Lieberman made the point today that any healthcare bill coming out of conference would need 60 votes

[flpoljunkie]

Lieberman was on Andrea Mitchell's show today. She asked him about something Mike Enzi said--that he won't accept the deal from Finance (Baucus' Senate Finance Committee) unless he gets a commitment from the White House that this is the 'final deal.'

Lieberman: Ultimately he (Mike Enzi) and every Senator knows if they are worried about stuff being put in in a conference committee with the House, it takes 60 votes to take up a conference committee so everyone of us can block it, if there are some surprises in it that a lot of us don't like."

Video: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/32206207#32206207

[Demoiselle]

1. Can't they do a "reconciliation" with just 51 votes? nt

[flpoljunkie]

2. I don't think that is the same as the 60 cloture votes required to take up the bill.

[ShadowLiberal]

3. Reconciliation is a last resort fallback plan.

Because of the rules to reconciliation it's somewhat dangerous to depend on getting a bill as complex as health care through it without some holes getting blown into the original bill because of reconciliation rules. Some senators (I forget who, but they were fairly liberal democrats) have already said that using it won't work because health care would come out like Swiss cheese from it.

That's why they want to pass health care before that, so they won't have to worry about those problems.

[PurityOfEssence]

4. Loathsome Joe rides again

The gift the goes on giving.

[Kingofalldems]

5. Time to ban him from caucusing with the Dems