Posted on 02/28/2010 2:23:09 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic leaders in the Congress voiced confidence on Sunday they will have the votes, possibly within a couple of months or so, to pass landmark legislation to overhaul the healthcare system.
Facing a wall of Republican opposition, Democrats have said they may resort to a rarely used procedural tactic, .. reconciliation, to win approval on purely partisan votes.
President Barack Obama, who hosted a White House summit last week that produced no sign of bipartisan compromise, is to announce this week how he would like Democrats to proceed on a top legislative priority.
"Our members, everyone of them, wants healthcare" reform, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, told ABC's "This Week" program.
"Everybody wants affordable healthcare for all Americans," Pelosi said. "They know that this will take courage."
Surveys show Americans oppose the sweeping legislation pushed by Democrats during the past year. But polls also find that most Americans favor reform and believe costs need to be reduced and coverage expanded.
Republican Senator Lamar Alexander warned Democrats to expect voter backlash in November's congressional elections if they try to use reconciliation, which would enable them to win passage in the 100-member Senate with 51 votes rather than the 60 required to clear Republican roadblocks.
"It would be a political kamikaze mission for the Democratic Party if they jam this through after the American people have been saying, 'Look, we're trying to tell you in every way we know how, in elections, in surveys, in town hall meetings, we don't want this bill,'" Alexander told "This Week."
"We'd really like to get a bipartisan bill," said Senator Robert Menendez, ..
"In the absence of that, the American people ... have said in the polls that they want to see (us) move forward on healthcare reform," ..
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
They are like the undead. They just keep pushing.
The nice thing if you will is none of this crap will take effect until after Obama hopes to have been re-elected.. how many will fall for it and him now? Time will tell and quickly, like in November.
I dont get it. The key aspects of the legislation —the individual mandate and ban on excluding preexisting conditions—cant be passed by reconciliation. I understand that. Why dont these people?
“possibly within a couple of months or so...”
Me too, that’s a damned odd statement. Within a couple of months or so???
My God. Maybe they’re going with the “pester them until they give in so they won’t have to keep hearing us talk about it all of the time” strategery.
I guess they’ve settled-in for a 15 month long healthcare debate......
I think it will be a combination of something in weeks being set up to make the President look good and pressure for old career Democrats to fall on their sword for the goal of socialism and a more permanent dependent class to vote Democrat in exchange for their benefits.
As usual, Ramirez nails it COMPLETELY...the man is a cartooning GENIUS!
“Obama’s Democrats.”
What, are they now his personal property? Bought and paid for?
I'd have Dutch courage too, if ‘d just consumed 2 bottles of malt whiskey. The trouble with such "confidence" is, it dissipates swiftly after the effects of the booze has worn off, as it will when the Democrats wake up from their booze induced fake high .
The "Man without a friend" and "The incredible melting speaker"
OOPS. The bolded part just told me THEY now know the thing is dead.
At least they leave no one wondering if they are delusional. They must be shunned and disrespected to their dieing day for the anti-American attitudes they bring to the table.
The most amazing thing is that BO is a DINO. He's ruining the Democrat Party and he isn't really a Democrat.
Until he needed the Dem Party to win elections, he was a member of the "New Party."...socialist!
Absolutely.
So is FReeper tawiskaro.
A couple of months?
I thought their timeline was weeks (before Easter).
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