Why are the democrats bothering to seek a bipartisan compromise on health care?

I agree. Not only do their opinions not matter but their base doesn't matter. If you upset all the religious right wingers who cares really? They don't run America anymore. They don't have the numbers to oppose the intelligent majority. Would Bush have tried to compromise and be more bipartisan? No, he would say God came to him in a dream holding a twinkie and listening to Bob Marley and advised him to ram this policy through. He's still a hero for republicans. Now I just want Obama to be a hero for democrats.

Edit: As for posters who are saying that what Obama is doing is "fascist" and so on please read very hard the comment about Pastor George W. Bush.

The reason is because they know that when their plans to Socialize health care start that people will be very upset so they want to be able to put some blame on Republicans!

Your right their opinion doesn't matter because Democrats have enough seats in both houses to pass it without a single Republican vote!

What are you talking about Republicans didn't have significant input on either the House or Senate bills!

Edit... What does that quote have to do with anything especially with spreading the blame around?! You are desperate! Again if this is such a great idea then how come Democrats don't pass it themselves? Just think if Democrats passed this then if it works they can take all the credit! So I will ask once again why don't Democrats just pass it themselves?!

You do realize that 55% of US citizens are against Socialized health care don't you?!

Oddly one of the points involved has to do with setting up non-profit insurance co-ops in every state. This is very similar to what the Canadians have. Every province in Canada runs it's own HEALTH INSURANCE system. While this may prove to be a bit less expensive, it will still require a much larger overhead than a national HEALTH INSURANCE SYSTEM. Still, a slight improvement. The GOP complains that the Canadian system isn't very good because of 'waiting periods', but this is more of a chop against the Canadian HEALTH CARE side of the equation...which is a totally free enterprise system, no 'government' involved. The canadian HEALTH INSURANCE side of the equation does it's job...it pays the bills. Basically the GOP pimps for the HEALTH INSURANCE industry, and they don' wan' no stinkin' competition! Of course I could care less...I have Medicare and the VA....what's in your wallet?

Re: Abortion.

The Hyde Amendment, passed on September 30, 1976 by the U.S. House by a 207-167 vote is a provision barring the use of federal funds to pay for abortions. It was so named because its chief sponsor was Republican Congressman Henry Hyde of Illinois. The measure was introduced in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, and represented the first major legislative success by abortion opponents in the United States.

In the middle of December close to Christmas it will be passed with a few Republicans voting for health care reform. It's going to take a moderate Republican to vote for it, but there are a few, the two in Maine, although Stowe expressed her disliking of it. Nonetheless minds could change on the Republican side.

When will the Democratic party realize that the Republicans' opinions don't matter? When indeed?

They have a filibuster-proof Senate and an overwhelming majority in the House. Why don't they just PASS THE SON OF A B#TCH WITHOUT ALL THIS ENDLESS DEBATE???

Could it be that too many Dems don't want it either...? Interesting. Very interesting.

If you'll never understand the GOP, then perhaps you can make me understand what the hell it is that makes liberals tick. They have the power right there in their laps and they're not using it. I don't understand.

So that when the system turns out to be a complete failure they can pass some of the blame.

Beats me. The electoral mandates of the last two election cycles should have told them otherwise but I guess they're just trying to be "better" than the GOP was when they ran things. I think it's idiotic, myself.

you can't understand the neocons? join the club, but hurry, the 300 million-person-limit has almost been reached.

suffice to say, the right is against everything obama tries, and only want him to lose for their own political gain, to hell with what about 75% of the country that wants reform.

I don't think all us democrats should give a rats azz what those low life republicans think. We are the majority now. To heck with them. I don't care if the current policy's are going to drive this country into the ground and we become a socialist nation. Heck, we were the winners weren't we?