The alternative is incessant whining.

the cynic in me (i really need to have that looked at) says the whole point of the excise tax is to kill whatever chance remained of passing a healthcare insurance (and that's what we're really talking about here) reform bill.

single-payer was DOA, they assassinated the public option, all that was left was to toss another regressive tax on to the pile, and the  death spiral of the entire bill reached terminal velocity.

It got waved when we were told single payer was not only off the table, but they weren't even going to get a chance to weigh in.

It got waved when the so-called public option got smaller and smaller and smaller until it disappeared.

It got waved when Stupak/Nelson reared its ugly head.

Mandates with penalties, excise taxes - again and again and again, these so-called "progressives" have waved the white flag, and now some of them are doing it again.

He has shown no interest in advancing or explaining a healthcare bill. And it's al too obvious that he hasn't the desire,will, or guts to do anything about or either he prefers to gut it or see a rotten corporate piece of rot rammed through

This healthcare debacle is entirely of Obama's making and there is no other explanation.

We watched two idiotic trips to Copenhagen and winced. After the first, we were embarrassed because Obama's ego was so great  he overlooked the obvious.  There was never a sliver of possibility regarding the Olympics. It was common knowledge for a long time that either SA or Spain were destined, and the Head of the Committee was not exactly on America's A list.

Yet Obama was led to believe by his Village that his charm offensive would win the day. Just show up, Obama, and the Olympics will go to Chicago. Aided and abetted by adorer/aide Jarrett, Obama was humiliated.
On his second trip to Copenhagen his lackluster speech accomplished zip, yet his spin machine heralded his trip as a victory for climate change, bla,blah.

So there's a good deal of narcicissm combined with arrogant presumption, with no core beliefs to be seen. It's called opportunism.

Obama appears to be a center right politician and when necessary politically, a right Blue Dog.

Just look at his cringe making economic team and it's behavior and message hypes.

As he's said no one told all of you people to expect so much. You read that all into him.

He's said it's all the Republican's fault inspite of a huge majority.  He's said it's the Village's fault as they expect what he never promised. and then he tried another one a week ago.

If you want change, it ain't easy and you'll have to fight for it. I can't do it with all that's going on.

So after Mass. it's become Jobs,Jobs,Jobs.

So we now see the subtext.  And oh yes, Obama claims that he never supported the Public Option. Obama is obviously lying as there are lots of videos to the contraire. Since his promotion of the idea of the pubic option was on his website, it has been....scrubbed.

excise tax purists who would rather kill the bill than eliminate or modify the excise tax