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TOPIC: "Majority Rules: Seven arguments Reps shd not be making against using reconciliation for HCR; one that they should"

Sanders

Diamond

Status: Offline

Posts: 4567

Date: Mar 5, 2010

"Majority Rules: Seven arguments Reps shd not be making against using reconciliation for HCR; one that they should"	Permalink

Further building on Byrd's statement about use of Reconciliation being ok for budget related matter [see here "Majority Rules: Seven arguments Reps shd not be making against using reconciliation for HCR; one that they should" ] this gives more insight into where we truly are... and where the focus truly needs to be. Below article gave me the clarity on the situation that I was seeking. Majority Rules Seven arguments Republicans should not be making against using reconciliation for health-care reform, and the one that they should. By Andrew Romano \| Newsweek Web Exclusive Mar 4, 2010 Excerpts: [] Obama doesn't need to resort to reconciliation to pass health-care reform. He's already passed it. What he does need it for, however, is passing the revisions necessary to get the House and the Senate to agree on a single version of the legislation. This means that after the House passes the Senate version of the bill, the Senate will approve what's known as a "sidecar"—a small package of budget-related tweaks designed to make the House happy. These revisions represent the only part of health-care reform that Senate Democrats are seeking to pass through reconciliation, i.e., with a simple majority rather than a supermajority. This is less ambitious than the usual reconciliation process, which typically applies to entire bills, not more. (Emphasis added) [] would there be anything left for responsible Republicans to say about reconciliation? Actually, yes. The fact remains that reconciliation, as defined in Public Law 93-344, is really only meant to be used for budget-related legislation; the Byrd rule later limited the process to provisions that directly affect federal spending. With that in mind, Republicans should take a hard look at Obama's 11 pages of suggested modifications—the document that will eventually shape the sidecar bill. And they should battle against any revisions that aren't directly related to the budget or federal spending. They may win some of these skirmishes, they may lose some. There's a tiny chance that they will force a wedge between House and Senate Democrats and derail the entire process. There's a greater chance they won't. They can remind voters that Obama once rejected a "50-plus-one governing strategy" and argue that including new, big-ticket items at this stage would be hypocritical. But throughout, Republicans should restrict their fight to the one bill that Obama is actually attempting to pass through reconciliation—the Senate sidecar—and work to prevent the Dems from sneaking anything through. -- Edited by Sanders on Friday 5th of March 2010 04:13:07 PM __________________ *Democracy needs defending* - SOS Hillary Clinton, Sept 8, 2010 Democracy is more than just elections - SOS Hillary Clinton, Oct 28, 2010 Madam Secretary Blog at ForeignPolicy.com Project Vote Smart - Stay informed and engaged!

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