Posted on 02/10/2010 3:19:05 PM PST by Mrs. Don-o
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's senior health care advisor has told Congress Daily that congressional Democratic leaders have settled on a strategy they believe will allow them to make changes in both Senate and House Obamacare bills, then send a single, revised version to President Obama for signature.
Congress Daily is a subscription-only publication, but LifeNews.com has these details:
"In comments reported by Congress Daily, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s top health care aide Wendell Primus admitted top Democrats have already decided on the strategy to pass the Senate's pro-abortion, government-run health care bill.
"Primus explained that the Senate will use the controversial reconciliation strategy that will have the House approve the Senate bill and both the House and Senate okaying changes to the bill that the Senate will sign off on by preventing Republicans from filibustering.
“'The trick in all of this is that the president would have to sign the Senate bill first, then the reconciliation bill second, and the reconciliation bill would trump the Senate bill,' Primus said at the National Health Policy Conference hosted by Academy Health and Health Affairs.
“'There's a certain skill, there's a trick, but I think we'll get it done,' he said."
The comments from Primus raise an obvious question: Since it is inconveible that Democratic congressional leaders are moving in this direction without the knowledge of the White House, why call a health care summit and challenge congressional Republicans to come with their best ideas when the plan is already in place to use legislative trickery to pass Obamacare?
The most logical answer would seem to be that the summit is part and parcel of a White House/congressional Democratic strategy to distract attention from what is about to happen on the Hill. It's the classic magician's trick of distracting you with the left hand while the right hand does the "trick."
Back in November, the House bill passed its bill with 220 votes. Since then, Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) has resigned from the House and now Murtha died, bringing the total to 218 votes, the exact minimum needed to pass. However, one of those 218 votes was from a Republican, Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA), who has changed his mind and now vows to oppose the final bill.
With Wexler, Murtha, and Cao not voting "aye" when the Senate bill comes up, the Democrats are down to 217 votes, one shy of a majority.
Of course, the Senate bill is more conservative than the House bill in some ways--for example, no public option--so one or more Blue Dogs who opposed the House bill may vote for the Senate bill.
But on the other hand, the Senate bill also has no Stupak amendment, so a dozen pro-life Democrats who voted for the bill in Nov. could vote against the Senate bill, hoping that'll save their bacon in November.
Forget about "supermajorities" -- I don't think Pelosi can get a simple majority.
We'll handle it in November.
Do it, you lib freakazoids! Do it!
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Maybe the “summit” IS the trick.
I suppose the “dumb party” does not have the stones to tell Obozo as “POTUS” to go pound sand.
Process is more important to them than the will of the American people that was witnessed by the election of Scott Brown. He was elected to STOP Obozo and the commie dem Congress.
Tell me, why be friendly to communists?
The word is that the House held some votes in reserve when Obamacare was passed. Some vulnerable Rats were allowed to vote no. That is not unusual for controversial legislation.
I believe they can get the votes in the House easily enough.
What I think will prove more difficult is whether they can get 50 senators to go the reconciliation route. We’ll find out soon enough.
Once passage was assured, a few members in competitive districts, might have been allowed to vote no. So its difficult to know the true total.
I think some of the Democrats were allowed to vote no on the original bill for political cover, but could be made to vote for the bill as needed. The 220 votes that were cast in favor are unlikely to be the only votes Pelosi can count on.
Pass it bitch. Let’s get this war going.
Don’t forget that Rep from Alabama (D) who switched to a Republican - they don’t have the votes! Plus, I’ve got to believe there are atleast a few tea leave readers amongst that miserable group of dems that KNOWS their job is over if they vote YES!
I’m with you.
No chance either body has enough votes for this. It’s a bluff.
If Pelosi is dumb enough to try this, the losses in November will be...what’s that word again?
Ah yes...”historic.”
We should write and call GOP and tell them they should be voted out of office if they go to the summit knowing the Dems plan this BS.
If these GOP leaders had any smarts they should be screaming about the Marxist and his fellow radicals obvious Ambush .
Who knows if this is an intended leak or a real thing .
The worst mistake the dumbass republicans could make would be to agree to meet with Zero. It’s a lose-lose situation for them. They should just say, “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Call them !
The staff told me that many People are screaming at them to not attend !
wow— admitting that they are pulling tricks on the people.....
welcome to DC....better shows and tricks than you will ever see in Vegas...
I know, I get so damn tired of them snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Obozo is actually the loser here. They are going to allow themselves to be the losers.
Gawd almighty. How do you get through to these beltway idiots that they are fools?
Republicans say no to healthcare summit...Democrats say they HAVE TO go nuclear.
Here’s what I think the Rat plan is:
Word is they are in the process of ironing out differences in the House and Senate versions of Obamacare. I expect the Senate to swallow the Stupak amendment.
On February 25, Obama has his photo op meeting with Republicans.
After the meeting, Obama announces that he has now “heard” the Republican ideas and that they don’t work. The MSM declares Obama the “victor” in the encounter with the Republicans.
On the back of this public relations “victory” the final skittish senators fall in place to get to 50 and they immediately move forward to pass the melded Obamacare bill via reconciliation.
Republican senators try to delay by offering numerous amendments, and the Rats in an unprecedented move use a “nuclear” option with the help of the Senate parliamentarian to cut off the Republicans.
It will be the first time in the history of the country that a massive social welfare scheme changing the country was passed by a razor-thin, partisan majority using parliamentary trickery.
Axelrod believes that politically they are better off going this route and facing the wrath of voters in November than having tried to get Obamacare, not passed it, and facing the wrath of the voters in November.
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