Does anybody have any clue whatsoever why Sen Reid

[TheDebbieDee]

and the 50 Dem senators he's got don't go the Reconciliation route to pass healthcare reform with a public option?
That would mean good-bye Blanche Lincoln and Mary Landreiu, so long Ben Nelson and Evan Bayh. Sayonara to that Democratic kook from North or South Dakota.

Reconciliation would only require 51 votes. Why aren't they using it?

[movonne]

1. because this is what they want...this has been a real sham...

[Juche]

2. Nope

No idea. And it doesn't take 51 senators, it takes 50 + Biden as a tie breaker.

[MUAD_DIB]

3. Perhaps Senator Reid is...

a) Gutless

b) A corporate hamster

c) Ineffective

d) a + b + c

[Individualist]

4. No brainer. The answer is DLC.

[Marr]

5. He's doing his job, that's why.

Remember when the Democrats first won their majorities? I wish I could remember the issue, but it was one of the first ones that came up in the Senate. The Democrats could've won by simply leaving the Republican option of a bill off the table. It would've been completely acceptable to do so. Reid chose to not only put the Republican bill up for debate, but to position it so that it had the best chance of winning, which it did.

When they lost their minority status, Senate Democrats had to start getting creative about finding new ways to "lose". They always seem to find one, and people always seem to find a reason to believe it. Lieberman, or a "spineless" Senate leader, or whatever. Their job is to "lose".

[kenny blankenship]

6. If they used simple majority they would be on the hook for delivering REAL Health care reform

But as long as they had to placate the bought off, or rightward members--the Lieberman, and find the occasional Lady From Maine--they could do healthcare reform as a "Grand Bipartisan Compromise". They could therefore jam it full of giveaways to the insurance mafia and have the excuse of but we HAD to do this (mandates, subsidies, etc.) to get any bill passed.

[Cetacea]

7. +1

[ncteechur]

8. Because you cannot use reconciliation for bills or any part of bills that are non-budgetary

In other words, the senate republicans will pick the bill clean of anything that is important.


Getting rid of exclusion policies and pre-existing conditions will be GONE because it has noting to do with budget.

Getting rid of lifetime limits will be GONE because it has nothing to do with budget.

On and on and on.

They will not use reconciliation.

The republicans used it for tax cuts because it is directly a budget bill.

Much of health care reform are policy changes and not subject to reconciliation.

[HughMoran]

9. One person gets the right answer

:cheers: