Now that the Democrats have decided to use budget reconciliation to protect a future health care overhaul bill from Senate filibusters, how shall they break the news to the Republicans?
There are two schools of thought on this, apparently. There’s the method used today by Sens. Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, who told reporters that the fast-track procedure is an absolute last resort and they’re really hoping to write a broadly supported health care bill that could get “70, 75 votes” in the Senate, as Dodd put it.
And then there’s Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader with the diplomatic skills of Simon Cowell. His advice to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, also today: Don’t get “sidetracked by squabbles about arcane Senate procedure.”
That should go over well — especially the part where Reid puts it in writing and sends it out to the entire Capitol press corps. (The walk between Reid’s office and McConnell’s takes about 15 seconds, and they have phones, too.)
Of course, Reid probably has a bit more freedom to voice the annoyance most Democrats feel when Republicans vote against everything else on their agenda, and then act as if they never used reconciliation themselves to shut out the minority party. Dodd and Stabenow have to play it a bit more low-key, since they’re on the committees that actually will be writing the legislation and dealing with Republicans directly. (Dodd’s on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Stabenow is on the Finance Committee.)
“We have no desire to actually have to use reconciliation whatsoever,” Dodd said on a telephone conference call with reporters. “We all understand that if we get down to that kind of an acrimonious … debate that the country will lose. We really do need to try and put together a bill that will enjoy that broad-based support.”
Dodd even suggested that the health care bill could include a public plan option that wouldn’t actually be a government-run plan, but just public administration of private plans — suggesting that Republicans shouldn’t reject the idea before the debate even starts. “You say the word ‘public option’ and people have in their minds, you know, just a — an only government-run plan,” Dodd said.
Reid, however, said it’s up to the Republicans to make health care a bipartisan effort. “Republicans must demonstrate a sincere interest in legislating. Rather than just saying no, you must be willing to offer concrete and constructive proposals,” Reid wrote. “There is a seat for you at the table; we hope you take it.”
Because if the “sit down and shut up” approach doesn’t work, what will?
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Comments
For once I agree with Sen. Reid and Democrats in passing Comprehensive Health care reform. Hopefully it is the Single Payer system, but with so much corruption in politics and the influence of lobbyists for elitists in the trillion dollar medical insurance industry it’s unlikely? THE PEOPLE do not need middleman anymore as they become rich of the backs of sick people. It will be very interesting to see what is enacted on Capitol Hill? Let us see if the majority of Democrats and president Obama are really concerned about the working man? We saw E-Verify, the legal status verification system, dissolved by Harry Reid and House speaker Nancy Pelosi. Perhaps this time they will contribute to a hurting economy by introducing Universal Health Care for all?. Just have to ensure illegal nationals go home to get health care--NOT ON THE BACKS OF US TAXPAYERS? CALL YOUR SENATORS & REPRESENTATIVES AND DEMAND IT?
Posted by: Brittanicus
| April 27, 2009 3:45 PM
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