Sen. Gregg is going to Kill Reconciliation with Storm of Point of Orders (Forcing Dems to NUKE)

[berni_mccoy]

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/56897-gop-objections-await-healthcare-plan

Sen. Judd Gregg has hundreds of procedural objections ready for a healthcare plan Democrats want to speed through the Senate.

Gregg (N.H.), the senior Republican on the Budget Committee, told The Hill in a recent interview that Republicans will wage a vicious fight if Democrats try to circumvent Senate rules and use a budget maneuver to pass a trillion-dollar healthcare plan with a simple majority.

For those who don't know, a Point of Order must have it's validity ruled on, allowing a 51-vote to validate it, but requiring 60 votes to appeal it. A Point of Order that passes actually changes the parliamentary procedure of the Senate moving forward. So, while it's unlikely Gregg's orders will be validated, but they must be voted upon and they can't be appealed.

How are Dems going to fight this? There is only one option: using their own Point of Order. In this case, the Point of Order that will move to apply the Nuclear Option and allow a simple majority to pass the Health Care reform bill. It can be done with one single point of order and a simple majority.

If Gregg does this, he will be forcing the Dems to use the Nuclear option.

[DJ13]

1. Gregg is a waste of good skin

If he got circumcised there wouldnt be anything left.

[SpiralHawk]

16. The Juddhead is infamous in Nh for evicting a widow from her home

though the corporate media makes scant message of his Uber-Republicon avarice and cruelty... Ptoooey on the arrogant Republicon Juddhead Gregg.

[wryter2000]

2. I've always been against eliminating the filibuster

But, these guys could convert me. :mad:

[BlueDemKev]

3. The Push the Button...

Well, the Republicans were ready to do it in 2005 to allow right-wing judges to get on the federal bench....

So, if that's the only way to get long-overdue health insurance reform passed, then push the button.

:nuke:

[WI_DEM]

4. Way to look out for your corporate masters, Gregg.

[quiet.american]

5. Okay, Sen. "Death Match" Gregg - bring it. nt

[SemiCharmedQuark]

6. How many Senators do we have on record for the public option now?

Open Left had 45 as of August 12

[berni_mccoy]

7. We were down to 44 when Kennedy died and back up to 45 when Warner came out for the PO

[WI_DEM]

18. whoever is the interim senator will support it too.

[BlueDemKev]

21. Only 45???

You mean there are 14 Democrats in the Senate opposed to the Public Option???

Who are they? Let's get a list of Senators' names...For & Against the PO.

[spanone]

8. time to play hardball with these assholes.

[SidneyCarton]

9. Screw it, arm the frackin missiles.

These guys have wanted a pissing contest over this for years, let's give it to them. We'll see how badly the Senate GOP wants to join their emasculated brethren in the House in irrelevance.

[WeDidIt]

10. Fucking hypocrite

Gregg voted for the Bush tax cuts via reconciliation.

Fucking bastard hypocrite.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

25. Obama was >>this close

I can't believe Obama can be incredibly naive about the MO of these Repukes. They don't care about his agenda. All they care about is gaining power.

[rox63]

11. There are some very good tacticians in the Senate, on both sides of the aisle

There has to be some arcane Senate rule that can get around this. Our side just has to find it and use it.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

19. Biden could help too

He was in the Senate for a LONG time. Byrd is considered by many to be a master of the Senate rules. I'm sure he'll have something figure out when we get down and dirty.

[peacetalksforall]

12. So will private insurance companies give him one amount when he starts this process and then

quadruple or more if he succeeds? How much money do the insurance companies have to spend on Republicand and Democratic congresspeople? How deep are the pockets of the congresspeople.

May the powers of humanity be with the un and under insured people of this nation.

[Myrina]

13. And Obama wanted this fucker in his Cabinet?

:wtf:

[napi21]

14. I'm not a lawyer or legislator, but do the Pubs have all the

clever ones & the Dems the bottom of the class ones?

Notices I didn't say smart & stupid!

We all know how, in a regular courtroom, a creative thinking lawyer can win cases that, when we first heard about them, thought they were a slam dunk.

Why is it, no matter wether the Pubs are in the maj. or min. it doens't seem to matter much...they still find a way to frustrate Dem efforts?

[SoCalDem]

15. It's all a big GAME .. republicans are determined to thwart Obama's policies

at any cost.. even if it is measured in deaths of their constituents without money for health insurance..

What a bunch of "wonderful" people they are:puke:

[Andy823]

20. This is true

And don't forget that many of their "constituents" don't want health care reform because the republicans have brainwashed them so well they are fighting against reform that would actually hep a big majority of them. They will also be the first ones to start bitching when their premiums go sky high if nothing is done to stop it!

[truedelphi]

24. And in many cases - while their under- insured cosntituents

Rally on their behalf!

[onenote]

17. i don't think it would require the nuke option

As I understand the rules, a point of order raised under the Byrd rule (like other points of order) can either be upheld or rejected by the presiding officer. While typically the presiding officer follows the recommendation of the Parliamentarian, the presiding officer is not bound to do so. Thus, if points of order are raised against provisions in the health care bill, the presiding officer can simply deny the point of order (notwithstanding the opinion of the parliamentarian). At that point, the ruling of the chair can be appealed, but an appeal overturning the chair's ruling would require 60 votes (and/or the appeal could be killed by a majority vote on a motion to table the appeal).

While ignoring the parliamentarian's judgment on a point of order is very much out of the norm, I would imagine that Reid would use that tactic before he attempted to blow up the filibuster.

[Blackhatjack]

22. Dems need to be smart... count the votes beforehand... and use their own Pt of Order quickly...

Don't wait until Repubs get all lathered up, just do it and move to adjourn for the day.

If you have to use the knife, use it quickly and be done with it.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

23. Because he is retiring, he faces no electoral accountability. The Repukes must have

put him up to this.

[Triana]

26. Do Dems have the spine to USE the nuclear option?

That's my biggest concern.

[Jester Messiah]

27. Let's fuggin' do it.

Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. The little crony bastards want a showdown, let's give 'em one.

[Cleita]

28. Tell him any Republican Congress person or Senator who acts as an obstructionist in

denying health care to every USA citizen is as much a murderer as anyone watching someone bleed to death while doing nothing about it. It's time to stop being polite and make the accusations no matter how unpleasant they may be.

[ezgoingrl]

29. If that's the way they wanna play.

Nuke their asses, and nuke em good.

[berni_mccoy]

30. Agreed

[babyblonde]

31. BRING IT!!!

:nuke: :applause: