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.
That’s my understanding of how reconciliation is supposed to work.
The Senate bill is mot like the one the House barely passed. Maybe the House votes nay?
Just yesterday I read several House democrats say they don’t have the votes to pass the Senate bill and that it’s dead, with or without reconciliation. They’ll have to twist a lot arms to get it, and that’s why I think it’s just posturing and bluffing at the moment.
The Tyranny of the Majority is alive and well. Let's hope that the Majority becomes the Minority in November.
Try $60 BILLION annually.
For perspective, that's double the total cost of earmarks ($30 billion last year).
No corporation would ever put up with the fraud and waste the government allows. If they'd do something about rampant fraud and waste, I'd let them have their friggin' earmarks.
That’s the plan. The House approves the Senate version and voila, it’s just 51 Senate Votes for Rainbows and Unicorns.
His ruling was appealed to the floor. and he couldn't get 40 votes.
IF (and it's a big if) they are able to do this, something fundamental will have changed.
The Republicans will find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory (again)
If the house approves the Senate bill (which many house members do not like) as is, then the bill is ready for presidential signature. What is to stop Obama from signing the Senate bill as is? Now as I understand it the house will be trusting the Senate to make the bill look like what the president?? or house wants. But I guess Pelosi can hold the approved Senate/House bill away from Presidential signature until next year or passage of A Senate reconciliation bill to her liking.
If the Seate cannot do reconciliation then Obama might have to Veto the Senate Bill. The Senate bill is unworkable as is.
They can't pass the major portions of the health care bill via this method.
there ARE NO benefits....at least scheduled until 2014(and IMHO..there NEVER will be any benefits whatsoever paid) ...this is a TAX BILL...(retroactive to January 01, 2010) and it is critical to the fall elections...without it...they haven’t the cash to put on the street for the balance of the “stimulus” packaged they need to GOTV with ACORN and SEIU
The House won't approve the Senate version, if they did, they weren't even need a revote in the Senate.
IF THE REPUBLICANS CANT WIN THAT FECKLESS ARGUMENT OF BEING OBSTRUCTIONISTS THEY DONT DESERVE TO BE IN THE MAJORITY.
You Cant blame the Republicans for not passing something you could have passed without their help,now that YOU didnt you cant have it Both ways ,OOPS I forgot they are Democrats. Plus their opponents are the MORONIC Republicans.
Here this is simple ,Yes we are the Party of NO,NO to Compulsive purchase of Insurance, No to HIgher Costs Of Insurance,NO to less Quality health Care,NO to death Panels NO PUBLIC OPTION! Now go forth and argue on the Principles the AMERICAN people want ,LOWER COST,Health Savings Accounts ,No ILLEGAL ALIENS getting tax paying citizens benefits ,no Unions getting Special treatment.
Dont go to this Scam meeting and Fight on Principles and FORGET WHAT THE AHole Democrats will say
I wonder how many times Charlie Brown(R) goes to make the extra point with Lucy(D) holding the ball?.
Their dirty trick is just to expose the utter stupidity of The Republican Party who now after winning the argument on Government control of our health Care,are now letting the Democrats redefine the argument. The democrats could have Passed anything ,they had the Majorities ,now that they dont they blame the republicans for being Obstructionists and say, they the Democrats,want Bi Partisanship,and the Moron Republicans fall for it! You cant compromise with Communists! The republicans won the arguments on the Merits ,why the Hell have they forgotten them and not continued to point out those socialistic tenets in the bill that the democrats are still going to shove down our throats.Dont go to the Trap ,Just stand on the Ideas that the People have already rejected ,why the Hell would you give the Democrats more Power Now than they had when they had 60 votes, You mean to tell me What the Democrats SAY has more power than the 60 votes they had when they couldnt pass this crap?
This is twilight Zone stuff, Are the Republicans Cowards,they dont deserve one vote or one Dime from any self respecting American
They'll make a few tweaks in Committee and back it goes.
The idiots that vote for it will say that the House and Senate made the bill better in Conference and it's now a Win-Win for the hapless American Citizens (and Illegal Aliens).
The Politburo wins one for our little Halfrican American version of Hugo Chavez. What a Historic year Comrades!
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