Shell-shocked by Scott Brown‘s victory, how dysfunctional has the Democratic party become?

I think Steve Benen summed it up nicely:

What I find interesting is the sizable group of progressive champions — allies of the Democratic Party who have no interest in steering Dems in the wrong direction — who are all urging the House to do the right thing, pass the Senate bill, and make improvements through reconciliation. Leading reform advocates, major union leaders, health care policy experts, and the nation’s most influential progressive pundits are all saying the exact same thing, giving Dems the exact same advice.

On the other hand, Republicans and right-wing activist outlets are urging Dems to scrap all the progress they’ve made, give up, start over, and/or pursue a weaker, ineffective bill (which the GOP would end up opposing anyway).

And so what are the Democrats leaning towards? “(Following) the advice of those who want to destroy them.”

And while all this is playing out in excruciatingly slow motion, what is President Obama up to?

Standing on the sidelines, averting his eyes, desperately hoping that someone will somehow step up to take charge and deliver him what he still says he still wants (“…I am not going to watch more people get crushed by costs, or denied the care they need by insurance company bureaucrats, or partisan politics, or special interest power in Washington.”) but is apparently not willing to actually lift a finger to bring about.