Parliamentarian rules against Republicans on reconciliation fixes bill

From The Hill: Senate parliamentarian Alan Frumin ruled against Senate Republicans Monday night, setting aside the first of many expected procedural objections from the GOP.

The parliamentarian ruled that changes to a proposed excise tax on high-cost plans would not violate the 1974 Budget Act by changing contributions to the Social Security trust fund.[MORE]

I never really thought this was such a great idea for Republicans. So long as Joe Biden can overrule the parliamentarian, this strategy was a very weak one. Having the parliamentarian rule against them isn’t that much different than a Biden overrule. The effect is the same, reconciliation moves forward.

I think Republicans would have better spent their time trying to pick off enough Democrats to make sure they stay under 50.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: The Hill

The Taco Shell Has Landed: Democrats release reconciliation Shell Bill for markup

The Democrats take their first step toward passing health care reform in the House. The first step is the creation of a shell bill that will hold all the changes they want the Senate to make in reconciliation. This bill will be passed along with the Senate version of the health care bill. 

From The Hill: House Democrats on Sunday night set into motion what they hope will be the final steps on healthcare reform. 

The House Budget Committee on Sunday evening released text that will serve as the base legislation for the changes the House will seek to the Senate bill this week. 

Specifically, the Budget committee released a 2,309-page effort that had been previously recommended to the Education and Labor Committee and Ways and Means Committee last year. 

The measure posted online does not include the substantive changes to the Senate healthcare bill that House Democrats will seek. Those changes will be offered during the markups in the Budget and Rules committees, which the budget panel hopes to begin on Monday afternoon.

The House is expected to approve the Senate's healthcare bill along with the package of changes. The Senate would then be expected to approve the package of changes under budget reconciliation rules. [MORE]

You can find the entire bill here.

Michelle Malkin has details of what is in the shell bill.

So what are the Democrats plopping into this Taco Shell Bill? They are going to fill the bill with the changes they want the Senate to pass and then they are going to tack on Obama’s nationalization of student loans too.

So why are the Democrats playing this shell game? The shell game is designed to sucker House Democrats. By plopping all the reconciliation changes into this bill and then sweetening it with nationalized student loan, Obama and Pelosi hope to sucker enough Democrats into voting for it along with the Senate version of the health care bill. If House Democrats are dumb enough to vote for the two bills, only the Senate version will become the law of the land, while the reconciliation shell bill will be forgotten, defeated or tied up in the Senate.

Paul Ryan predicted that this would be the strategy and Republicans are powerless to stop it.  Now is the time to make all the noise that you can. Call your Democrat House Reps and let they know they are being suckered and you are pissed! If you can make it, go to DC on Tuesday and vent your spleen.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: The Hill

Via: Michelle Malkin

Via: The American Spectator

Senate Parliamentarian gives House Dems an eye opener on reconciliation

Much scheming has been going on to get the Senate version of the health care bill passed in the House. Two of the biggest schemes for passing the bill have been dealt a severe blow by the Senate Parliamentarian.

From Roll Call: The Senate Parliamentarian has ruled that President Barack Obama must sign Congress’ original health care reform bill before the Senate can act on a companion reconciliation package, senior GOP sources said Thursday.

The Senate Parliamentarian’s Office was responding to questions posed by the Republican leadership. The answers were provided verbally, sources said.

House Democratic leaders have been searching for a way to ensure that any move they make to approve the Senate-passed $871 billion health care reform bill is followed by Senate action on a reconciliation package of adjustments to the original bill. One idea is to have the House and Senate act on reconciliation prior to House action on the Senate’s original health care bill.

Information Republicans say they have received from the Senate Parliamentarian’s Office eliminates that option. House Democratic leaders last week began looking at crafting a legislative rule that would allow the House to approve the Senate health care bill, but not forward it to Obama for his signature until the Senate clears the reconciliation package.[MORE]

So the Democrats can say goodbye to the Slaughter Solution and bye-bye to reconciliation fixes prior to passing the Senate bill in the House.

This should be a major eye opener for any naive House Democrats who think that the Senate version will be fixed after it passes the House. Once the bill is passed it must be signed into law and all guarantees to fix the bill will be worth less than diddly-squat.

Follow the major discussion at Memeorandum.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Roll Call

John McCain tries to do a “Gang of 14” on Reconciliation

John McCain is up to his old bipartisan tricks again.  This time he is trying to get together another “Gang of 14” of stop reconciliation. 

From The Hill: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is seeking bipartisan support to block Senate Democrats from using special parliamentary tactics to pass healthcare reform. 

The Democratic strategy of using reconciliation to pass changes to the healthcare bill is reminiscent of Republican attempts to force President George W. Bush’s judicial nominees through with a simple majority vote, McCain said Thursday. He implored centrist Democrats to think about the consequences. He even invoked President Barack Obama’s own words to make his case.

