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Quote of the Day: Rick Santorum, Health Care And Budget Reconciliation

Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief in Health, Politics.
Sep 16th, 2009 | 3 responses

Our political Quote of the Day comes from Dick Polman on apparent Presidential candidate wannabe Republican Rick Santorum:

Speaking of Santorum, he has voiced the worst hypocrisy of the week (so far). In a conference call with reporters yesterday, sponsored by the Republican party, the ex-Pennsylvania senator said it would be an “abomination” for the Senate Democratic majority to pass health care reform via the parliamentary maneuver known as the “budget reconciliation process,” which requires only 51 votes as opposed to the filibuster-proof 60 votes. (The White House and the Senate Democrats have made no decision to use that maneuver, but let us continue.) Santorum argued that health care reform was not an appropriate issue to pass in that manner; in his words yesterday, “this is a major policy initative in an area that goes beyond the federal government’s balance sheet.”

But then a reporter helpfully pointed out to Santorum that, during the Bush era, the majority Senate Republicans had used the 51-vote budget reconciliation maneuver to pass the bill that would mandate drilling for domestic oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Uh: Wasn’t the ANWR bill a major policy initiative on an issue that went beyond the balance sheet?

Behold Santorum, twisting like a pretzel: “Well, again, you’re talking about a situation where, again, the biggest thing about drilling is certainly it has an impact on a small chunk of land in northern Alaska, and it has an impact on the federal revenue, but it’s not a particularly complex thing.” Besides, “the impact on the 350 million Americans for drilling a few holes in Alaska is fairly minor, as far as how it affects their daily lives.”

Yeah, drilling in Alaska was “fairly minor,” and therefore it was OK to pass it via the 51-vote maneuver. But that doesn’t square with what Santorum said in 2006, when he declared that drilling in Alaska “has the potential to play a significant role in reducing our dependence on foreign oil.” And his sudden objections to the 51-vote maneuver don’t square with the fact that, in 1995, he helped lead the way on a Senate GOP effort to pass welfare reform via that very same maneuver.

Santorum has signaled again this week that he might seek the ’12 GOP nomination. Maybe Democrats should start giving him money.

Read Polman’s whole post since he also has an example of Democratic party hypocrisy in Massachusetts.

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3 Responses to “Quote of the Day: Rick Santorum, Health Care And Budget Reconciliation”

D. E.Rodriguez says:

September 16, 2009 at 1:14 pm

Now, let's hear it from the right:

“But the Bush administration/Republican-dominated Congres dit it, too”

Equivalence? Double standard?
Leonidas says:

September 16, 2009 at 2:34 pm

Rick Santorum:is an idiot. I was glad to see him lose his election.

I think Democrats are perfectly justified in mentioning republican use of reconciliation. I don't think it was on nearly so big an issue, but the point is justified. I was against it when the GOP did it, I'm against it now. The maneuver is an abuse of power.

James Madison warned us of this in Federalist #10

AMONG the numerous advantages promised by a well constructed Union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction. The friend of popular governments never finds himself so much alarmed for their character and fate, as when he contemplates their propensity to this dangerous vice. He will not fail, therefore, to set a due value on any plan which, without violating the principles to which he is attached, provides a proper cure for it. The instability, injustice, and confusion introduced into the public councils, have, in truth, been the mortal diseases under which popular governments have everywhere perished; as they continue to be the favorite and fruitful topics from which the adversaries to liberty derive their most specious declamations. The valuable improvements made by the American constitutions on the popular models, both ancient and modern, cannot certainly be too much admired; but it would be an unwarrantable partiality, to contend that they have as effectually obviated the danger on this side, as was wished and expected. Complaints are everywhere heard from our most considerate and virtuous citizens, equally the friends of public and private faith, and of public and personal liberty, that our governments are too unstable, that the public good is disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties, and that measures are too often decided, not according to the rules of justice and the rights of the minor party, but by the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority. However anxiously we may wish that these complaints had no foundation, the evidence, of known facts will not permit us to deny that they are in some degree true. It will be found, indeed, on a candid review of our situation, that some of the distresses under which we labor have been erroneously charged on the operation of our governments; but it will be found, at the same time, that other causes will not alone account for many of our heaviest misfortunes; and, particularly, for that prevailing and increasing distrust of public engagements, and alarm for private rights, which are echoed from one end of the continent to the other. These must be chiefly, if not wholly, effects of the unsteadiness and injustice with which a factious spirit has tainted our public administrations.

By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.

Madison feared this in the general population, now we see it enacted among the representative leadership by both parties. This needs to be opposed in all cases.
Sahstumbmut says:

September 18, 2009 at 3:05 am

Hello! Well-mannered resurs. Base in place of my english, but i very nice say gJ$)Kd!!!.