Posted on 03/02/2010 4:51:25 PM PST by chessplayer
Its a testament to how arcane a procedure reconciliation is that we havent heard this before. Remember, if Obama and Reid go nuclear in the Senate, thats not the end of the story: The GOP can still try to block the progress of the bill, either by challenging the individual provisions on parliamentary grounds in theory, only parts that are related to the budget can be passed via reconciliation or by proposing an endless numbers of amendments to stop the process in its tracks. Keith Hennessey wrote about the latter strategy this morning:
THAT would be the nuclear option. It would effectively blow up the Senate.
My thanks to Obie for extending this well into primary season, which officially kicked off today in Texas. You and yours will shortly be toast.
After all Republican Senators, Your representing our future, We, the voters are not interested in your relationships with the political enemy.
” . . . in theory, only parts that are related to the budget can be passed via reconciliation.”
But Reid’s pet parliamentarian will rule that everything is in order. This is no limitation at all.
In 2011, will we be able to use reconciliation to impeach 0bama?
The nuclear option will literally lead to all those voting in favor being pulled down by the people.
The parliamentarian was put in by the GOP.
The point of the article was that, no matter what the parliamentarian might rule, his is an "advisory" role -- and Biden, as the presiding officer of the Senate, can overrule him.
It is, as you say, "no limitation at all" -- but it isn't necessary to impugn the ethics of the parliamentarian.
/
The current parliamentarian has been around for a long time and has a good reputation for objectivity.
And get a load of Biden damning reconciliation in 2005 in this video, "praying to God" that when RATS are in power they dont use it.
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