And McCain reminded Democrats that he was a member of the bipartisan Gang of 14, which stopped Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) from using the so-called nuclear option in 2005.

It's time for a similar gang, he said. So far, he’s had no takers.

To me, this just proves that John McCain has no understanding what is going on with the tricks being used to foist health care reform on the people.  The action does not lie in the Senate. The true threat of this bill’s passage comes from the House. Should the House vote for the Senate Bill in hopes that the Senate will reconcile it, they would have actually voted to pass the Senate bill, because Obama would signed the flawed bill into law.  I am sure there will be some motions of trying to reconcile the bill in the Senate, but it would all be Kabuki Theater before signing the Senate version into law.

If McCain really wants to use bipartisanship to stop health care reform, he had better start working with his friends in the House, because if he creates a Gang of 14 in the Senate, then he will be giving Obama a very big excuse to sign the flawed bill that the House might pass.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: The Hill

Judd Gregg: Obama may renege of Senate Bill fix

Talk about stating the obvious.  Judd Gregg said today during an appearance on CNBC that if the House passes the Senate Bill, Obama would not care if the Senate were able to reconcile it. 

"They're using reconciliation to pass the great big bill," Gregg said during an appearance on CNBC. "Once they pass the great big bill, I wouldn't be surprised if the White House didn't care if reconciliation passed. I mean, why would they?" 

"If you're in the House and you're saying, 'Well, I'm going to vote for this because I'm going to get a reconcilation bill,' I would think twice about that," Gregg said. "First because, procedurally, it's going to be hard to put a reconciliation bill through the Senate. Second because I'm not sure there's going to be a lot of energy to do it, from the president or his people."

"In my opinion, reconciliation is an exercise for buying votes, which, once they have the votes they really don't need it," he said. 

Of course this should come as no surprise. When the Senate bill was being turned into a Frankenstein monster, Obama never raised a single objection. Should the House pass the Senate bill (I still doubt they have the votes), Obama will be one signature away from passing health care reform. Why should he risk reconciliation, especially when all he really cares about is getting government control of the health care industry?

Via: Memeorandum

Via: The Hill 

Video: Obama and Democrats on "The Nuclear Option" circa 2005

Biden: "I pray God when the Democrats take back control we don't make the kind of naked power grab you are doing."

Something tells me that Biden did not get down on his knees for that one. Are these the biggest hypocrites you ever saw?

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Breitbart TV

Health Care Dog and Pony Show: Obama writing new bill designed to pass with reconciliation

Well here is a first, Obama is actually writing a bill! He is writing a health care bill designed to pass both House and Senate. The bill is suppose to be attached to a budget bill and passed with reconciliation in the Senate. 

President Obama is working on health care legislation intended to reconcile differences between House and Senate Democrats that could be attached to a budget bill and avoid a Republican filibuster, according to a published report.

The president's proposal, which is still being written, will be posted on the Internet by Monday morning, senior administration officials and Congressional aides told the New York Times.

By piggybacking the legislation onto a budget bill, Democrats would be able to advance the bill with a simple majority of just 51 votes, averting a Republican filibuster in the Senate.

The White House signaled Thursday that an aggressive, all-Democratic strategy for overhauling the nation's health system remains a serious option, even as Obama invites Republicans to next week's televised summit to seek possible compromises.

"It will be a reconciliation bill," the Times quoted a Democratic aide as saying. "If Republicans don't come with any substantial offers, this is what we would do."

The administration's stance could set the stage for a political showdown, with Democrats struggling to enact the president's top domestic priority and Republicans trying to block what many conservatives see as government overreach.

Obama's plan, like the House and Senate bills, would expand coverage to some 30 million, require most Americans to carry insurance or face financial penalties, and block insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions, the Times reported.

One Capitol Hill Democrat told the Times abortion remains "a wild card." [MORE]

This is not a serious effort to pass ObamaCare 2.0. This bill is really designed to get Republicans to say “NO” and stymie the reconciliation process with amendments. The true goal is to give Obama and the Democrats cover with their base by saying: “the Republicans killed healthcare reform”. 

If there were 51 votes in the Senate and 217 votes in the House to pass  ObamaCare 2.0, why even bother having the Healthcare Summit with Republicans? If bi-partisanship is the reason for the summit, then why craft a bill design to be passed with reconciliation?  Again, the answer is to blame the Republicans. Obama and the Democrats cannot have their base realize the truth, healthcare reform died because of Democrat bungling and Democrat cold feet.

If this dog and pony show is successful in blaming Republicans, I doubt it will have any effect on the electorate at large. Poll after poll shows that most Americans put healthcare reform at #4 or #5 on the list. Jobs, the economy, the deficit and taxes all rank higher for Americans than healthcare reform. 

