Posted on 02/20/2010 3:21:04 PM PST by Libloather
Reid: Dems will use 50-vote tactic to finish healthcare in 60 days
By Michael O'Brien - 02/20/10 01:44 PM ET
Democrats will finish their health reform efforts within the next two months by using a majority-vote maneuver in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said.
Reid said that congressional Democrats would likely opt for a procedural tactic in the Senate allowing the upper chamber to make final changes to its healthcare bill with only a simple majority of senators, instead of the 60 it takes to normally end a filibuster.
"I've had many conversations this week with the president, his chief of staff, and Speaker Pelosi," Reid said during an appearance Friday evening on "Face to Face with Jon Ralston" in Nevada. "And we're really trying to move forward on this."
The majority leader said that while Democrats have a number of options, they would likely use the budget reconciliation process to pass a series of fixes to the first healthcare bill passed by the Senate in November. These changes are needed to secure votes for passage of that original Senate bill in the House.
"We'll do a relatively small bill to take care of what we've already done," Reid said, affirming that Democrats would use the reconciliation process. "We're going to have that done in the next 60 days."
The move would allow Democrats to essentially go it alone on health reform, especially after losing their filibuter-proof majority in the Senate after Sen. Scott Brown's (R) special election victory in Massachusetts.
Republicans have protested the maneuver as a hyperpartisan tactic to ram through a health bill, and have said that plans to use the reconciliation process make moot a bipartisan summit at the White House this week, where both GOP and Democratic leaders are supposed to present their ideas on healthcare.
Reid said that the final Democratic bill is likely to be unveiled Monday night.
..dingy is obsessed,he’s been saying this since last April
....and when it don’t happen they will blame the GOP because they didn’t have enough votes on their own side. Even now, I
don’t think they have the votes to get 50.
I really belive him this time.
(kinda like the check is in the mail crap)
This is very exciting! I am looking forward to another failure of this bill.
If members of Congress want to go against the will of the American people, then I say go for it. Most likely the bill will be killed in reconciliation, if they even try it, and if not, the Dems will lose control of both Houses in November and the Presidency in 2012...if not sooner.
Boehner should respond:
Mr. President, it’s obvious that we have misunderstood you, sir. We thought you had invited us to the meeting in order to work on the details of a health care bill. We didn’t know you had invited us so you could announce that you and the Democrats in the House and Senate had already worked out all the details of your bill.
Now we see that you do not need us to attend that meeting after all. Accordingly, we will all clear our calendars for that day.
Thank you for thinking of us, Mr. President.
“Just like cockroaches... “
Aptly named. Dirty, only come out at night, something that needs to be squished.
Best to exterminate.
REID YOU ARE BLUFFING YOU ASS! AND IF YOU ARE NOT, YOU AND YOUR FELLOW RATS ARE WALKING DEAD MEN COME NOVEMBER!
Reid’s trying to play chicken with McConnell. He doesn’t have the votes.
Dingy ought to talk to the other 58 democrat senators and stop talking to his little cocoon of 0bama and Queen Nancy Nine Percent. He might find some different input. Too many democrat senators know that vote that passes this bill (whatever that bill is, by the way) is political suicide. They will claim that “reconciliation” is “undemocratic” and won’t support it. Then they can let the GOP kill it with a filibuster, and just wring their hands. And also wipe their brows.
I don’t think he’ll get 50 to make it a reconciliation bill.
Pass it with 50 votes, and we will repeal it with 50 votes, if not in 2011, then in 2013 when we have a big majority in the US Senate.
I can't wait for all these Leftist Rags to Die off and kill off the Dem propaganda operations.
Maybe some Regan appointed Judicial Bench Activist will throw it all out that it is not constitutional.
One thing you can say about the communists, they don’t give up easy. When they set their sights on destroying a country, they’ll go all out until the end.
Harry doesn’t look healthy at all. maybe he has some bad disease and will croak soon.
then you are gullible.
There are 100 ways the Republicans can bring the senate to a total standstill. They wont do it, mark my words. They might TRY (knowing they don't have the votes) just to please their base but it will never actually happen.
Won’t happen!
Yeah, that's Harry Reid right behind the snail..
The RATS always have another dirty trick up their dirty sleeve. It’s like those movies where the bad guy looks dead and then tries to stab the good guy when he turns his back.
“Senate GOP: Dems lack votes to use partisan tactic on health reform” Also from the Hill this morning - so whichis it?
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