Let's Play the Blame Game!  —  When a Democrat loses a federal race in Massachusetts, the default assumption ought to be that several factors are to blame.  —  Clearly the national environment has gotten worse for the Democrats since Barack Obama's inauguration one year ago.

Dear Nervous & Frustrated House Democrat...  Dear Nervous and Frustrated House Democrat,  —  It's up to you.  —  A few days ago, after a year of debate, you were on the verge of achieving a goal that's eluded progressives for nearly a century: Creating a national health insurance program.

Blame the Left for Massachusetts  —  Democrats should be willing to seek common-ground reforms.  —  Liberal Democrats might attempt to spin the shocking victory of Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts by claiming that the loss was a result of a poor campaign by Martha Coakley.  Would that it were so.

Claire McCaskill: No forced Senate health care bill  —  Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) has joined Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) in warning leaders not to try to push a revised health care reform bill through the Senate before newly elected Republican Scott Brown arrives.

A Path Forward: It's Time to Pass Health Insurance Reform  —  What's Your Reaction: … The question on everyone's mind today is what went wrong in Massachusetts?  The tea leaf-reading and hand wringing will no doubt monopolize much of Washington's time over the coming days and weeks.

Frank: Health Care Compromise “Dead”  —  Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) said any hope for a compromise between House and Senate health care reform legislation is dead following his state's election of a GOP senator last night.  —  “I think the measure that would have passed, that is …

Scott Brown Wins Mass. Race, Giving GOP 41-59 Majority in the Senate  —  ​The election of Republican Scott Brown to replace the deceased Ted Kennedy in the Senate from Massachusetts yesterday destroys the Democrats' 60-vote supermajority, widely presumed to be needed for passage of a health care bill …

Union Big: Labor Won't Support House Passing Senate Bill  —  House to pass Senate health bill as is?  Forget it, a top labor leader says.  —  AFL-CIO legislative director Bill Samuel tells me in an interview that labor won't support any efforts by the House to pass the Senate health bill …

Fallout: Dems rethinking health bill  —  Republican Scott Brown's upset win in Massachusetts Tuesday threatened to derail any hopes of passing a health reform bill this year, as the White House and Democratic leaders faced growing resistance from rank-and-file members to pressing ahead with a bill following the Bay State backlash.

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do  —  Via Talking Points Memo, Massachusetts Democrat Bill Delahunt went on television this morning to suggest Democrats break up the health care bill into component parts and vote on them separately:  —  I think what we're going to have to do is do it on an incremental basis.