A longtime reader sends in a thoughtful question …

If you were a Democratic Congressman reading through ‘Citizens United,’ and contemplating the impending flood of corporate cash, would you rather:

(a) Postpone a vote on health care reform, perhaps indefinitely, incentivizing every corporation with a vested interest in the status quo to flood your district with negative ads, in the hope of dissuading or unseating enough Democrats to kill reform?

(b) Pass the Senate bill tomorrow, putting the issue to rest, since repeal would take a veto override – and then spend the summer on issues with a more immediate appeal to voters, while blaming any negative ads that do air on your willingness to stand up to powerful interests?

I’m not sure the implications of ‘Citizens United’ have really sunk in. But this is it for health care reform – it happens now, or not at all. And the only thing more dangerous than reforming a hugely powerful industry is coming achingly close, and then failing. How much would it be worth to the health care industry to unseat enough members to kill reform permanently? How badly do House Democrats want to find out?

It’s been a long week, so maybe that’s why I found this video funny. It’s definitely juvenile, and possibly NSFW, but it does seem to capture the moment. Watch.

Obama, on health care reform: “I have to admit, we’ve run into a bit of a buzz saw along the way.”

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) released a statement today in which, broadly speaking, he endorses passing the Senate bill along with a separate amending bill which would pass the senate through reconciliation and passing yet another bill which would pass other popular reforms later in the year. Details and emphasis are important. So I’d recommend reading what he says word for word, after the jump … Read More

Chris Dodd suggests a six week breather on health care reform.

Farewell, Conan (until you show up on Fox):

It’s getting pretty hard to figure what members of the House are even thinking about with some of the crazy trial balloons they’re floating. Rep. Van Hollen (D-MD) for instance just told Greg Sargent that in part because of the Nelson/Nebraska Medicaid deal the Senate bill is just totally tarnished to be passed. But TPM Reader DG points out why what Van Hollen is saying, at least on this count, is complete nonsense. Read More

Obama, speaking just now in Ohio:

I understand why after the Massachusetts election people in Washington were all in a tizzy trying to figure out what this means for health reform, Republicans and Democrats, what does it mean for Obama? Is he weakened? Oh, how’s he gonna survive this? That’s what they do.

Video soon …

I’m not sure I’ve ever heard Obama say anything as dissonant as his remarks just now in Ohio where he dismissed Washington as being “all in a tizzy” about health care reform after Tuesday’s election in Massachusetts.

Compare that with everything Obama has been saying about health care reform for the last year, when reform was the centerpiece of his agenda. We’ve put together a reel. Watch. Read More

I’ve written a lot of harsh things about what the Dems are doing today — or not doing — on Health Care Reform. In this piece, though, EJ Dionne explains one of the key reasons behind the train-wreck: House Dems deep distrust of Senate Dems — and discussions underway about how to possibly move forward.