For months, White House officials and Senate leaders praised the gang of six negotiations toward a bipartisan deal on health care reform, even as other observers doubted the Republicans in that group were negotiating in good faith . At the beginning of the summer recess in August, Senator Jay Rockefeller (who was shut out of the deal-making) warned : Changes to the bill have been frustrating, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.) told reporters at a press conference, particularly given that the R

Forgoing a town hall meeting like the rest of his colleagues in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) hosted an “invitation only,” no questions allowed health care reform rally at UNLV Monday night. Joining the “very controlled environment” were health care reform supporting union members and health care industry workers in order to prevent the spineless senator from having to face his upset constitutents – and likely to help boost Harry’s morale. One Nevadan grew frustrated at

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, has taken the lead role in negotiating the health care reform bill for the GOP. But earlier today during a radio interview with Iowa City's KCJJ, Grassley steered the conversation with a caller toward rationing health care services among the elderly, one of the right wing's favorite fearmongering tactics when it comes to health care reform . And as an example, Grassley cited Sen. Ted Kennedy's (D-MA) brain tumor .

The Politico : No Senate Finance bill before recess — That didn't last long. — A day after some unexpectedly positive signs for health care reform in Congress, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said Thursday that his committee would be unable to complete work on a bill before the August recess.

Although the president and Democratic Congress have tried to jam through a massive health care reform plan before the public gets wind of what is going on, they will not, it seems, succeed in passing a bill, or even obtaining a vote in Congress before the August recess. And that is bad news inde