"Senate Dems warm to reconciliation"

[Clio the Leo]

The http://www.truthout.org/obama-republicans-are-obstructionists56637">President's plan is working!!!!

Senate Dems warm to reconciliation

An idea that seemed toxic only weeks ago — using a parliamentary tactic to ram health reform through the Senate — is gaining acceptance among moderate Democrats who have resisted the strategy but now say GOP opposition may force their hands.

The implications of the subtle shift among this small group of centrist senators could mean the difference between success and failure for health care reform — giving Democrats a potential road map for passing a bill that had been left for dead after the Massachusetts Senate defeat.

That mood in the Senate was matched Tuesday by a growing momentum for President Barack Obama’s health care proposal in the House, where Democrats were beginning to coalesce around the view that passing a flawed bill is better than passing none at all.

These shifts couldn’t come at a better time for Obama ahead of Thursday’s health care summit. The White House has signaled he’s prepared to use reconciliation, which would require just 51 votes to pass health reform.

The comments also seemed to reflect the early soundings of a Democratic strategy for selling the public on the tactic, especially if no Republicans sign on to Obama’s plan after the summit: The GOP made us do it.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33398.html#ixzz0gQ6RWs14

[Dinger]

1. "Warming" Isn't Good Enough

Just do it.

[Nickster]

2. Let me get this straight. They are talking about reconciliation and using it for a crap bill? Why

not go for broke and put single payer in there?

[TheWraith]

3. I doubt there's even 30 Senate votes for single payer.

Maybe not even 20.

[w4rma]

6. Agreed. Single payer isn't going to happen in this Congress. (nt)

[impik]

15. I'm sorry to break it to you, but

i doubt there's 30 votes for the Public Option in the Senate. And that is the sad truth. Everybody loves to blame the presdient, but the fact is - The votes were never there.

[Pirate Smile]

4. You've got to have at least 50 votes.

[Fire1]

5. Ain't gonna happen!!!! n/t

[FrenchieCat]

7. Hey, I know!

Let's just call the bill crap, demand something that ain't gonna happen anytime close to soon,
and instead while we wait for the magical single payer, let just keep on keeping on with what we currently have in place which is gigantic bunch of crap nothing shit.....
and let's all feel strong and vocal and right and shit. K? :crazy:

[Fire1]

8. YEAH! And fuck everybody who dies in the mean time.

:crazy: :sarcasm:

[FrenchieCat]

9. If I don't get shit, why should anyone else?

Do my boot straps look like they were built for two? Don't fucking think so! :sarcasm:

[Nickster]

13. Sounds kinda like the argument for NAFTA that I was out marching against back in the day.

Hey, let's get something done, we'll fix it later......The current bill is crap and there's a multitude of issues that will arise from allowing it to happen that we can't back away from. If we are going to grow a backbone and throw reconciliation out there, why not start from a strong bargaining position instead of growing a backbone now and still asking for a crap bill? The end result needs to be something that controls the costs and provides competition to the insurance industry. There are several ways to do it, not what's being proposed.


But hey, if it makes you feel better to talk shit about my thoughts, more power to you.

[impik]

16. Of course. Just because people call themselves "progressives"

doesn't mean that they really are. Most of them should look in the dictionary for the meaning of the word "progress".

[andym]

12. I think it's a good idea, but the 20 trillion dollar price tag (10 years) scares off the

moderates and makes it difficult to do reconciliation (which needs to be at least revenue neutral). They'll need a 2 trillion tax increase to pay for it, and they're too cowardly to raise taxes. Of course, in the end both consumers and the economy will benefit as waste is cut. The 2 trillion dollar/year price tag comes from the conclusion of the CA Nurses Association's study last year where they show that single-payer would cost about the same as current costs in direct costs (2 trillion) but save large amounts of indirect costs and stimulate the economy to boot.

[Nickster]

14. I agree. Now if we only had a leader that could help to get out in front of the media and

explain in plain english how it would work and how it would benefit everyone in the long run. This is the same problem Clinton had, no one understands insurance and no one understands how reforming the system will actually work. Clinton made it way too complicated to the point that I don't think he even understood what he was asking for anymore. People need simple, concrete examples, something that could be put on a bumpersticker so to speak. We may not be able to get the whole cake in the end, it is politics after all, but at least we would stand a better chance of getting a real bill that would help more Americans.

[Teaser]

17. We need a detailed proposal from you

on how to use reconcilation to pass a single payer plan. Expectations include, but are not limited to, plans to deal with the Byrd rule, expiration dates, etc...

[BlueIdaho]

10. I wrote my congresscritter today

I told him it was time to put on his big boy pants and back the president or start cleaning out his office.

The time for dithering is over - the action is now.

[Clio the Leo]

11. good! NT