I am a raging Optimist and I can prove it

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

No matter how cynical you become, it's never enough to keep up. —attributed to Lily Tomlin

Here's what I predicted on 9/30/09:

Somewhere Dec 15-Jan 15 the president signs a bill similar to, but a tad better than, whatever the Senate Finance Committee passes. Final conference bill contains a fairly weak PO trigger of some sort and other face-saving measures. 35-45 progressive House Dems vote against final bill. Initial Senate bill may have passed with deal of generous puglican representation on conference committee.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=8678372

This was, at the time, considered more of my usual crepe-hanging Cassandra-ism.



I got the rigged conference right, and that whatever the Baucus Finance Committee came up with (this was two weeks before Finance voted out a bill) would be pretty much THE bill.

But a weak triggered PO? What was I smoking? (Oh, that's right... some of Olympia Snowe's dope.)

And January 15 may be a little too early... conferences can drag on. But since there won't be much reconciliation of House and Senate in this conference (the House bill will essentially be discarded) a quick conference may be possible if the politics dictate such.

Also, we probably won't see 35-45 progressive House Dems vote NO. I picked that figure because that seemed like as many principle-votes Pelosi could permit without killing the bill. But abortion hadn't jumped into the mix yet so I didn't anticipate that more progressive votes would be needed in the House to counter anti-choice conservadem defections.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

1. ...

[Armstead]

2. Hope for the best -- Expect the worst and you'll never be disappointed

Alas that seems to be the Democratic mantra these days

[kenny blankenship]

3. I once said, "before they're done, they will have you *begging* for the trigger"

but it was just a joke at the time. Sort of.

[Armstead]

4. yep not very long ago Tom Harkin was "promising" there would be a public option too

I guaran-damn- tee hyou there wikll be a pubklic option when all is said and done.

Well be glad they at least haven't eliminated the "subsidies" too -- not yet anyway. I'm waiting for that one to go on the chopping block.