You can kick it this time, Charlie Brown

I understand the "rational" argument that we have to accept this current healh care bill because it's the only one we'll get. It's probably true that killing the bill now means no new bill until at the very least after the 2010 elections.

What I don't really get right now, though, is this sudden idealism from the left that something magical and better is now going to happen either from Congress or after the signing. There are some saying that we should accept the Senate bill because the House will of course make an improved version in conference. There are others suggesting that we just pass this one and then can later on offer the public option through a 51-vote-only reconciliation process. I think these are great ideas and I'd love for all that to happen. What I don't get is what makes anyone think it actually might.

The failures of this bill process are all linked to the failure of leadership from Democrats. They caved on everything. Obama has been open, repeatedly, that he cares only about signing a bill, any bill. Right now senators are working with Ben Nelson to "compromise" on language that, I don't know, I guess only slightly restricts womens' legal right to control their own bodies. And keep in mind, of course, that all of this came on the heels of the bill being neutered right out of the gate because it was deemed more important to make a bill not cost more than an arbitrary number than making it as effective as possible... now the argument is that these same people will vote en masse for more expenditures?

I'm not going to pretend I know anywhere near as much about health care as Ezra Klein, but I don't understand the point of his "we can fix it later" argument. When is "later?" What is the time frame for another fight to alter a bill that barely passed to begin with? Certainly not before 2010. Probably not before 2012. So if "fixing" this bill will take years to do, why should I be so dismayed that the bad bill be killed to begin with?

I guess what I'm saying is, what exactly has any Democrat done that has made people believe that after all this, the eight months of failing to fight for anything progressives wanted, Democrats are suddenly going to fight? The problem, as the polls have clearly shown, is that Democrats have spent the last year failing utterly at inspiring their base. What is inspiring some of it now seems even less than blind faith- it's more like the textbook definition of insanity.

You're right, this is a sure-fire election winner

That's right, John, what you really need to do is keep bitching at progressives for not accepting weak and watered-down policy and calling them idiots for wanting a better and more progressive alternative.

It worked so well for President Hillary Clinton's campaign.

I stand corrected

The article is a ridiculous piece of journalistic fellatio, but it's not Sarah Palin.

Yay!

Apparently I'm in this book, which I found out just now in the form of the publisher sending me a copy in the mail. Had I known earler I most certainly would have told you all to check it out.

Am I truly among the best editorial cartoons of 2010? Who knows. I'm certainly not among the most paid.

Do blogs have slaughter rules?

It's not often you watch a writer for a major newspaper hand another writer for the same paper his own ass in such a spectacular and undisputed fashion, but it's both beautiful and ugly at the same time.

I'd love to see some links to what Chuck Lane wrote in 2002 about the start of the Iraq war, because I'm pretty sure he didn't throw any multi-column tantrums about how "uncivil" the entire Republican Party was being in claiming that people against the war "supported the terrorists."

"Magi 2009"

Latest comic - click here!

And so we end the 2009 Some Guy With a Website season with this charming reflection on the generosity our president has bestowed upon liberals for the holidays. By that I mean we don't even get lumps of coal, because we could actually burn those to heat our homes after the power company cut off the utilities.

2009 has been a long year of the president accomplishing none of the major promises he made to the progressive left that got him into the White House, doing virtually no work to try and get it accomplished, and getting people like me yelled at for "not giving him enough time; he's only been in office ___ days," the blank being whatever day it happens to be. Oh, and then he got a Nobel Peace Prize for being much sadder about the secret prisons we run in Afghanistan than the previous guy did. God Bless Us, Everyone!

As noted, this is the final "normal" strip for 2009. Long-time readers know you get a little special something next week, and then I take a break until the new year. And speaking of special somethings, please note that you should still consider purchasing some fine Some Guy With a Website merchandise for the holiday season. Please note though that as of now you'll need to chip in a few extra bucks for pre-Christmas delivery. It's still worth it. Oh god please give me money it's so cold in this apartment, and I want to have nice shoes when I go to meet Jesus.