Everything is proceeding as should be expected

Did you hear? Everything's better now in the health care debate. The Blue Dog Democrats got Henry Waxman to make the House version of the bill bad enough so that they could finally deign to support it.

Efforts to pass sweeping health care legislation took a big step forward on Wednesday as House Democratic leaders reached an agreement with fiscally conservative party members that would cut the bill’s cost and exempt many small businesses from having to provide health benefits to workers.

Whew! Incessant pandering to conservative blowhards (who will never support the bill) and Republican enablers (who still reserve the right to back out) has produced something that everyone can pretend does something and is so milquetoast and compromised that it could even be passed by incompetent Democratic leadership. Everything's fixed.

As word of the agreement spread, liberals fired back. "We do not support this," said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, (D-Calif.), co-chair of the Progressive Caucus. "I think they have no idea how many people are against this. They can't possibly be taking us seriously if they're going to bring this forward." At a press conference, she said, "[W]e might have to come back and start over."
...
"Waxman made a deal that is unacceptable," Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) told Politico, after meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Wednesday.

"We signed a pledge to reject any plan that doesn't include a robust public option, and this plan doesn't have a robust public option," he added.

My God, who could have ever foreseen that completely ignoring the largest block of voting members in order to pander to ideals that are supposedly anathema to your caucus would backfire? You mean there are some assholes who are concerned with getting something worthwhile passed and not just interested in mollifying crybabies? Well that's the House for you. I'm sure in the Senate, where Finance Chairman Max Baucus is almost negotiating exclusively with Republicans while not even consulting or even informing the rest of the Democrats of his plans, in order to completely jettison a public plan and other Democratic priorities from the bill, will completely not backfire either.

Hey is it a good sign for Baucus' work on the health care bill when Harry Reid endorses your efforts and the Health Insurance Industry cuts an ad praising you? I think an actual kiss of death would give me more hope. Thanks Democrats! Super-majorities and the White House and you still can't stop from screwing yourselves, and by extension: the country. Now I have my doubts about them being able to pass the 2009 One Car Funeral Act.