Pelosi: I can get the votes to pass ObamaCare — if the Senate uses reconciliation
posted at 6:00 pm on January 27, 2010 by Allahpundit
This is news, I guess, but just barely. Getting the Senate to “fix” its own bill to the House’s liking by using reconciliation has always been an absolute condition of passing Reid’s bill in the House, but according to yesterday’s NYT, things had now deteriorated to the point that Pelosi wasn’t sure they’d pass it even with the fix. Looks like that’s changed — or has it? Behold the new eleventh-hour desperate strategy: A two-track bill.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday floated the idea of a two-track plan for health care reform — with Congress pursuing easier-to-pass incremental changes now and comprehensive reform later.
“We believe that it’s possible to have comprehensive health care reform as we go forward, but at the same time, it can be on another track where some things can just be passed outside of that legislation, and we’ll be doing both,” Pelosi said in an interview with POLITICO…
“We have to get it done,” the speaker said. “What the process is doesn’t matter. The outcome is what is important, and what it means to working families in America.”
The sticking point, seems to be that each chamber wants the other to go first, which is complicated by (a) the fact that that might not be procedurally possible in the Senate and (b) the ridiculous sniping happening between top House Dems like Hoyer and Clyburn and top Senate Dems like Reid. Last night Politico claimed to have found eight Senate Democrats (Lieberman included) who were iffy on reconciliation, but one of the eight was Ben Nelson — and he doesn’t sound so iffy today. Twenty-four hours ago this thing was dead, and now suddenly we’re being haunted by the Ghost of ObamaCare? Hold me.
Blowback
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If it twitches, shoot it again.
ReformedAndDangerous on January 27, 2010 at 6:04 PM
Oh please, Nancy, try it!
patch on January 27, 2010 at 6:04 PM
This woman is delusional. This is becoming a comedy or something. Does she ever read the newspaper or watch TV or anything?
JusDreamin on January 27, 2010 at 6:04 PM
Bring it Pelosi. Put it up for vote. March your caucus overboard.
clement on January 27, 2010 at 6:04 PM
Obama can now say in the SOTU: “We are close. We need unity among the political parties within this chamber! Why won’t you cross over to give Healthcare to the dieing children of America?”
portlandon on January 27, 2010 at 6:05 PM
Go ahead… try.
fiatboomer on January 27, 2010 at 6:06 PM
Who will step up to firing squad first? Courage, Nanzi, courage.
d1carter on January 27, 2010 at 6:06 PM
Her disconnect with reality finally begins to work against her.
paul1149 on January 27, 2010 at 6:06 PM
If this is rammed through Pelosi and Reid must be removed from office, and Obama impeached after we win Congress in 2010.
darwin on January 27, 2010 at 6:07 PM
I double-dog dare ya Nancy. Bring it.
redwhiteblue on January 27, 2010 at 6:07 PM
It’s like a spider you keep stomping on that won’t die…
davek70 on January 27, 2010 at 6:07 PM
Oooh the daily “ObamaCare is on the verge of a breakthrough” post.
Chuck Schick on January 27, 2010 at 6:07 PM
Is she about to pull her mask off in that photo?
Chip on January 27, 2010 at 6:08 PM
Reconciliation won’t work, either Nan.
Mr Purple on January 27, 2010 at 6:09 PM
The ghost is not going away for awhile until Jan 2011.
WashJeff on January 27, 2010 at 6:09 PM
If Obama gets a 1 week bump up from the SOTU, then can they ram something though in that window?
AnotherOpinion on January 27, 2010 at 6:09 PM
Is she insane?
If they pass this now, they’re committing suicide for their successors as well as for them.
I guess they’re being quite Pro-Choice even in politics, now?
Scott H on January 27, 2010 at 6:09 PM
Republicans should vote for reconciliation and just say out loud that they intend to reverse 75 years of liberalism as soon as they get 51 votes. The Democrats are opening the door for us to do this so why push the door shut? All the Democrats will probably vote no as soon as they see how the Republicans intend to vote.
Buddahpundit on January 27, 2010 at 6:09 PM
Dude, I told you this was going to be like the black plague.
upinak on January 27, 2010 at 6:09 PM
please, just go away!
cmsinaz on January 27, 2010 at 6:10 PM
Why won’t they just STOP with this healthcare debacle? Jeebus, how many “hints” do these Dems need before they figure out no one wants this thing?
