Getting Ready to Go It Alone?

During the August Congressional recess the tone of leading Republicans has become increasingly strident. None have condemned the overt distortions, hateful speech, or the carrying of guns at town hall meetings (and have generally defended all of those activities). And the primary Republican the Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee has been negotiating with (Sen. Grassley) admits that he will not vote for the bill in any case.

So how long will the Democrats stay with bipartisanship? Rahm Emanuel seems to suggest that it won't be long:

"The Republican leadership has made a strategic decision that defeating President Obama’s health care proposal is more important for their political goals than solving the health insurance problems that Americans face every day."

And how are we to read Robert Gibbs statement yesterday?

“Only a handful [of Republicans] seem interested in the type of comprehensive reform that so many people believe is necessary to ensure the principles and the goals that the president has laid out.”

What are the pros and cons of "going it alone"? Read more from the New York Times here.