Wednesday night

I've decided to continue my vacation from the gym and stay home and watch the MSNBC shows to hear what everyone has to say about yesterday's election in Massachusetts.

Starting with Hardball. I normally don't watch this show. Chris Matthews is too frantic and combative (the opposite of Rachel Maddow). Tonight he's supposed to be questioning Howard Dean and won't let him get a word in edgewise (which Dean points out). (Read a transcript of the interview and also Digby's take on Matthews here.) Moreover, I can't stand some of Matthews' regular right-wing guests, like Pat Buchanan. I don't want him on my TV.

[Later] Howard Fineman was just talking on Rachel Maddow about this, from MyDD here ("The best path forward on health care reform"):

Democrats could then offer the insurance reforms you can't pass through reconciliation as regular bills. Will the Republicans dare to vote against allowing re-importation of prescription drugs, or revoking the insurance industry's anti-trust exemption? Will they dare to vote against banning insurance companies from discriminating because of pre-existing conditions? I don't think so. We should be able to get 60 votes for all of those reforms and more. If we can't, everyone will be able to see who stood up for consumers and who voted to protect corporate interests.

The smaller bill wouldn't solve all of the status quo problems with health care delivery, but neither would the Senate bill. Politically, this course would be less risky as well.

Pa. Gov. Ed Rendell was good, too. I should post a clip of his interview (available tomorrow). One thing he mentioned was making the Republicans filibuster against the bill -- see what they have to say to the American people (see points above). Fineman pointed out that FDR would hold people's feet to the fire.

Now I have to figure out what I'm watching at 10:00, and it won't be politics! I think I'll first sample "The Kidnapping of Jaycee Dugard."