Will Obama Health Care Plan Pass Via Reconciliation?

(AP)

President Obama will host both Democrats and Republicans at the White House Thursday to discuss his new health care proposal, but if Republicans are not willing to accept the plan, the White House indicated today it would approve of a plan for Democrats to bypass the unified opposition.

White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said told reporters today that the president's plan is designed for "maximum flexibility," the Washington Post reports.

"The president expects and believes the American people deserve an up or down vote on health care," Pfeiffer said. "This is designed to provide us maximum flexibility if the opposition decides to take the extraordinary step of filibustering health reform."

If Republicans call a filibuster to stall debate of a bill, it typically takes 60 votes to end the filibuster. Democrats no longer have a 60-vote majority, so the only other way they could get around a filibuster without any Republican support is through a procedural maneuver called reconciliation. This process allows any budget-related items to be passed with a simple 51-vote majority.

Republicans at this point seem unwilling to go along with the president's plan. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) said yesterday on "Fox News Sunday" that he would go to Thursday's health care summit "good faith" but still believes the best way forward would be to "start over." The bill unveiled by the White House today, however, is compiled of provisions from the bills that already exist, and congressional Republicans are already pouncing on it.

"It's disappointing that Democrats in Washington either aren't listening, or are completely ignoring what Americans across the country have been saying," McConnell said in a statment in response to the president's bill. "Our constituents don't want yet another partisan, back-room bill."

House Republican Leader John Boehner (Ohio) added, "The President has crippled the credibility of this week's summit by proposing the same massive government takeover of health care based on a partisan bill the American people have already rejected."

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs in his daily press briefing Monday insisted that Thursday's summit will not be political theater and that "the president wants to hear people bring their ideas" to the table.

Republicans "push back greatly that their the party is the 'party of No,'" he said. "Thursday's a peferct venue to be a 'party of Yes.'"

Obama's Health Care Plan Unveiled
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Governors to Congress: Get Us in the Game!
CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care

The president left out of his bill the plan for a "public option," or a government-run insurance program that would be available as an alternative to private insurance. Republicans in Congress are unequivocally opposed to the public option.

However, a group of Democratic senators have started a push to include the public option in a reconciliation bill, citing a CBS News/ New York Times poll from December revealing persistent public support for the idea.

Twenty senators are now supporting the plan to include the public option in the reconciliation bill, including Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and high-ranking Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he is open to the idea.

[MilliCi]

If the Democrats push their health care bill through the Senate by circumventing the normal legislative process, you can be sure that come November their ranks will be thinned beyond recognition. Pay attention Dumocrats!! If you do not listen to the loud and clear voices of the American majority, you can kiss your present paycheck goodbye. THAT IS OUR PROMISE.

[trailseeker]

I hear a lot of loud, but hardly clear.
Its the buzzwords these sycophants hold dear.
The voices, its assumed, are heard above the drowned.
Blind. Deaf but to their own and made up like fox clowns.
And single-payer bows to take it in the rear.

[KIMBERLYSUF]

ANOTHER UNECESSARY TAX
The SCHIP bill sounds great ? State Children's Health Insurance Program. This program expands public health coverage to many children who would otherwise have been enrolled in a private health insurance program.[1] This is another way the current administration is almost secretly getting what it wants/moving coverage from private insurers to public insurers. Of course judging by history, the government is always better at providing for the common person than the private industry ? and you can count on the gov. to never charge too much for a service ? they'll just mandate everyone pay for the same, inefficient service, and tax us whatever they want ? ins't that fair ? spread the wealth. The poor should be taken care of ? some research shows that the poor ARE taken care of ? it's the person too busy WORKING, to get involved in politics, that's not taken care of ? much of the current stimulus went to HHS, and other health services to prepare for gov. takeover of healthcare not healthcare REFORM. And much of the stimulus went to friends in crime/ACORN. With ACORN, healthscare, SCHIP, and other programs, the corrupt in the current administration are hiding behind a pleasant facade ? masquerading something evil, as something good. Evidently a 61 cent increase in cigarette tax went to the SCHIP program.[2] Taxes are being forced on the less poor/poor to help the less poor/poor, and the gov. gets what they want ? POWER AND CONTROL by forcing taxes on people to cover their pet projects/programs. Our founding fathers were very smart ? their system of gov. has worked so good that many citizens don't have to get involved ? as a result socialists have been able to force their agenda on the Republic. People need to ask who the Progressives are, because they have caused much of the problems we're now forced to deal with.[3] Please know who your reps. are, and what they are doing to help the Republic.[4]

