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51 Votes: Should the Democrats Use Reconciliation to Pass Health-Care Reform?
Over at TPM, Brian Beutler has an excellent post up on why Democrats likely won’t use the reconciliation process to pass health-care reform with a simple majority in the Senate.
Aside from the fact that the process could actually result in a less-than-desirable bill, given that non-budgetary matters could be thrown out by the parliamentarian (with Republicans pushing to have as much thrown out as possible), according to reconciliation skeptics, “there probably aren’t 51 votes in the Democratic party to run roughshod over custom, and even if there were, to do so could have dramatic consequences.” “Why is there such hesitancy in the Senate to go all the way in reconciliation? Because if the majority party begins passing whatever it wants in reconciliation bills, it would significantly undermine the power of Senate elders.”
I wouldn’t call myself a reconciliation enthusiast, but, given that Republicans will likely oppose any bill, I certainly think it ought to remain on the table. And there is certainly something to be said for simple majority rule. (I delved into this a while back.) But the skeptics do make a good case, and, for now, the effort should be, as I put it again and again, on bringing Democrats together to pass a meaningful reform bill, preferably with a public option, while perhaps continuing to seek the support of, without granting a veto to, GOP moderates like Collins and Snowe. It is imperative, I think, that Democrats seek to pass the legislation the customary way, however undemocratic (and silly) the custom, before moving on to reconciliation.
Of course, liberals aren’t happy about this.
Still, it’s not just a matter of getting it right — it’s also, in the long run, a matter of doing it right.
Reconciliation must remain on the table — it may be all that’s left, and the time is coming, soon — but caution may be the order of the day, for now.
(Cross-posted from The Reaction.)
9 Responses to “51 Votes: Should the Democrats Use Reconciliation to Pass Health-Care Reform?”
I'm all for it, but of course I am not in any way invested in the future of the Democratic party. As long as they can push through a public option….they should go for it.
I agree entirely. The congressional GOP deserves to be shoved into the corner, but they are not the only non-democrats in America, and thank goodness for that.
The fact that democrats would need to use reconciliation despite their majorities, which before Kennedy's death was filibuster proof and which likely will be so once again, shows that it is not the GOP standing in the way, but the moderate democrats. The Progressives have not been willing to budge off their hardline as it stands, and like I've pointed out before, the only thing bipartisan about their propossals (excepting the Baucus bill which made some effort) is opposition to them.
To restate the obvious that close minded progressives miss because they have their heads in the sand:
The problem is Progressives are not willing to compromise with Democratic moderates.
No, the problem is the egos in the room, all vying for supremacy.
P.S. Leonidas, do you have a job?
“but the moderate democrats.”
Except they're not moderates. The democrats you speak of aren't wary of anything left-wing and they don't feel any pressure from their constituents either. It's not the mandate for comprehensive reform that is lacking, but spine, guts and brains among some democrats. The progressives should be ready to compromise for the sake of reform, but they should be the last ones to do so considering the “moderate” democrats have less sound reasons for their positions.
an unequivocal Yes. . .if i could see any evidence that the Republicans want a bill passed, would not say no, but the Republicans only want its failure for political gains. . .
Such a tricky question — for they are low-life vermin if they do it, of course, but what complicates things is that they really may be deluding themselves as well as defying and dissociating themselves from the public and political mainstream.
“The problem is Progressives are not willing to compromise with Democratic moderates.”
They're almost as floridly psychotic as Mikey — but so far, no match there.
What is interesting will be what the left-wing Dems in the House do when it's time for Senate-House conference on legislation to finally be passed and get Obama's signature. (I doubt Obama will make a public phony spectacle of a veto if “Dem minimums” aren't met in the conference, though he and his team obviously aren't above that.) Will they throw more childish tantrums over the public option, if it is removed, rather than try to engineer the co-ops to be everything the public option is except having a new name, for example?
These are the same Dims that pushed Lysenkoist “climate” legislation through the House (which the Senate needs to gut if it has any respect left) and who now want newspapers (liberal media) bailed out (and taken over).
It's pretty bad when dippy Stephanie Miller today chose as someone to consult on the progress of health care “reform,” none other than Barbara Lee. (Hardly “moderate” or “mainstream”!)
Yes I work with special needs children. The perfect job for a heartless Republican like myself, when noone is looking I eat a few.