If Dems use reconciliation, repubs should shut down the senate.

[archangel689]

This passing bills with 51 votes horse shit needs to be dealt with, from the point of view of any parliamentary law, it ignores the rights of the minority.

They are going to attempt to force this health care shit through with 51 votes, I assure you.

It may be that the rules of the reconciliation process makes much of health-care reform ineligible for reconciliation, and it may be that the Senate parliamentarian will say that explicitly to the chair of the Senate, but the chair of the Senate can simply, for the first time ever, ignore the parliamentarian's rulings and break what everybody understands to be the rules and pass heath-care reform that way!

The dems threatened to shut the senate down before....
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0316-02.htm

When Republicans do it, its an "arrogant abuse of power," but not when the dems do it.

They talked about this in APRIL:
http://www.alternet.org/workplace/13...ealth_reforms/

As Senate Democrats move closer to using reconciliation to pass health care reform this year, key GOP Senators are signaling plans to avenge the move by employing parliamentary tactics to trip up even the most noncontroversial of agenda items.

Although Senate Democrats are far from reaching a consensus on the reconciliation issue, party leaders confirmed Wednesday that they are reserving the right to use it to pass health care reform if Republicans fail to negotiate in good faith. Senate Republicans — saying they have every intention of being a full partner in the upcoming health care negotiations — said holding reconciliation in reserve could poison the discussions, and threatened retribution.

“If they go down that road, I think the fur is going to fly,” Senate Republican Conference Vice Chairman John Thune (S.D.) said. “I suspect that there is going to be an awful lot of resistance, and we will exercise our prerogatives so that the rules of the Senate are respected.”

Some top GOP Senators declined to speculate on how their Conference would respond if Democrats use reconciliation to pass health care reform. Senior Republican Senate aides say it is too early to discuss retaliation for something that might not occur; they prefer to focus instead on trying to shape a bill that they can embrace.

But other key Republican Senators were candid that reconciliation, while difficult for them to stop, would prompt them to try to trip up Democratic priorities — large and small.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who was a member of the 2005 bipartisan “Gang of 14” that negotiated a deal on President George W. Bush’s stalled judicial nominees, said he would be willing to tap into the Senate’s parliamentary arsenal to block the majority from pursuing its agenda.

Similarly, National Republican Senatorial Committee John Cornyn (Texas) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) predicted that the GOP Conference would respond to Democrats’ use of reconciliation on health care with tough action.

Hatch, a key negotiator on health care reform, early in his Senate career successfully filibustered a union-backed labor bill even though Democrats controlled the chamber. He acknowledged he wouldn’t be able to stop the Democrats from using reconciliation to pass heath care this year, but strongly cautioned Democrats against using it. Reconciliation, if included in a final budget resolution, would allow Democrats to advance health care — or other major policy proposals — on a simple majority vote, rather than the 60 required under regular order.

“There would be a lot of things done” in retaliation, Hatch said. “I know what to do; I’ve been there.”

Previous Senates, whether controlled by Democrats or Republicans, have used reconciliation, usually to raise or lower federal income tax rates. This current crop of GOP Senators contends the tool was not intended to advance major programmatic changes — such as an overhaul of the health care industry.

While many Democrats want to use reconciliation to advance what they say is an essential legislative priority, still others, including Budget Chairman Kent Conrad (N.D.), are opposed to using it.

Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) both said Wednesday that they would prefer not to have to use reconciliation to reach a deal on health care, but were adamant about retaining the tool as leverage. Baucus acknowledged that the procedural maneuver could lead to partisan warfare in the Senate down the line.

“Obviously, reconciliation tends to be partisan,” said Baucus, who along with Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), has been charged with writing the Senate health care bill. “The more nonpartisan our approach to health care reform, the better it’s going to be.”

“Sen. Reid hopes that Republicans will work with us to develop a health care reform bill that wins bipartisan support,” added Jim Manley, the Majority Leader’s spokesman. “His preference would be to use the normal legislative process.”

Republicans’ decision to exact revenge over the Democratic use of reconciliation may well depend on the popularity of the final health care bill, GOP sources said. Republicans say they would likely ratchet up their counteroffensive gradually.

According to a former Senate Republican leadership aide, the GOP might first go after White House nominations. Republicans could require each appointee to get a separate hearing and a separate roll call vote. They could stop attending committee hearings, and decline to provide “unanimous consent” to move forward on even the most benign issues or routine Senate business. Republicans could also demand that the text of bills, which are often hundreds of pages long, be read aloud.

These tactics could grind the Senate to a virtual halt, Republicans say.

The former Senate GOP leadership aide said such moves are usually made at the direction of the leadership, but explained that individual Senators might act on their own if they are angry enough. The source added that leadership might direct various Members to engage in some of these activities and serve as “weather balloons” to gauge the public’s reaction. If there is no backlash, such actions “could escalate,” the former aide said.

Cornyn described the Democrats’ possible use of reconciliation to push through health care legislation as “probably the most aggressive move that Democrats could possibly make. And, yes, in the Senate there are all sorts of ways to exact a price for abuse of your majority status.”

[Warpt762x39]

I think they should hire Ben Stein to read all bills aloud. That'll teach them.

[FNG19]

I think they should hire Ben Stein to read all bills aloud. That'll teach them.

Had he not died in 1995, Peter Cook would've been a great choice to do this. Here's one of his more amusing roles:

[Morel42]

It's called a Filibuster..

Thank God that the Republicans weren't able to ban it a few years ago..

Too bad the idiotic Democrats can't remember that far back and learn the lesson. lol

oy..

[Morel42]

It's called a Filibuster..

Thank God that the Republicans weren't able to ban it a few years ago..

Too bad the idiotic Democrats can't remember that far back and learn the lesson. lol

oy..

[Warpt762x39]

Stop repeating yourself.

Find someone with a stuttering problem. They can read all the bills that cross these idiots desks to help alleviate their stutter.

[Dredly]

Stop repeating yourself.

Find someone with a stuttering problem. They can read all the bills that cross these idiots desks to help alleviate their stutter.

wait you mean people are supposed to read the bills? shit when did that start?!?!?!

Keep in mind not all of the D's are bad people, or stupid for that matter. The so called 'Blue Dog Democrats' are fighting this... but don't look to your own party to stop it, there are as man dems fighting it as there are republicans fighting for it.

[Warpt762x39]

wait you mean people are supposed to read the bills? shit when did that start?!?!?!

Keep in mind not all of the D's are bad people, or stupid for that matter. The so called 'Blue Dog Democrats' are fighting this... but don't look to your own party to stop it, there are as man dems fighting it as there are republicans fighting for it.

I don't trust any of the fu**ing idiots.

[autotech6506]

I thought the senate was "filibuster proof" now that the dems have 60 chairs? I like the idea of having to read the bills aloud. maybe then the american people could hear whats in there.

[velkly]

The backlash from this would be great, and not merely from the dissenters in Congress. I'd be shocked if they had the balls to follow through with it on such a highly controversial and universally impactive bill. This is hopefully just a ploy to force the more "level-headed" Dems into line.