JetBoy on January 27, 2010 at 6:10 PM
This is sort of like ping pong, but instead of passing a bill, they are passing around the blame for the bill’s failure.
Vashta.Nerada on January 27, 2010 at 6:10 PM
I just can’t believe there are that many folks in either chamber willing to lose their jobs.
Cindy Munford on January 27, 2010 at 6:10 PM
Maybe we should consult the Constitution on this one, Nancy…
Seven Percent Solution on January 27, 2010 at 6:10 PM
I’m still amazed by the fact that they have spent the last year squabbling, grafting and speeching on this issue… and that it still has not passed.
Remarkable, really.
The Chewbacca Defense on January 27, 2010 at 6:11 PM
Calling all Exterminators…..Stat!!!!!
hawkman on January 27, 2010 at 6:11 PM
I’m so confused, my gawd. According to Ace, Pelosi retracted her statement about having the votes. The time stamps show the retraction came about 30 minutes after the Politico story.
BardMan on January 27, 2010 at 6:11 PM
Vashta: This is more like playing BEER pong, and our Speaker is losing.
Horribly.
Scott H on January 27, 2010 at 6:11 PM
She’s just trying to throw the POTUS a lifeline. She pulls this “I have the votes thing” all the time. She has all kinds of faith in the oh so steely nerves of her chogey boy Democrats whose arms she loves to wrench on so much. The political capital is draining out the top three Dems so fast that you’re going to need a shopvac to clean it up. I have never seen so many throw so much captial at so little jack and squat.
ted c on January 27, 2010 at 6:12 PM
More secret negotiations, keep it up Nancy, your speakership is sinking.
fourdeucer on January 27, 2010 at 6:12 PM
If they can’t be good looking or intelligent, I guess tenacious it the only characteristic they can hang their hat on. Let me add annoying to that thin list.
Cindy Munford on January 27, 2010 at 6:13 PM
Bleh never mind, guess Ace was referring to the same story linked by Allah. This is just ridiculous. I so wish I could go back to the days of not having to constantly worry about the myriad ways the government was going to try to screw with my life.
/sigh
BardMan on January 27, 2010 at 6:13 PM
Daaayumm. I just realized I’s only gots tree beers in da fridge.
ted c on January 27, 2010 at 6:13 PM
I hope they try it. I can’t wait to see the unlimited amendments the conservatives put forth to kill the bill. It would be a very visible and loud death to Obamacare as opposed to the slow whimpering one we are seeing.
chicagojedi on January 27, 2010 at 6:13 PM
Meanwhile,
A new poll by CNN and Opinion Research, taken from January 22 to January 24, shows that 69 percent of respondents say Congress should dump the current Democratic health care proposals and either write an entirely new health bill or stop working on the subject altogether.
source via Ace
Get that, Pelosi? Nearly 70% of the American people are opposed to this.
RushBaby on January 27, 2010 at 6:13 PM
This is absolutely unbearable. Every day there is another freaking story about this. Now it’s on, now it’s off, now it’s something else. Just stop it already! The Republicans don’t want it. Most of the Democrats don’t want it. The American people sure as heck don’t want it, and certainly can’t pay for it. Why they insist on torturing us like this, treating our economic and personal futures as though they’re nothing more than toys and not matter of actual life and death is bewildering to me. It’s almost as bad—almost—as actually passing the thing, keeping us all living in uncertainty and fear, just the way they want us all the time.
Despicable. Kill the bill, and destroy their control over all of us forever.
WesternActor on January 27, 2010 at 6:13 PM
Wht does she persist in trying to breathe life back into a corpse? It looks like she’s gone over the cliff into the realm of obsessed and delusional. And she’s number 3 in line for the presidency.
Cicero43 on January 27, 2010 at 6:13 PM
I can get the votes if the Senate goes off the cliff … choices, choices.
How about the House go off the cliff first you moron.
tarpon on January 27, 2010 at 6:14 PM
Message to The Witch of the West….
GO FOR IT!!!!!
PappyD61 on January 27, 2010 at 6:14 PM
If it twitches, shoot it again.
ReformedAndDangerous on January 27, 2010 at 6:04 PM
ReformedAndDangerous:LOL:)
canopfor on January 27, 2010 at 6:14 PM
Rush: To be frank, I think right now our Speaker believes that America ends at the borders of Capitol Hill.
Scott H on January 27, 2010 at 6:15 PM
Pelosi, Reid and Obama’s strategy for themselves and their fellow Democratic Christian’s in congress facing the lion’s is, to tie a T-bone around their neck and smear themselves with blood.
