[antonico]

It's my understanding that the Senate cannot reconcile a bill that hasn't become law yet. So the House is going to have to do this first, much to the chagrin of Pelosi. She's nowhere near having the votes to pass the bill the Senate passed. They must be planning a different version to be voted upon, because what the two versions they have cannot be reconciled and still pass.

Plus, a Reconciliation vote in the Senate could undercut a LOT of what is passed by the House. There can be countless amendments added to the bill by the Republicans - effectively gutting a lot of what the Democrats want.

[OldDeckHand]

'It's my understanding that the Senate cannot reconcile a bill that hasn't become law yet."

Not exactly. The President can't sign a reconciliation bill until the original bill has been passed and signed by himself. But, Congress can pass them in whichever order they choose.

'Plus, a Reconciliation vote in the Senate could undercut a LOT of what is passed by the House. "

Remember, the original House bill is dead. They're debating trying to get the original Senate bill passed, and using reconciliation to make it then more palatable to the House leftists. At the end of the day, this really isn't about the Senate anymore. If they choose to use Reconciliation, they surely have the votes in the Senate. It all comes down to finding the votes in the House to pass the original Senate bill and the Reconciliation sidecar.

[mwl8787]

The House must pass the Senate bill first. We must call every House member, especially the Blue Dogs, and raise Hell. By passing the Senate bill, every House member who votes AYE will be voting for the Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase, and now it’s time to heavily play the Medicare Advantage card. If they vote for this corruption, they are signing their political death warrant.

We must pray that Stupak remains firm and the Catholic Church as well. There must be do moral distinction between a 3 year old child and a 3-month baby in the womb.