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Fox News 

ObamaCare 2.0? Passing the Public Option through reconciliation

Four senators have signed a letter to Harry Reid urging him to use reconciliation to pass a Public Option. 

Four Democratic senators, including two facing potentially challenging election campaigns this year, are asking Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to use reconciliation, a procedural maneuver requiring only 51 votes, to push for a public health insurance option.

Sens. Michael Bennet (Colo.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio) and Jeff Merkley (Ore.) signed a letter to Reid saying they support this plan for four reasons: the cost savings the public option is estimated to achieve, continued public support for the public option, the need for increased competition in the insurance market and the Senate’s history of using the reconciliation process for health care reform.

“Put simply, including a strong public option is one of the best, most fiscally responsible ways to reform our health insurance system,” the letter says. “Although we strongly support the important reforms made by the Senate-passed health reform package, including a strong public option would improve both its substance and the public’s perception of it.” [MORE]

ObamaCare 1.0 is truly dead. There clearly are not enough Democrats willing to mess with that thing after Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts. However, trying to pass the popular parts of their plan, as a reworked version of healthcare reform, (i.e. ObamaCare 2.0) is still a viable option.

The three biggest stumbling blocks to reconciliation are:

1. Can a Public Option be passed using the rules of reconciliation?  Remember reconciliation is for budgetary procedures; legislation for a Public Option might not fit into those confines.
2. Are there 50 Democrats willing to use the reconciliation? Reconciliation will look like doing an end run around the will of the people. Even with all these retirements that have produced Dead Men Walking (senators who do not have to face the wrath of the voters come November) are there still 50 Democrats willing to try reconciliation?
3. Is there enough time?  Since reconciliation allows for unlimited amendments, Republicans can draw out the process indefinitely by simple offering one amendment after another. 

Personally, I don’t see this idea going through, but the concept of scaling back ObamaCare 1.0 just enough to make it palpable to both the House and Senate Democrats could be a problem. Democrats are desperate for something to run on in November and a scaled down version of ObamaCare might be their only option at this point.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: CBS News 

Dems threaten to use Reconciliation if Brown wins

The Democrats are clearly on a suicide mission when it comes to health care reform.

From Bloomberg:

 Jan. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Even if Democrats lose the Jan. 19 special election to pick a new Massachusetts senator, Congress may still pass a health-care overhaul by using a process called reconciliation, a top House Democrat said.

That procedure requires 51 votes rather than the 60 needed to prevent Republicans from blocking votes on President Barack Obama’s top legislative priorities. That supermajority is at risk as the Massachusetts race has tightened.

“Even before Massachusetts and that race was on the radar screen, we prepared for the process of using reconciliation,” said Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

“Getting health-care reform passed is important,” Van Hollen said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” airing this weekend. “Reconciliation is an option.”

Using reconciliation would likely force Democrats to scale back their health-care plans. The procedure is designed to make deficit-cutting easier by reducing the number of votes needed to pass unpopular tax increases and spending cuts. Lawmakers can’t include policy changes that the parliamentarian deems have only an “incidental” connection to budget-cutting, and senators would need 60 votes to override those rulings.

This is every bit as bad as not seating Scott Brown if he wins. The idea that going over the heads of voters like that is pretty alarming. I think if the Democrats do this, they risk pushing voter outrage beyond the brink. I also wonder if after a Scott Brown victory will there still be 51 Democrats willing to defy the American people like that?  As it is, I cannot help but imagine that there are more than just a few Democrats secretly praying for a Scott Brown victory so that they could have half an excuse to walk away from this awful piece of legislation.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Bloomberg

Going Nuclear: Dems to go it alone on health care.

WASHINGTON — Given hardening Republican opposition to congressional health care proposals, Democrats now say they see little chance for the minority's cooperation in approving any overhaul, and are increasingly focused on drawing support for a final plan from within their own ranks.

Top Democrats said Tuesday that their go-it-alone view was being shaped by what they saw as Republicans' purposely strident tone against health care legislation during this month's congressional recess, as well as remarks by leading Republicans that current proposals were flawed beyond repair…

Obama and the Democrats are going to fashion the bill to their liking and the then go against the will of the people and pass the bill anyway they can.

Democrats have been wetting the bed for decades trying to bring socialized healthcare to the United States. Obama and the Democrats know that after the current uproar, the chances of ever socializing healthcare will forever be zero. This is their best, last and only chance to do it. Therefore they will risk everything.

It is highly unlikely they will get all 60 senators on board to stop a filibuster; therefore, they will go nuclear and use the reconciliation process.

Should the Democrats so willfully go against the clear objections of the majority of the people, we should consider our own nuclear option and repeal the 16^th Amendment! Without the ability to tax income, estates or gifts, the Fed would never be able to fund Obamacare, Cap and Trade, bailouts, welfare programs or stimulus plans. Much of what Washington does now would fall to the states and at that level; we the people have far greater control.