Posted on 04/09/2011 9:43:39 AM PDT by Confab
One of the more intriguing parts of the budget deal announced late last night was a commitment from Harry Reid to allow two floor votes on Republican legislative priorities, both of which would never have otherwise seen in the Senate chamber before 2013. The first is the effort to defund Planned Parenthood, a rider that got stripped out of last night’s final compromise, which would have an uncertain future in the Senate anyway. The second, though, holds a great deal more promise, and a great deal of political risk for Democrats:
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, agreed to remove the Planned Parenthood provision in exchange for an agreement that would allow Congress to take up the funding issue separately.The Republicans also won inclusion of a provision that will require the Senate to vote on a bill to de-fund the health care reform law.
This codicil didn’t even get a mention in other news reports, but could be one of the more significant aspects of the agreement. The House has already worked on a bill to repeal ObamaCare, which before now had absolutely no chance of consideration while Harry Reid ran the Senate. As we repeatedly pointed out during the election, repeal of ObamaCare will be impossible until at least 2013, when we have an opportunity to elect and install a new President who will sign such a bill, even had we won control of the Senate.
So this isn’t important because it holds some new hope for a quicker repeal. Rather, it forces Democrats to defend the massive government expansion of control yet again, this time closer to the 2012 election. Democrats didn’t run on ObamaCare in 2010, except in reliably liberal districts for House races, and the last thing they need in an already-difficult cycle is another reminder to voters of the unpopular program. By forcing a floor vote in this agreement, Reid will have to get his caucus — now reduced to 53 rather than 59 — to entirely back ObamaCare in a new vote.
That means Senators like Bill Nelson in Florida will have to back it, even with the latest Quinnipiac poll showing voters there opposing it 41/49 more than a year after its rollout. Jon Tester in Montana will have to explain yet again to his constituents why he wants the IRS to be health-insurance cops. Claire McCaskill already has enough problems in Missouri, as does Ben Nelson in Nebraska. Even Democrats running for re-election in 2014 — like Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Mark Pryor in Arkansas — will have to go back on the record to support it in order to keep the repeal from passing Congress, and that comes after the clear expression of voter disapproval in last year’s midterms.
Of course, even if that happened, Obama would veto it, but that creates problems for him as well. If Democrats peel away from ObamaCare and he has to veto it to keep it in place, he suddenly looks very extreme and out of touch. He’d have to explain why his only real legislative accomplishment has become so toxic that his own party doesn’t back it any more, which would put him even further on the defensive and eliminate the “GOP used scare tactics” defense of ObamaCare that he’ll undoubtedly use on the campaign trail.
Frankly, I’m surprised Reid and Obama agreed to this. This has zero upside for Democrats heading into 2012, and looks like a political trap.
Update: AJ Strata was already on my wavelength on this.
Update II: The first two commenters believe Reid will renege on his promise, but that would also be political suicide. Reid already has proven inept in budgeting matters, and if he breaks an agreement now, there will be hell to pay on the campaign trail in 2012 for it. That will be an NRSC ad in every Senate race, asking voters whether they want to send a Democrat to the Senate and leave a lying welcher in charge.
Huge? The Dems are already on the record supporting it. I understand that the vote is on defunding the implementation of Obamacare for just this fiscal year. It will just be a pro-forma vote. I assume that there will need to be 60 votes for cloture just to get a vote on the bill.
“ep,
Even Yogi can figure this out “it ain’t over till it’s over”
Yep
She has already voted for Obamacare as has Nelson, Tester, etc. They passed it.
Reid only allowed a floor vote because he is confident the republicans will piss themselves, cry, and ultimately cave on the issue... which is EXACTLY what they did on the budget issue.
The only reason to be “optimistic” is if you’re a liberal.
The cloture vote is the key. 41 safe Democrats or Democrats not up for election can block a vote on the bill while allowing the vulnerable Democrats to vote for cloture and say they tried to the voters. I believe this is Reid and Obama’s strategy and we will have gained nothing.
Oh please they will simply say they are for “modifications” to make it better. Charlie Brown Republicans are fools or collaborators. i am thinking the latter.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, agreed to remove the Planned Parenthood provision in exchange for an agreement that would allow Congress to take up the funding issue separately.The Republicans also won inclusion of a provision that will require the Senate to vote on a bill to de-fund the health care reform law.
The words that defeated Bush 41. But what is left out is that he had a deal, a promise that if he would sign on the taxes, they, the Dems would reduce expenditures by a like amount. Well, Bush complied with the deal, he Dems lied - they didn't reduce spending a dime. You cannot trust a democrat.
The House, under Boehner, already voted to repeal.
Through negotiations Boehner won the right to have it voted on in the Senate, something that'd never happen otherwise.
How is that not "anything serious"?
The cranks and trolls are out in force today.
I don't like the concessions anymore than others, but the dems are going to have to expose themselves on abortion and Obamacare BEFORE the next election.
You can bet the cameras will be rolling and their (dems) foolish rhetoric, will be in all the campaign ads.
I think his was a good move.
Folks, some of you are missing the point. The reason that Reid wasn’t going to let the vote on repeal come to the floor was because then the Dems would be on record for voting for it once again after the clear cut dismay by the American people against it. It has virtually no possibility of passing, but the negative ramifications for those voting against repeal, especially in swing states, are HUGE going into the next election. Every Dem pick up in the Senate would be enormous.
The electorate was furious last election. This fury will only be augmented by this vote. Coupled w/ the battle royale that is sure to be on the fiscal 2012 budget, we could very well see a landslide that would be unparalleled in recent history. Think long term folks, not just about today. Winning battles is one thing, winning the war is quite another. Strategically speaking, sometimes losing a small battle helps win the war.
Reid giving in on Obamacare is beyond my wildest dreams. Without this deal, that repeal would have never seen daylight. That IS huge.
For those that state that Reid won’t let it come to the floor anyways, the repercussions would be equally disastrous for the Dems. Either way, we win. Reid has painted he & his party into a box.
Then the battle cry will be.....how can we vote for this Dem, even though they voted for the repeal, when they back the party that stopped it?
IT’S NO DEAL, IT’S A SELLOUT
http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/its-no-deal-its-a-sellout/
Listen to what Mark Levin had to say
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffG-0IZF4bY&feature=share
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