Niteowl45 on January 27, 2010 at 6:16 PM
katy on January 27, 2010 at 6:18 PM
The traitorous Marxists will destroy the demrat party to get their agenda passed. It’s time to remove the all.
csdeven on January 27, 2010 at 6:19 PM
“Working families in America” is just a verbal tic with this witch. I doubt that she’s ever stopped to ponder, even for a half a second, what “working families in America” actually think or what they want (or don’t want) from the government.
Cicero43 on January 27, 2010 at 6:19 PM
It’s like watching a horrible zombie movie.
Howcome on January 27, 2010 at 6:20 PM
You have gravely insulted spiders. They are productive and beneficial. Think roach.
katy the mean old lady on January 27, 2010 at 6:20 PM
The Liberals are in,
CRISIS!!
canopfor on January 27, 2010 at 6:21 PM
It won’t be dead until the next Congress is sworn in. Be vigilant.
Revenant on January 27, 2010 at 6:21 PM
“Somebody tell Nancy Pelosi, we’regonna do the Hokey Pokey. Put the right ones in and take the left ones out.” Ray Stevens.
MikeA on January 27, 2010 at 6:21 PM
Do it doit doit doit doit pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease. Keep this bill fresh in peoples minds. This bill is kinda reminding me of Brett Favre before training camp. Will he, won’t he, will he, won’t he,etc.
birdhurd on January 27, 2010 at 6:21 PM
If reconciliation is used to get a budget bill passed, don’t they need to own the budget first? Am I missing something?
Electrongod on January 27, 2010 at 6:23 PM
She’s alot like hardcare Bush types. No politcal gain from giving into Reid. He’s history anyway.
LOL*
AnninCA on January 27, 2010 at 6:23 PM
This is what gets me. Its ok for them to keep dying for 3 more years.
ctmom on January 27, 2010 at 6:25 PM
that water in Cali must be tainting your mind due to the feces in the water.
If you don’t recall there sunshine. Bush, never wanted anything to do with healthcare. Get a clue butter nut, you are a freaking lefty troll with obsolete ideas of the world.
upinak on January 27, 2010 at 6:26 PM
You have gravely insulted spiders. They are productive and beneficial. Think roach.
katy the mean old lady on January 27, 2010 at 6:20 PM
katy the mean old lady:At least,its not an innocent fly that
was murdered!!:)
canopfor on January 27, 2010 at 6:26 PM
Spot on!
Key West Reader on January 27, 2010 at 6:27 PM
..as many as it takes to have the earth open up and swallow them on November 2nd. She’ll keep cackling thins mantra until next January when the new (GOP) speaker takes over. Then sthe skin on her face will split and all of the Botox will leak out onto the House floor..
..it’ll be like the last scene from the third Indiana Jones movie, where the guy drinks from the wrong chalice, and turns into a pile of dry, dessicated dust.
“..[s]he chose poorly.”
VoyskaPVO on January 27, 2010 at 6:27 PM
Go for it, Dems. We’ll eviscerate you in November.
OhioCoastie on January 27, 2010 at 6:27 PM
If she does this, I hope she is dragged by the ears out of the House and ridden out of town on a greased rail.
crosspatch on January 27, 2010 at 6:28 PM
Thank you obama voters and others that stayed home,too lazy to get to the voting booth, for putting this country in the hands of these deranged people.
ohiobabe on January 27, 2010 at 6:28 PM
Nancy is simply saying, “I’m not the Senate.”
That’s all. It appeals to the Dem base.
AnninCA on January 27, 2010 at 6:29 PM
Here is a $600+ Billion dollar question:
If the health care reform bill is dead, where will this $600 billion dollars go? It’s already in the 2010 budget.
Key West Reader on January 27, 2010 at 6:29 PM
Don’t blame the water. She lives off Galveston TX
RushBaby on January 27, 2010 at 6:30 PM
If they cram this through on reconciliation… it will piss off the voters, and they’ll get voted out in record numbers in November.
And the good thing is once Republicans take control, they can repeal it–USING THE SAME PROCESS. If it gets passed by 51 votes, it can be repealed by 51 votes. That’s how Congress works.
Enoxo on January 27, 2010 at 6:31 PM
Get a grip of yourself – you’re being held by a ghost. It’s all for the rats in the leftie latrine.
p.s. Edwards’ wife left him.
