Pelosi says House cannot pass Senate's health-care bill without changes (Everything Is On The Table)

[kpete]

Source: Washington Post

Pelosi says House cannot pass Senate's health-care bill without changes

By Shailagh Murray and Paul Kane
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 21, 2010; 11:43 AM

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that the Senate will have to amend its version of a health-care reform bill before her chamber can pass it.


"I don't think it's possible to pass the Senate bill in the House," Pelosi told reporters after a morning meeting with her caucus. "I don't see the votes for it at this time."

Pelosi has been struggling for days to sell the Senate legislation to reluctant Democrats in order to get a health-care bill to the president's desk quickly. But moderates in her caucus have raised doubts about forging ahead without bipartisan support -- a challenge as the midterm election approaches -- while liberals rejected the Senate bill as not going far enough.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/21/AR2010012101604.html

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"In every meeting that we have had, there would be nothing to give me any thought that that bill could pass right now the way that it is," she said. "There isn't a market right now for proceeding with the full bill unless some big changes are made."

While she didn't say the option was dead -- "Everything is on the table," she said -- she outlined two very different options for passing a bill.

"There's a recognition that there's a foundation in that bill that's important. So one way or another those areas of agreement that we have will have to be advanced, whether it's by passing the Senate bill with any changes that can be made, or just taking ," Pelosi said.

"We have to get a bill passed -- we know that. That's a predicate that we all subscribe to."

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/01/pelosi-there-arent-enough-votes-to-pass-the-senate-bill.php?ref=fpblg

[Vincardog]

1. GOOD

[Teaser]

2. fargin' iceholes.

.

[begin_within]

3. Get rid of the mandated purchase.

[Delphinus]

6. Absolutely!

Put Medicare Part E in.

[Gman2]

9. Aint gonna, but public option, likely.

[Pirate Smile]

7. Then you get rid of banning the pre-existing condition exclusions or else prices just go up, up, up

They all go together. That's why it is big and complicated.

I just want to say Fuck You to every Democrat in Massachusetts that voted for Brown.

[VermeerLives]

15. Amen to that one!! (n/t)

[elocs]

4. The previous House bill only passed with a margin of 5 votes and 2 of them are gone now.

I don't see them getting another bill passed.

Anyways, there needs to be one bill that is reconciled from the House and Senate for President Obama to sign. One bill.

[onehandle]

5. Bring on the Pelosi haters. nt

[Pirate Smile]

8. I don't know how anyone could blame Nancy. Greg Sargent posted this:

Reasons Not To Panic (Yet) About Pelosi’s Claim That Senate Bill Can’t Pass House

Mass panic has just erupted because Nancy Pelosi said this about the Senate bill at a presser just now:

“I don’t see the votes for it at this time,” Pelosi said. “The members have been very clear in our caucus about the fact that they didn’t like it before it had the Nebraska provision and some of the other provisions that are unpalatable to them.”

“In every meeting that we have had, there would be nothing to give me any thought that that bill could pass right now the way that it is,” she said. “There isn’t a market right now for proceeding with the full bill unless some big changes are made.”

Pelosi’s claims are going to sound awful to those who want the House to pass the Senate bill already. But let’s be as clear as possible: Pelosi did not rule this option out.

The key is that Pelosi said the bill can’t pass the House “at this time” or “right now.” What’s more, this doesn’t address another possibility being studied by House leaders right now: Passing the Senate bill while simultaneously creating a mechanism that would make it possible, or even mandatory, to fix the bill later through reconciliation, meaning those fixes would only require 51 votes in the Senate.

If such a mechanism were created, it might — repeat, might — induce enough House Dems to reconsider, making it possible for them to pass the Senate bill. No one knows how feasible such a mechanism would be. But it’s being studied as we speak.

No question — the fate of the Senate bill is hanging by the weakest of threads. But while Pelosi’s declaration today might be filling many of you with dread, the possibility that the House could pass the Senate bill has not been taken off the table

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/reasons-not-to-panic-yet-about-pelosis-claim-that-senate-bill-cant-pass-house/

[Gman2]

10. Holy crap, they applied the Bernie Sanders patch. Thats HIS idea.

We are now getting somewhere. We are listening to the only commie in the crew. We are about to use our might, to rev up, so that as Brown sits his ass down, we JAM down, on our agenda. And Obama is going to steer WAY populist. Way blame Wall street. He must, and he has been sending out feelers. Things are about to change for the good. Our obsession with 60, doomed us to try dead paths. And we spun our wheels. Necessarily though. Now, Obama has been branded as having tried to be bi. Now, its time to get to work. for the country. Damn the party of no.

[crikkett]

14. such a plan "might, repeat, might" require some trust that's been squandered

along with the Senate supermajority.

I'm not going to comment further because I don't know everything Nancy Pelosi knows, or even as much as the good people of whorunsgov.com know.

[Jefferson23]

11. There is still time, fight back at the link:

Sign the petition

We've reached 85% of our 2nd NEW goal of 75,000 signers! (64,167)

The petition to President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid reads:

"The loss of Ted Kennedy's seat -- due to a lack of enthusiasm among Democrats and Independents -- sends a clear message to Congress. The Senate health care bill is not the change we were promised in 2008, and it must be improved. The Senate must use 'reconciliation' to pass a better bill with a strong public option."
Complete the following to sign the petition. You'll receive periodic updates on offers and activism opportunities

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/po_reconciliation/?r_by=7432-1680935-vA1YXfx&rc=confemail1

[madrchsod]

12. i`ve had my doubts about nancy but.....

after her statement about obama`s speeches/promises i knew she was pissed off at obama. she was pissed because the way process and the bill was fucked up in the senate. they sent her a piece of shit she was supposed to polish. the lesson they should learn is ya do`t throw nancy under the bus cause she`ll roll out the back and fuck ya up.

the political reality is the house could go to the republicans and we`ll have a one term democratic president.

[juajen]

13. Hallelujah, the Lady takes the reins. Let's hope she rides well.

I saw definite fire in her eyes over the past couple of weeks when asked about the possibility of Brown winning. She knows it gave her the impetus she needs. Sometimes I love her, sometimes, not. We'll see.