There's a lot of grumbling about liberals always having to make all the concessions, most recently on health care reform, while the Blue Dogs don't have to make any and still the focus continues to be on them and their needs and not on us and ours. It's not fair.

But let's face it, the group that most wants something -- in this case, us -- is naturally in a weaker position than the group for whom this isn't as much a priority. The Blue Dogs are happy enough to walk away from this. We aren't. That's a huge difference.

-- Shameless admiration bordering on sycophancy --

On whether there'll be some side agreement in order to appease the anti-Abortion Dems in order to get their support for HCR:

Nancy Pelosi: "I haven't heard any of that. What I have heard is that this bill is about health care, not about abortion..."

-- Shameless admiration bordering on sycophancy --

On why she's having a "hard time" getting 216 votes together to pass HCR:

Nancy Pelosi: "Well, let me say this. First of all, as I’ve said to you before, every vote around here is a heavy lift. How many times have you come — whether it was the budget, whether it was energy — whatever it is. Every vote is a heavy lift. We have great diversity in our Caucus. We don’t have a rubber-stamp Congress or a rubber-stamp Caucus...."

That's a relief.

The HCR bill currently being considered in the House is not all we wanted -- far from it -- but it's a good first step.

Pass. The. Damn. Bill.

I just don't see how we're going to avoid it -- not on HCR, that's a done deal (please God) -- but on getting any other bills or nominations through the Senate in the next few years.

I mean, the obstruction we've seen from GOPers this year isn't suddenly going to diminish simply because their numbers will have increased thanks to the mid-terms in November. In fact, it's likely to get far worse.

Attacking (from your own safe perch) those who speak truth to power is the very definition of immorality. It undermines one of our most important liberties, namely, the equal protection of the weak and unpopular.

The people doing this are nothing but bullies and thugs.

Event organized by Health Care for America Now (HCAN Illinois) at the Chicago Temple.

But he thinks as well. (Yeah, I know, scary stuff.)

[h/t ThinkProgress]

David Leonhardt's article "Judging Stimulus by Job Data Reveals Success" got a lot of play on a number of blogs. People might be interested in hearing him discussing the issue today on the Brian Lehrer Show (WNYC).