Schadenfreude on January 27, 2010 at 6:31 PM
69% are now against this bill. Obama has been shooting his mouth off about his MANDATE at 54% of the vote. Ms Pelosi evidently doesn’t understand that 69 is a bigger number than 54.
But go ahead Nancy – the bloodbath in November will be worth it.
GarandFan on January 27, 2010 at 6:31 PM
I do NOT want the health care of my children placed in the charge of a government that has shown itself to be fickle, irresponsible, and prone to corruption, not to mention “broke”.
crosspatch on January 27, 2010 at 6:31 PM
AOSHQ.
Apparently the parliamentarian isn’t quite in Harry’s pocket. One can’t reconcile a nonexistent bill, and the Senate bill only exists in the Senate. The House would be reconciling a bill they never passed (the Senate version).
The House doesn’t dare go first and pass the Senate bil, as they don’t trust the Senate to wimp out and not do reconciliation. Then the House Demss would have to justify voting for the Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase, the union carve-out, etc., to their constituuents.
I recall a post this past weekend about Nancy wanting a signed letter from 51 senators saying they’d vote for reconciliation. Looks like she doesn’t have that.
Wethal on January 27, 2010 at 6:32 PM
ja vol, mein fuhrer!
John the Libertarian on January 27, 2010 at 6:32 PM
The liberals will continue keeping hope alive on this thing at least until the primary elections are done. They can’t afford to lose their base until then. So they will make believe that they can still maybe do this but they will never say it is “dead”, even if it really is.
crosspatch on January 27, 2010 at 6:33 PM
Not even close. But thanks for playing.
PappaMac on January 27, 2010 at 6:33 PM
OT/ In that picture..is that the hand of Harry Reid touching the face of his sweet sweet lover?..cuz thats a mans hand baby. /s
Itchee Dryback on January 27, 2010 at 6:34 PM
Agreed. Even if the Dems lose the House and Harry is a lame duck with a party looking at a smaller caucus in 2011, they would try to sneak soemthing through in December. Maybe Christmas Eve…
Wethal on January 27, 2010 at 6:35 PM
I freaking love it. They are going to use parliamentary tricks and sleight of hand to force it on us anyway.
That insane b1tch is determined to turn the Congressional “Progressive” (Marxist) Caucus into the Congressional “permanent minority” Caucus.
Damn the torpedoes nancy! Full speed ahead!
lol. We’ll leave the Marxist Caucus a burning hulk yet.
elduende on January 27, 2010 at 6:35 PM
For the good of the people we must kill them.
Nancy is right about one thing. It is about the process. The hidden behind closed door corrupt process. It no longer matters if the bill has any merit whatsoever. They have decided the American people’s objections are nothing. This won’t end well for them.
petunia on January 27, 2010 at 6:35 PM
Will someone slam this airhead up against the wall a couple of times and explain it to her again that NO ONE IN THE COUNTRY EXCEPT HER WANTS THIS LOUSY HEALTHCARE THING TO PASS?!!!
I mean, it’s obvious now that she needs it driven through her thick skull that it’s endgame here!
pilamaye on January 27, 2010 at 6:36 PM
This thing isn’t a ghost. It’s a two-headed zombie. It’ll keep coming until the heads are killed. That means at least until NV can do the right thing and vote Reid out in office.
ROCnPhilly on January 27, 2010 at 6:36 PM
She is a blathering fool just like bama! Man what a pair, nanzi & doofus…
jgdp on January 27, 2010 at 6:37 PM
Must. . . get it. . . done. . .
smellthecoffee on January 27, 2010 at 6:38 PM
I’m fast becoming a hardcore Bush type. When I think how much better things were under Bush. And how Republicans would never in a million years usurp the power of the people in this way!
During the Bush years things didn’t pass solely on partisan lines. There were always cross overs.
This is the most corrupt congress in history!
Those wars the left is so hot about had the support of the American people. There was never 69% against!
petunia on January 27, 2010 at 6:41 PM
Yeah but if she makes changes in the Senate bill, like taking out the Nebraska corn-holing provision, doesn’t No-pizza Nelson, for example, take that opportunity to re-oppose the Senate bill? And let’s not forget Scott 41. Don’t they have to get cloture again if they change the Senate bill? What am I missing?
smellthecoffee on January 27, 2010 at 6:42 PM
No, that’s hers. There’s not much a plastic surgeon can do to improve hands. Want to know how old a woman really is? Check the hands. Veins, wrinkles and brown posts no amount of Botox can fix.
