Thanks to Babylonsister, Repost: No Need To Pass Health Care Through Reconciliation

[Mike 03]

Reposted with permission from Babylonsister.

Babylonsister posted this yesterday in GD Presidency. :-) I just feel it is so important that, with her permission, I am posting it here in GD. This is really good news, and I thank Babylonsister for the post.

We are going to get health care reform by the end of March, I truly believe it.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=200776&mesg_id=200776

NO NEED TO PASS HEALTH CARE THROUGH RECONCILIATION.... If I understand the Republican talking points, which many in the media have already bought into, it's that health care reform is too "big" an issue to be passed through reconciliation.

Some of the slightly-less ridiculous conservative voices will concede that Republicans used reconciliation repeatedly when they were in the majority, but, they quickly add, this is different. Health care is health care. Something so sweeping shouldn't be approved by majority rule.

Let's clear up something really important here, because the political world seems to have forgotten.

No one's talking about passing health care reform through reconciliation. There's no need to pass health care reform through reconciliation -- health care reform has already passed.

You might remember December. The Senate had a very long debate, followed by a Republican filibuster. There was a vote to end that filibuster, which was successful. And on Christmas Eve, senators registered a vote, and health care reform passed, 60 to 39.

No tricks, no reconciliation, no abuses. Just a debate, followed by an unsuccessful filibuster, followed by a vote.

The next step isn't passing health care reform through reconciliation; the next step is passing a budget fix that improves the legislation that's already passed. That, of course, is why reconciliation exists.

The entire GOP talking point is based on a fallacy. If the Democratic plan proceeds, it would not be approving health care reform through reconciliation. That would be pointless -- health care reform already passed without reconciliation.

Tell your friends.

—Steve Benen

[timeforpeace]

1. Preachin to the choir. Pass it on to the repukes and the American people. They're the ones need

convincing.

[PSPS]

2. There's at least one problem with this opinion

The author keeps referring to "health care reform" and seems to think the Senate's vote had something to do with it. Sorry, but that's not the case at all. The bill that passed the Senate was really the "Private Insurance Profit Protection And Taxpayer Income Confiscation Act." It has nothing at all to do with health care reform.

Wanting to give Milquetoast Obama a photo op is not reason enough for this horrible bill to become law.

[Cronus Protagonist]

3. + twenty grand

It amazes me how so many Democratics are all agog over this fascist bill.

[LaPera]

4. Uh, "permission"? This is DU -

All one has to do is simply hit the reply button of a thread & kick it.

This thread being the one Babylonsister posted two days ago....I have always enjoyed Babylonsister' threads & posts (my thanks for this one as well) and if I particularly like a thread started by Babylonsister, or a thread started by anyone that I've read for that matter, (including threads of a few days past). I simply reply to the thread with a post of my own, usually with a politely written, "Kick & Recommend". - And it automatically and immediately "pushes" that tread right to the very top of today's GD page of the moment, no fuss, no muss and no permission needed nor necessary....You didn't know this?

[BadgerKid]

5. So they voted to increase the public debt which

creates money, which could be allocated to health care should they decide to do so during reconciliation?

What am I missing?

[truedelphi]

7. The increase in the bpublic debt exists because of all the funny business going

Around with Bernanke writing out digital accounts over at the Fed for his friends on the Wall Street cabal.

And of course, if the proverbial hits the fan later this year, they will need the public debt raised to try and push through more Bailouts.

BTW, the 2.5% in penalties that will apply to the Americans who do not comply exactly with mandates will mean that the entire increase in the war budget due to the expansion of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is covered. One hundred and sixy eight billion bucks. Exact same figure. (Voted and approved during December 2009)

Coincidence? I personally do not beleive in many coincidences.

[BadgerKid]

8. I don't doubt there is calculation going on

behind the scenes. Sounds as if the congresscritters have "pre-reconciled" their issues. If so, then I think we can count on health insurance mandates and continued war activities in the ME.

[truedelphi]

6. If you saw Olbermann's discussion of this on Thursday

With O'Donnell filling in for Keith, it appears that if we let the Senate bill serve as THE BILL, then the fact will remain that the people who are excluded from Insurance because of pre-existing conditions will continue to be excluded.

There is no way to change that aspect of the bill. Only the financial aspects of the Bill can be altered.

So it is a real sham.

As far as I am concerned it should die and die now.
People should not have to work at jobs they hate just so that they continue getting insured.

People should not have to suffer for our government, and that includes so many in the Sernate and the House, actually serving the interests of these rat bastards and instead of punishing them for their bad behavior, the House members and ESPECIALLY The Senators gave in to the Rat Bastard Health Insurers.

And mandates should be forgotten about. Period.

If Obama wanted a real solution for the vast majority of Americans he would have used his bully pulpit during 2009 and he would have pummeleld the RW and then right now, we would already have a decent health insurance reform effort.

But instead he gave away his power to Rahm and Rahm's brother Ezekiel.