1. -heritage-org january 26, 2009 the new SCHIP Bill: The Senate Must Protect Private Coverage
2. -ryorevolution-com SCHIP Expansion Bill Will Devastate Roll Your Own!; also history of SCHIP, etc.
-Feb 4, 2009 ? Obama Signs SCHIP bill
3. -*.lewrockwell-com/The Progressives? 100 Years War
-glennbeck-com April 16 2009 American Progressivism Who were the Progressives, and why are they important? R.J. Pestritto Shipley Professor of the American Constitution at Hillsdale College?
4. -*At Thomas.gov website click on House of Representatives/Congress to get e-mail, phone, address of reps for area code entered.
-*opencongress-org track bills, issues, and votes on your personal profiles; Use social networking to share the best infor. About your interests; Vote and comment on bills you support or oppose; contact your elected officials with your opinions; help build public knowledge about Congress!
-* .healthtransformation.net Right to Know Petition
-HR3962 Sponsor: Rep Dingell, John D. [MI-15] (introduced 7/14/2009)
-chinapost-com. U.S. gov't paid US$47 billion in questionable health claims
-wnd-com ELECTION 2008 Obama cited Ayers job as qualification to run
-wnd-com/ ELECTION 2008 Obama-backed ally forged pact with radical Muslims
-* scaredmonkeys-com/2009/11/24/democrats-tongue-tied-as-they-try-to-justify-300-million-pay-off-to-sen-landrieu-as-56-of-americans-oppose-obamacare/
-Center for Individual Freedom not-for-profit constitutional advocacy organization with
the mission to protect and defend individual freedoms and individual rights.
-*Congressman Paul Ryan ? Creating Jobs and Generating Economic Growth ? ?Roadmap for America?s Future?

[rockcutr]

Does not any one in the circus realize that pushing a thing thru just to do it can only make matters worse. Well, governing is like a box o chocolates. But, in this case is is all bitter. I would bet Hillary is really glad she isn't the Prez. Our golden boy is looking a lot like a rookie republican. There is no shame in regrouping. Clearly the adjenda within the health care bill should be rewritten to simple phrases that the senate can understand.

[wjksea]

FALSE, MITCH AIN'T LISTENING. THE PUBLIC OPTION RANKS VERY HIGH IN THE POLLS. Stop taxpayers from subsidizing the health insurance cartel Mitchie or would it be too much to give up your kickbacks.

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"It's disappointing that Democrats in Washington either aren't listening, or are completely ignoring what Americans across the country have been saying," McConnell said in a statment in response to the president's bill. "Our constituents don't want yet another partisan, back-room bill."

[bradkt1]

The real question is will Harry Reid grow a pair and do it? In the past, Reid has been more interested in protecting the preogatives of individual Senators than in getting anything done.

[scootervanneuter]

I just found this article online and I'm OUTRAGED!:

"Obama and Healthcare: "Like A Retard With Something Shiny""

http://peacemoonbeam.typepad.com/scooters_report/2010/02/obama-and-healthcare-like-a-retard-with-something-shiny.html

[wjksea]

From what you have posted, there is no point in visiting the trash. I wonder if Sarah Palin would be outraged by the use of the word "retard"? Oh well, who cares. A ho is a ho ya know ya know.