Wethal on January 27, 2010 at 6:43 PM
Yes, if they change the Senate bill, then the changed version has to be passed by the Senate as well, which means cloture again.
Wethal on January 27, 2010 at 6:44 PM
Hmmm that is a good point. Can they change it without a whole new series of votes? That doesn’t seem right does it.
It would be a whole new bill then.
petunia on January 27, 2010 at 6:45 PM
Bring it on you Nanzi Binge.
Blacksmith8 on January 27, 2010 at 6:46 PM
I think Krauthammer… Dr. Krauthammer came very close to calling Obama clinically mentally ill. Very close and the man is a psychiatrist.
petunia on January 27, 2010 at 6:47 PM
Har har hardy har har…. Dr. Krauthammer just said that the White house (ie Pretty Ballerina/Family Guy/Axelgrease) and the One are in “clinical denial”.
tru2tx on January 27, 2010 at 6:50 PM
I’ve gathered up all of my socks and balled them up so I have something to throw tonight that won’t destroy the TV!
azkenreid on January 27, 2010 at 6:52 PM
If the House changes the Senate bill and passes the changed version, I believe that bill would have to go back through the Senate for normal passage (i.e. Cloture votes to open and close debate).
I do not believe the Senate could use reconciliation there, because that procedure is meant to reconcile budget spending according to laws already passed (i.e. Obamacare would have to be signed by the president first, and become law). Then, a reconciliation vote, on budget matters, could possibly happen to amend Obamacare.
Pelosi is trying to get the Senate to sign off on a reconciliation compromise package, and get as much assurance as possible that the Senate will use that process AFTER Obamacare becomes law. If so, she’ll try to get 218 members of her caucus to pass the Senate bill intact, have it become law, and then rush to amend the law through reconciliation.
Reid is having difficulty, for the time being, in giving Pelosi enough assurance to take that route. If he’s arguing with the parlimentarian that he can use budget reconciliation to amend a bill (Obamacare) that has not passed through congress yet (hasn’t been passed by the House, or signed into law), then he appears desperate.
Beware of desperate people and cornered animals. Remain vigilant.
Revenant on January 27, 2010 at 6:53 PM
I wish all the talk about repealing this with 51 votes were true (if Republicans take back the House and/or Senate). However, don’t they need enough numbers to override a veto by Obambi? Because he will surely veto any repeal. Am I missing something here?
hooligan on January 27, 2010 at 6:56 PM
She’s desperate because she realizes that the one chance of a socialist takeover had about a six to nine month window, and it is almost closed. And she and Hsrry and Obama blew it.
They blew it by doing porkulus first, instead of Obamacare. When Obama was riding high in the polls, the Maine Twins would have signed on. Now the Twins even know it’s stinker.
Wethal on January 27, 2010 at 7:00 PM
Do it. Unleash Amendment Hell.
Jorge Bonilla on January 27, 2010 at 7:00 PM
I heard that………..very interesting analysis by the good Dr. K.
I sure hope someone has the video of it.
Knucklehead on January 27, 2010 at 7:00 PM
Whether she passes it or not, Pelosi wins hands down as the worst speaker ever. She doesn\’t care about what Americans think or want…never has.
scalleywag on January 27, 2010 at 7:03 PM
Oh, man, is this ever a dangerous path for the country. If process doesn’t win out over outcome, expect people to seek outcomes outside the Constitutional process. “Process” is exactly what separates the US from any number of failed civilizations of the past. That this moron doesn’t understand that is yet another sign of her superficial understanding of human nature.
Secondly, in a free country, nothing ever “has do get done”, at least not anything not relating to confronting an existential threat, which obviously is not the case here. Things get done because the will of the people desires and mandates they get done, not because some dirtbag like Pelosi says they have to get done.
All of these people need to find themselves some nice totalitarian country and go live there, if they like that form of governance so much.
venividivici on January 27, 2010 at 7:03 PM
SNAP! I just heard him and I thought the very same thing.
scalleywag on January 27, 2010 at 7:03 PM
Maybe it (she) is the female mosquito that finds a way to suck your blood- after you have:
1)Sprayed mosquito spray on your body
2)Not eaten bananas
3)Covered yourself in appropriate clothing
3a)Sprayed your clothing
4)Sprayed the yard with mosquito repellant
5)Have the mosquito candles burning
6)Have a bug zapper in your yard
journeyintothewhirlwind on January 27, 2010 at 7:08 PM
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