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From Twitter 03-24-2010
Mar. 25th, 2010 03:04 amTweets copied by twittinesis.com
Mar. 25th, 2010
I don't have time for a proper LYAN post- making final preparations for a convention, and on standby to maybe take the grand to a doctor.
Short version, without links: the Republicans found two minor flaws in the House reconciliation bill that the Senate parliamentarian ruled couldn't be passed through reconciliation rules. That means they have to be stripped out, and it means one more vote in the House on the altered reconciliation bill. These changes are pretty minor and have absolutely nothing to do with health care at all, and shouldn't affect the vote one way or another. That vote might happen as soon as this evening, in fact, presuming the Senate completes its half of the business today.
But this morning there are voices saying, "Wait! If the House has to re-vote anyway, why not add in the public option now? Or expand Medicare? It's not too late! Let's do this! Let's see if the Senate has fifty votes for the right thing to do!"
Um, NO. Wrong. Stupid. For two reasons.
First, despite Nancy Pelosi claiming that she quashed the public option in reconciliation because there weren't enough Senate votes for it, there's no guarantee that there's a clear, snap-your-fingers majority for it in the House, either. Remember, please, that the one time a public option passed the House in this process it did it by the precise minimum votes required for passage- and that vote had one Republican crossing the aisle to do it. (And he's said he's not doing that again.) If the Senate amends the health care reconciliation fix to include a public option- presuming they have fifty votes plus Biden- it might jeopardize the coalition Pelosi managed to corral for the bill the first time, and kill the whole mess.
Second... there's no need. Not no need for a public option- there damn well IS- but no need to try to pass it as an amendment. A public health care option, or an expansion of Medicare, would still be eligible for reconciliation passage, as either one would significantly affect the budget. Thus, there's absolutely no need to make it an amendment to something else- it can pass as its own damn bill. In fact, if memory serves, several congresscritters on both sides of the hill- House and Senate- have already filed bills to that effect, any one of which could be dusted off and pushed forwards.
So, no. First things first. Finish the business you have on your plate, the stuff you know for a fact you can get done. THEN take a swing for the fences.
Now, lunch, then final loading, and then a busy day I think.
Short version, without links: the Republicans found two minor flaws in the House reconciliation bill that the Senate parliamentarian ruled couldn't be passed through reconciliation rules. That means they have to be stripped out, and it means one more vote in the House on the altered reconciliation bill. These changes are pretty minor and have absolutely nothing to do with health care at all, and shouldn't affect the vote one way or another. That vote might happen as soon as this evening, in fact, presuming the Senate completes its half of the business today.
But this morning there are voices saying, "Wait! If the House has to re-vote anyway, why not add in the public option now? Or expand Medicare? It's not too late! Let's do this! Let's see if the Senate has fifty votes for the right thing to do!"
Um, NO. Wrong. Stupid. For two reasons.
First, despite Nancy Pelosi claiming that she quashed the public option in reconciliation because there weren't enough Senate votes for it, there's no guarantee that there's a clear, snap-your-fingers majority for it in the House, either. Remember, please, that the one time a public option passed the House in this process it did it by the precise minimum votes required for passage- and that vote had one Republican crossing the aisle to do it. (And he's said he's not doing that again.) If the Senate amends the health care reconciliation fix to include a public option- presuming they have fifty votes plus Biden- it might jeopardize the coalition Pelosi managed to corral for the bill the first time, and kill the whole mess.
Second... there's no need. Not no need for a public option- there damn well IS- but no need to try to pass it as an amendment. A public health care option, or an expansion of Medicare, would still be eligible for reconciliation passage, as either one would significantly affect the budget. Thus, there's absolutely no need to make it an amendment to something else- it can pass as its own damn bill. In fact, if memory serves, several congresscritters on both sides of the hill- House and Senate- have already filed bills to that effect, any one of which could be dusted off and pushed forwards.
So, no. First things first. Finish the business you have on your plate, the stuff you know for a fact you can get done. THEN take a swing for the fences.
