Evangelist John of Patmos writes the Book of Revelation. Painting by Hieronymus Bosch (1505).

We don't have much of a blog capability on TPMCafe right now. It is chaos. Versha, my absolutely favorite TPMCafe'er just notified us:

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/

I just got an email giving us a breaking news story on an attack on an IRS stronghold in Utah.

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/fbi-investigating-hazardous-materials-incident-at-utah-irs-office.php?ref=fpb

Utah is a bastion of right wing groups with guns and confederate flags (they are not in the south) and total calls for insurrection.

I was not going to blog today. But there is NOTHING ON MSM cable about this. We do not get national news on ABC, NBC OR CBS for an hour.

This is a big deal.

But my real post is about something I heard murmured today. It is about health care.

Should passing health care reform come down to the use of reconciliation -- and all signs point that way -- Vice President Joseph Biden could play a hugely influential role in determining not only what's in the bill but whether or not it passes.

Two experts in the arcane rules of the Senate said on Monday that, as president of the Senate, Biden has the capacity not just to overrule any ruling that the parliamentarian may make but also to cut off efforts by Republicans to offer unlimited amendments.

"Ultimately it's the Vice President of the United States [who has the power over the reconciliation process]," Robert Dove, who served as Senate parliamentarian on and off from 1981-2001, told MSNBC this morning. "It is the decision of the Vice President whether or not to play a role here... And I have seen Vice Presidents play that role in other very important situations... The parliamentarian can only advise. It is the vice president who rules.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/01/biden-can-single-handedly_n_481031.html

I did this little blog for four  reasons.

First, TPM is really ahead of everyone else. I hope they fix this damn Café. Look at Miguel's blog.

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/m/i/miguelitoh2o/2010/03/how-to-kill-a-blog-site.php

Second, this anti-IRS thing is important. Remember McVeigh only wished to hurt the Federal Government. For whatever nutso reason during a Democratic Presidency.

Third, LET US ALL WRITE OUR VICE-PRESIDENT. http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/vice-president-biden 

If the Vice-President has the ability to really help achieve the first health-care reform in our nation's history since Medicare, GET IT ON.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaeRPTceqsk&feature=related

Finally, if you are interested in setting up a new blog site...we are working on it. Send emails to me:

[email protected]

We intend to set this up and cross post here at Café. If Café is still around and has not sent us all under the bus.

That's it, that's all I got today.