Posted on 02/22/2010 8:00:36 AM PST by opentalk
The game of chicken commenceth — right now.
In the course of unveiling Obama’s new health reform proposal on a conference call with reporters this morning, White House advisers made it clearer than ever before: If the GOP filibusters health reform, Dems will move forward on their own and pass it via reconciliation.
The assertion, which is likely to spark an angry response from GOP leaders, ups the stakes in advance of the summit by essentially daring Republicans to try to block reform.
“The President expects and believes the American people deserve an up or down vote on health reform,” White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer said on the call.
Pfeiffer said no decision had been made how to proceed, pending the outcome of the summit. But he added that Obama’s proposal is designed to have “maximum flexibility to ensure that we can get an up or down vote if the opposition decides to take the extraordinary step of filibustering health reform.”
Translation: If the GOP doesn’t cooperate with us in any meaningful sense, we’re moving forward on our own.
Also on the call, White House advisers detailed Obama’s new proposal, which was just posted on the White House web site, and discussed the ways it seeks a compromise between the Senate and House proposals. Among the details:
* As expected, the plan has no public option — but this does not preclude a reconciliation vote on the public option later.
* The proposal boosts the threshold for the “Cadillac” tax on the most expensive health plans from $23,000 for a family plan to $27,500. That’s actually a better deal than some labor officials were expecting, though some House Dems will still be angry that the tax is being included at all.
* The proposal also preserves the Senate bill’s state-based exchanges, and does not have a national exchange, as the House bill did.
* However, House Dems will be cheered by the fact that Obama’s compromise closes the Medicare prescription drug “donut hole” coverage gap.
* Also, the bill nixes Ben Nelson’s Nebraska deal and boosts Federal financing for Medicaid expansion in all states.
* And finally, as expected, Obama’s proposal creates a Federal panel to monitor and block exorbitant rate hikes and other unfair practices by the insurance industry.
One final note: On the call, Pfeiffer was careful to note that the proposal is not the product of an agreement between the House and Senate, but rather is “the President’s bill.” This is meant to preclude GOP efforts to cast the proposal as the product of a backroom deal. The lines are drawn.
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Update: Eric Cantor spokesman Brad Dayspring emails a response:
The Obama plan costs a trillion dollars, puts government in control of personal health decisions, and allows the government to set prices in the private market. That mirrors the Pelosi/Reid plans that have already been soundly rejected by the bipartisan majority of Americans.
Mr Odumbo,
that “up or down vote” sound brilliant but we know it doesn’t work when the representatives ignore the wishes of their constituents
and when backroom deals are struck to buy votes using billions of taxpayer dollars in earmarks...
we are not Chicago
I don’t understand how they can do this. If there are any changes at all to the Senate Bill, it would appear that both chambers will have to revote.
If they want to commit political suicide they will. The Massachussetts senate election has put them on notice, and though the Dems in congress won't come out and say so, most of them received that message loud and clear.
If reconciliation succeeds it will be an ever bigger bloodbath for the Dems in November and the Republicans can run on a platform of reversing the Obmacare legislation.
Also it will be term limited to ten years just like the Bush tax cuts that are coming to an end in 2010.
I'm deeply troubled by this comment. I cannot think of a time in a long while where there have been any balls demonstrated in the GOP court.
I wonder how the conservative, and even moderate Democrats in Congress feel about Obama throwing them under the electoral bus in order to say HE ‘did something’ about health care? THEY are the ones who are going to feel the immediate heat, especially in November.
in all my years i can’t ever remember an administration insisting on ramming something down the throats of americans that the majority of them did not want....i just hope that if this passes there is recourse in thru the court system for us.....
Note to Republicans AND Democrats: obama is at -19. The American people don’t want what he’s selling. Do not be intimidated by his Chicago-style games.
Most of America agrees, The President’s Health Care reform Summit is a meaningless Public relations Exercise.
Rasmussen was interviewed today - Obama's polls go done when the health-care is pushed, said that is happening now.
I don't often feel like dropping the f-bomb but this statement pulls my trigger.
FUBO.
I dont think they care. Passing this at all costs. I think it will take a large majority to veto a bill after the president signs it.
Harry Reid, 2005:
“the nuclear option was the most important issue I’ve ever worked on in my entire career, because if that had gone forward it would have destroyed the Senate as we know it.”
Harry Reid 2008:
“What the Republicans came up with was a way to change our country forever,” Reid stated. “We would in fact have a unicameral legislature where a simple majority would determine everything that happens... the Senate was set up to be different. That was the genius, the vision, of our Founding Fathers.”
When former Democratic Majority Leader Tom Daschle asked what the likelihood was we would see the nuclear option come up again, Reid passionately reiterated his convictions. [emphasis mine]
“As long as I am the leader, the answer is no. I think we should just forget that. That is a black chapter in the history of the Senate. I hope we never, ever get to that again. I really do believe it will ruin our country.”
The Republican leadership should issue a statement that simply states:
You pass it without us you own it. See you in November.
They would, but if they do it through reconciliation (part of a “budget” plan) it only needs a 51 vote majority in Senate and simple majority in the House.
The GOP still isn’t the problem, and this was always going to go the reconciliation route should the Democrats not get to marching in lockstep. Republicans should hold firm against this lunacy.
Downright funny comment. What you said is a laugh/cry thing. Wish it wasn’t true. *sigh*
ALL they do is threaten. They could have passed this thing if they wanted to by now. Let them do it, IF they TRULY WANT TO. They don’t. It is all an act.
We need to initiate the biggest political firestorm in American history to kill this monstrosity.
“If reconciliation succeeds it will be an ever bigger bloodbath for the Dems in November ...”
Yep. Pubs should call the bluff.
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