Now, lunch, then final loading, and then a busy day I think.
I don't have time for a proper LYAN post- making final preparations for a convention, and on standby to maybe take the grand to a doctor.
Short version, without links: the Republicans found two minor flaws in the House reconciliation bill that the Senate parliamentarian ruled couldn't be passed through reconciliation rules. That means they have to be stripped out, and it means one more vote in the House on the altered reconciliation bill. These changes are pretty minor and have absolutely nothing to do with health care at all, and shouldn't affect the vote one way or another. That vote might happen as soon as this evening, in fact, presuming the Senate completes its half of the business today.
But this morning there are voices saying, "Wait! If the House has to re-vote anyway, why not add in the public option now? Or expand Medicare? It's not too late! Let's do this! Let's see if the Senate has fifty votes for the right thing to do!"
Um, NO. Wrong. Stupid. For two reasons.
First, despite Nancy Pelosi claiming that she quashed the public option in reconciliation because there weren't enough Senate votes for it, there's no guarantee that there's a clear, snap-your-fingers majority for it in the House, either. Remember, please, that the one time a public option passed the House in this process it did it by the precise minimum votes required for passage- and that vote had one Republican crossing the aisle to do it. (And he's said he's not doing that again.) If the Senate amends the health care reconciliation fix to include a public option- presuming they have fifty votes plus Biden- it might jeopardize the coalition Pelosi managed to corral for the bill the first time, and kill the whole mess.
Second... there's no need. Not no need for a public option- there damn well IS- but no need to try to pass it as an amendment. A public health care option, or an expansion of Medicare, would still be eligible for reconciliation passage, as either one would significantly affect the budget. Thus, there's absolutely no need to make it an amendment to something else- it can pass as its own damn bill. In fact, if memory serves, several congresscritters on both sides of the hill- House and Senate- have already filed bills to that effect, any one of which could be dusted off and pushed forwards.
So, no. First things first. Finish the business you have on your plate, the stuff you know for a fact you can get done. THEN take a swing for the fences.
Now, lunch, then final loading, and then a busy day I think.
Short version, without links: the Republicans found two minor flaws in the House reconciliation bill that the Senate parliamentarian ruled couldn't be passed through reconciliation rules. That means they have to be stripped out, and it means one more vote in the House on the altered reconciliation bill. These changes are pretty minor and have absolutely nothing to do with health care at all, and shouldn't affect the vote one way or another. That vote might happen as soon as this evening, in fact, presuming the Senate completes its half of the business today.
But this morning there are voices saying, "Wait! If the House has to re-vote anyway, why not add in the public option now? Or expand Medicare? It's not too late! Let's do this! Let's see if the Senate has fifty votes for the right thing to do!"
Um, NO. Wrong. Stupid. For two reasons.
First, despite Nancy Pelosi claiming that she quashed the public option in reconciliation because there weren't enough Senate votes for it, there's no guarantee that there's a clear, snap-your-fingers majority for it in the House, either. Remember, please, that the one time a public option passed the House in this process it did it by the precise minimum votes required for passage- and that vote had one Republican crossing the aisle to do it. (And he's said he's not doing that again.) If the Senate amends the health care reconciliation fix to include a public option- presuming they have fifty votes plus Biden- it might jeopardize the coalition Pelosi managed to corral for the bill the first time, and kill the whole mess.
Second... there's no need. Not no need for a public option- there damn well IS- but no need to try to pass it as an amendment. A public health care option, or an expansion of Medicare, would still be eligible for reconciliation passage, as either one would significantly affect the budget. Thus, there's absolutely no need to make it an amendment to something else- it can pass as its own damn bill. In fact, if memory serves, several congresscritters on both sides of the hill- House and Senate- have already filed bills to that effect, any one of which could be dusted off and pushed forwards.
So, no. First things first. Finish the business you have on your plate, the stuff you know for a fact you can get done. THEN take a swing for the fences.
Now, lunch, then final loading, and then a busy day I think.