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.
I read on Slate that Pelosi does not have the votes in the House. I think all the talk about reconciliation gives pause, though. They would never go down that path unless they have the votes in the House. Here is hoping it is merely a bluff.
This is were I get very confused. Why would the house pass the original senate bill and trust the senate to modify it at a later date? Zippy could just sign the dang thing and say "too bad" right?
Is the "bill" that zippy will offer up tomorrow actually what he wants the senate modifications to look like? and most important, what happens if the house does pass the senate bill as is... then the senate passes a modification to their original bill and the house does not pass the modifications? Has any piece of legislation ever been this convoluted?