Posted on 01/27/2010 1:48:12 PM PST by jazusamo
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday floated the idea of a two-track plan for health care reform — with Congress pursuing easier-to-pass incremental changes now and comprehensive reform later.
“We believe that it’s possible to have comprehensive health care reform as we go forward, but at the same time, it can be on another track where some things can just be passed outside of that legislation, and we’ll be doing both,” Pelosi said in an interview with POLITICO.
Though the Democrats’ loss of Ted Kennedy’s old Senate seat has complicated efforts to get the 60 votes they need for a sweeping health care bill, Pelosi insisted that comprehensive reform is still on the agenda.
“We have to get it done,” the speaker said. “What the process is doesn’t matter. The outcome is what is important, and what it means to working families in America.”
Asked whether piecemeal changes could come before comprehensive reform, Pelosi said: “Some may. It just depends on how long it takes for the comprehensive to go. But it doesn’t mean that the comprehensive isn’t moving. It is essential. If everyone loved their health insurance in the country — and you know they don’t — we would still have to do this for financial reasons.”
Pelosi reiterated that ramming the existing Senate bill through the House is not an option.
“There is no support in my caucus in the present form, at this time, for the Senate bill,” she said. “I don’t see that as an option. But I do think that we’re in range to make some improvements in it that will make it more affordable for the middle class, which is essential. Hold the insurance companies more accountable. Those two things are essential to us.”
Pelosi spoke with POLITICO as part of POLITICO’s “Inside Obama’s Washington” video series. The full interview will be available Thursday morning at www.politico.com.
Blind as a bat and dumb as a rock.
I wish she couldn’t float.
And she were about 100 km out to sea.
Fabianism. This how they imposed socialism in England.
How can this be done through reconciliation? Since no bill has been passed into law that would seem to me to be off the table. Reconciliation from what I understand is only for enacted bills.
It really sounds as if just they're playing to their dumb nutroots and kos kook base.
Squeaker Pelosi is not dumb, my FRiend (that would be Misses Boxer).
She does, however, believe that WE are pretty stupid.
.
That's actually a good idea, Nancy. And if you pick the right increments, like 'portability', and use market-based solutions, you will eliminate the need for the latter, top-down, one-size-fits-all national solution.
Here’s an idea: cram it up your arse, Nazi.
I need to keep that statement on file for the next hundred FReeper posts saying that the House is going to pass the Senate version.
“There is no support in my caucus in the present form, at this time, for the Senate bill,” she said. “I don’t see that as an option. But I do think that we’re in range to make some improvements in it that will make it more affordable for the middle class, which is essential. Hold the insurance companies more accountable. Those two things are essential to us.”
Not quite the stake in the heart but it sounds like the current crap they were trying is dead?
Does anyone else see the likeness of Madam Pelosi to Marie Antoinette?
AKA boil the frog slowly.
Sounds like the Senate bill in the House is dead alright or she wouldn’t be saying it.
“What the process is doesn’t matter. The outcome is what is important,”
The ends justify the means.
Pelosi reiterated that ramming the EXISTING Senate bill through the House is not an option. “There is no support in my caucus IN THE PRESENT FORM, at this time, for the Senate bill,” she said.
What the Rats are trying to pull together behind closed doors, which has been explained to you by, oh, about a hundred FReepers, is that the Senate will agree TO MAKE CHANGES to the EXISTING Senate bill to satisfy the House using the reconciliation process, which is not subject to filibuster. After enough House Rats have been satisfied that the changes will indeed be made to the Senate bill, they will move forward.
I don't know whether they will be successful or at the end of the day even try to hold such votes. But the effort to pull such a plan together has been reported in a number of press accounts.
Only a fool would go around telling people to relax, stop putting the spotlight on what they are trying to do, let the pressure off.
Really?
They are going to strengthen the anti-abortion issue to match that of the House?
I don't know whether they will be successful or at the end of the day even try to hold such votes. But the effort to pull such a plan together has been reported in a number of press accounts.
The Senate is not going to go over its Bill and change anything-it can't.
All this rhetoric by Pelosi is to put the blame for the failure to get the Bill passed on Reid and the Senate Democrats.
Only a fool would go around telling people to relax, stop putting the spotlight on what they are trying to do, let the pressure off.
Only an idiot would constantly not grasp the simple fact that THIS Bill is dead.
And stop talking nonsense about 'pressure'.
The pressure was delivered when the GOP won in Mass.
You, and other like you, will be wringing your hands about this right up to the election.. 'maybe they will do this, maybe they will do that....'
This is what this Bill was really about-raising taxes.
Now, Obama is in a real fix, he was counting on getting that money.
That Bill would have been unlikely to pass even with the Mass win.
The Democrats needed 60 votes because they knew a reconciled Bill meant changes in the Senate version, which meant it could be filabusted again.
That is why they were so depressed when they lost their supermajority.
If Pelosi thought they didn't need to go through the Senate, they wouldn't have cared.
Now, the Reconcilation process is about passing budget issues only.
And they might do that because they want the taxes.
However, if they do that, they lose the cover of saying they are raising taxes for health care, since there won't be any health care Bill.
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