Plan B: Democrats Consider How To Pass Health

[SHRED]

As I noted last week, the House could simply pass the Senate bill unchanged, and Obama could sign reform into law. As recently as last week, a number of high-profile Democrats were saying that would never fly. But many are now suggesting that the House might still pull through, if House members are promised that the deal they agreed to last week will be passed separately--and quickly--through the filibuster-proof budget reconciliation process.

Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, told the Boston Globe, the idea is "well within the scope of the rules of the Senate," and, indeed, the deal with labor is largely a change to the tax structure of the bill, which is the sort of issue the reconciliation process is designed to address.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/01/plan-b-democrats-consider-how-to-pass-health-care-if-coakley-loses.php?ref=fpa

Doesn't this just beg the question(s):

Why not add a strong, all inclusive public option plus expanded Medicare (55+) if this is the process used?
Why settle for less?

:shrug:

[peace frog]

1. Obama took single payer off the table right from the get-go

It's unlikely to be added at this late date, particularly when the president has come out so strongly against it.

[SHRED]

3. He needs to get back to his 2003 roots

[StreetKnowledge]

2. If they are going to reconciliation, why not strengthen the bill?

Seriously, what the fuck is this? You finally realize how to get this passed, and you still want to make it a weaksauce pathetic bill?

What the fuck is wrong is these people?

And if this is what they do when they get power given to them by us, what the fuck did we vote them in for?

[SHRED]

4. Maddening isn't it?

[Kelvin Mace]

7. They have Mike Tyson in their corner, biting ears off,

we have the Marquis of Queensbury.

[Kelvin Mace]

5. I had that exact thought

If we lose the MA seat (and the reality that we could lose Ted Kennedy's seat to a Teabagger is a clear example of failed leadership from the top down), we would have to go to reconciliation to get a bill passed. If we are going to do that, then put everything back in they took out to please the Vichy Democrats in our party.

You can be damned sure that what the Repubs would do if the situation were reversed.

Is the Democratic party the only example of a mammalian invertebrate in nature?

[Warren DeMontague]

6. Say fuck it, use the nuclear option, get rid of the filibuster, and get 50 votes for Single Payer.

It couldn't look worse than the mess we've got now.

[Junkdrawer]

8. You see, it works out for Rahm and Reid....

they get 100% of the Senate bill and the excuse that Brown's victory made it necessary to scrap the House bill.

[StreetKnowledge]

9. Love to see Pelosi's response to that betrayal.

Not to mention our response to it.

Is Rahm trying to make Obama a one-term President? If he so, he's doing a fine job, because the Senate bill pleased nobody - and at this point, considering that action, what's stopping a few liberal Dems (Brown, Feingold, Sanders, Franken, Boxer et al) from saying "Ya know what, I ain't voting for this shit, especially when you want to force it down people's throats."

Barack, seriously friend, fire this Trojan before he makes sure the GOP takes back the House in November.

[Nite Owl]

10. Why not?

They won't need 60 votes anymore. What would they be afraid of? Pissing off Lieberman and the health insurance complex? And of course they did give their word to big Pharma, can't ignor that now can we?