as should Wall Street, to even the score and help the workers they put out of jobs. Let those taxes pay for a public option. Single-payer would be the best answer, but I'm a realist. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't keep pushing for it.

The corporate dominance of Congress is a shame and a disgrace for Americans, that much is certain. But the public option as it is likely to emerge is a weak shadow of the public option the public wants, and therefore it is not altogether wrong for our representatives to vote against it. Many, mostly Republican, will be voting nay for reasons having nothing to do with what is best for Americans, but the legislation has been so thoroughly trampled by corporate special interests, and their allies in Congress, that we should really be careful about passing this legislation. Is it truly a step forward toward lowering costs, eliminating hurdles to coverage, guaranteeing access, increasing competition for monopolistic insurance companies? It seems not, it seems more a delusional feather in the cap of Democrats wishing to demonstrate their ability to achieve results for millions of unsatisfied voters. If the good of this legislation amounts to more government oversight of insurance companies, given the apparent relationship between gov't and private healthcare, I'd say the bill should be killed before it does any more damage to our broken system. Because what it will ultimately mean for consumers is higher costs, when cost is probably the primary hurdle to address in healthcare. Covering an additional several million people affordably, at the expense of everyone else, does not wash and this is not progress.

CRITICAL!! From jacksmith - Working Class My Fellow Americans and People Of The World A strong Government-run MEDICARE like Public Option is CRITICAL!! I have to tell you now that the H1N1 virus is a manmade WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION! and TERROR! It is a WEAPONIZED version of a flu virus. It has swept the planet infecting millions. And causing a global pandemic that has killed tens of thousands, and injured millions. The H1N1 virus is the product of the DISGRACEFUL, GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX! It was released in the U.S. in Texas in early January of this year, but not recognized until around April in California. The reason I know this is because when it came to America, it came to see me FIRST! How sweet... This was around the time the MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX! assaulted the Whitehouse with all their devils deals to cripple and weaken YOUR! healthcare reform. Especially your right to have a single payer system like HR676 (Medicare For All) which most of you wanted. They don't even want you to have your HUGE!!! compromise position of a strong government-run MEDICARE like Public Option CHOICE. To compete with their DISGRACEFUL, GREED DRIVEN, MURDEROUS, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT PRODUCT (The single most deadly and dangerous product sold in America). They also wanted to take away your rights to have your government meet it's responsibility to use it's full power to regulate, negotiate, and control drug cost, healthcare cost and quality. Something every other civilized country in the developed World has done for it's people. Their Greed! moral degeneracy and lack of patriotism knows no bounds. Many of you will remember that before we knew about H1N1. I posted a open message to the President and Congress warning them to be vigilant about their health, and cautious about any medical advice they received. As I said then "they will not hesitate to try and hurt you". The U.S. and the World have been under a BIOLOGICAL TERROR ATTACK! for over a year now. It is CRITICAL that We The People Of The United States take away control of our healthcare system from the GREED DRIVEN MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX! For our own National security, and the security of the world. A Strong, government-run, MEDICARE like Public Option CHOICE. Available to everyone on day one, with the full unfettered power of the federal government to regulate, negotiate, and control cost and quality. Would be the most workable way to deal with this global crisis at this time. Including patent suspensions as needed for national security or the greater good. As an American I invite the peoples of the World to help us fix our healthcare crisis. And bring pressure on our government to meet it's responsibility to protect global security by controlling, and removing the corrupting influence of GREED and the PRIVATE FOR PROFIT motivations from healthcare in the U.S. and around the World. I call on the governments of the World and the global intelligence community to track down these MASS MURDERERS, and bring them to justice. CONNECT THE DOTS! And be vigilant that they don't slip in another viral strain on you under the cloak of H1N1 sequestration. Further, the proposed patent protection on biologic's must be stripped from the US bill. And greatly shorten/restricted, or abolished completely. This is a grave danger to humanity and global security. I think President Obama is doing the best he can at playing the disastrous deck of cards he inherited from the previous administration. And I think he is doing an excellent job. But the wolves and devils of the medical industrial complex! are trying to exploit, and take advantage of his good heart, and desperate desire to help suffering Americans. But we must be strong and insist that healthcare reform be done right for the American people. Or everyone loose's. This is all I can say in a message post. I'll try to find a way to tell you more later. God Bless You My Fellow Human Beings jacksmith - Working Class p.s. The so-called nominal H1N1 virus is designed in such a way as to make it more lethal to children and young adults. The medical community must be more vigilant of secondary bacterial infections in the young caused by H1N1. And remember, a viral infection is also a transfer of genetic code to you. Think about it, and be vigilant. :-(

(important typo corrected) As noted elsewhere the terms "centrist" and "moderate" are deliberate propagandistic misnomers pushed by the the hard right wing as part of their ongoing "gleichschaltungsplan" for a creeping fascist putsch. The Dems are complicit, the Dems can NOT tell the differences among the terms "push back" , "waver", and "collapse".

I would also like to suggest the (very high) possibility that many of these so called "Blue Dog" or "Centrist" Democrats -- especially the more newly elected ones in the House and Senate -- are actually running under the "open" (dis)guise of a democrat's label in order to get elected.It's just a practical political consideration for these two-faced liars and hypocrites. Once elected, as we have seen, they then quickly align themselves with conservative & neoconservative Republicans, once again forming an intolerant majority. It's quite simple, really, quite obvious you could say. What else could an anti-choice, "business friendly" Democrat be -- other than a Republican?

Mg of 20:10 is right. Not only was it a lame and stupid barganing scheme to enter negociations with: the weakest position, it is the most negative and harmful one. Universal Single-Payer Heal CARE is the only choice IF the goal was ever to benefit the public. Clearly, it never was. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Q: What lies in the middle of the road? A: Dead Armadillos and a Yellow Streak. ~John L.

I agree with dropping the "centrist" labels for these 5th column traitors. I have one in my state (Whit-a-ho) and he votes with the Repubs 40% of the time. Minnick is his name and selling out is his game. I was a Green Party officer for the few years that we were operating until the Demo fear-mongering via "spoiler" accusations helped kill us off. Now we have turncoat DINOsour candidates that get elected and seek "bipartisanship" with the GOPs. Some are ok but most are to the right of most Northeast Repubs.

Nearly all repubs and most dems really belong to the same party: The bought and owned by big stolen money party. HR 1207, the bill to audit the Federal Reserve is the most important bill ths congress will see. How they vote on this will be a positive who's who of who is on the take. Vote OUT your crooked incumbents in 2010! Preferably in the primaries so there may be a better chance for a worthy candidate to run.

I've often wondered about this myself in regard to Maine's two Senators. Dubbed by the media as "moderates" they have appeared to me more as "obstructionist", playing a pivotal role in obstructing any meaningful health care reform after they worked so hard to limit the effectiveness of the stimulus program. The only difference I can see between these two and their hard-right GOP colleagues in the Senate is their more sociable manners. They are at least willing to listen to reason before they say NO! to whatever is proposed by the majority. This is truly a slim reed to hang the tag of "moderate" on.