A little more

Here's some clarification of my views on this.

Let's be clear, this isn't about legitimate and valid differences regarding policy. It isn't even necessarily about the tactics of the Republicans, however dishonest and frustrating they may be. This about Democrats empowering those absurd views by giving them a place at the table when, it's painfully obvious to literally every other person on the planet, that the Republicans aren't worthy of that seat.

My argument all along has been that a bipartisan compromise would be ideal, but it shouldn't come at the expense of crafting the most sound policy possible and it shouldn't be delivered by slicing away the key provisions favored by the majority party (particularly if some of these provisions are backed by more than 70 percent of the nation).

Given the existing environment, such a rational dialogue and effective compromise simply doesn't exist.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Republicans' top negotiator in the Senate, has stated that he'd vote against legislation for health care reform even if it included all of the things he'd like to see in it ... if the rest of his party opposed it.

Various Republican officials and pundits, after being very supportive of end-of-life counseling earlier this summer, have now reversed position and are content in falsely characterizing the proposals as 'death panels' charged with a systematic execution of the elderly.

And, most recently, the Republican National Committee issued a press release in opposition to health cooperatives, thus suggesting another flip-flop as numerous Republicans have said all summer they'd be open to supporting this as an alternative.

Now, one can only assume that Sen. Max Baucus, the Democrats' chief negotiator on the Senate Finance Committee, gets it ... particularly since he proposed a Medicare-style public insurance option last year when Democrats lacked a filibuster-proof majority. Likewise, we can be hopeful that this fruitless pursuit of bipartisanship will be abandoned given that the other side simply isn't willing to enter into the debate in good faith.