Senate Preparing to Take Up Reconciliation Bill

[Judi Lynn]

Source: New York Times

March 22, 2010, 10:35 am
Senate Preparing to Take Up Reconciliation Bill
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN

It’s in President Obama’s hands. Well, almost.

As soon as the president signs the health care legislation, Senate Democrats say they will take up the budget reconciliation bill, including the final revisions on health care and an overhaul of federal student loan programs.

The Senate debate could start Tuesday afternoon. And when it does, the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and his team will be waiting.





Read more: http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/22/senate-preparing-to-take-up-reconciliation-bill/?partner=rss&emc=rss

[groundloop]

1. Let's just hope that Reid can handle McConnell as well as Speaker Pelosi handled Bohner et al

Bohner (fake tan and all) was shut down pretty well by the House leadership. I'd hope that Senator Reid is well prepared for whatever little tricks the Party of No will try in the Senate.

[totodeinhere]

6. It doesn't matter. That bill is crap anyway.

It is not real reform. The insurance and drug companies made sure that their servants in Congress wrote in enough loopholes so that in reality it will be business as usual and the American people will get screwed again.

[Toots]

8. What Bill are you talking about?

Health Care passed and the President will sign it into Law today... That bill is a done deal....What loop holes are in the Reconciliation bill that you disapprove of?

[pampango]

9. I think the theory goes: the insurance companies paid the Democrats to pass the bill the republicans

to vote against it.

This way, the theory goes, they get the bill that will make them even richer, while at the same time empowering the republicans (who are owned by the insurance companies, of course) to run against the bill in November, which is the reason they unanimously opposed it. If republicans are successful in this fall's elections, they can then try to "kill the bill" (that the insurance companies paid the Democrats to pass).

We've all heard of interest groups "bribing" both parties to get members of Congress to vote they want them to. This is the first time I have heard a theory that an interest group paid one party to pass a bill, while paying the other party to oppose it so that the latter can run to repeal the bill in the next session of Congress. Perhaps the "chess game" is being played at a Grand Master level that is beyond me.

I don't believe this theory, so I may be doing a bad job of summarizing it. I am still a little confused as to why the industry would pay Democrats (including all members of the progressive caucus) to pass this ("piece of crap", "insurance company bailout") bill, while at the same time paying the republicans to unanimously oppose it so that they can effectively run against it in the fall. Perhaps a true believer can do a much better job of explaining it. ;)

[On the Road]

11. Had Never Thought About it That Way

but it comes down it to, that's the implication of the belief that business controls everything in Washington.

;)

[mvd]

14. The insurance companies like..

having more customers, but I still have a hard time thinking they like the bill after what has been done. I know we didn't give into their call for stricter penalties for not purchasing insurance. If they do raise prices because of that (and it might be a bluff,) then we have new momentum to just squash the increases.

[kestrel91316]

2. So, what happens if Obama signs the bill, and then reconciliation gets bogged down and fails????

[kirby]

4. Then we get the Senate bill w/o fixes

[No Elephants]

5. Yes, the House will probably do that.

[Orangepeel]

7. they already did it, last night

once Obama signs it, the Senate bill is law.

[DCBob]

10. It might get bogged down but it wont fail.. there is too much riding on this.

Even if it has to go back to the House for a re-vote...they will get this thing passed.

[mvd]

12. We get the Senate bill no matter what, right?

The President is signing it, so they can't stop that.

[pattmarty]

3. No, let's hope they don't fuck it up worse than it already is.

[mvd]

13. There's this article about the public option being snuck back in

http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20100323/cm_huffpost/509206

I wonder if it's worth trying. Yes, we may risk some of the fixes, but apparently not the entire bill. The HP leaves out the fact that the Senate bill will be signed.

[Mari333]

15. its a health insurance company wet dream

http://www.singlepayeraction.org/blog/?p=2421

[pampango]

16. Why did the insurance companies pay the republicans to oppose the bill? So they can run against

it in November and try to "kill the bill" in 2011?

[mbperrin]

17. Insurance industry gave more money to dems in the most recent period.

This reversed the trend of giving more to the pubs since 1992.

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?cycle=2010&ind=F09

Election Cycle Rank† Total Contributions Contributions from Individuals Contributions from PACs Soft Money Contributions Donations to Democrats Donations to Republicans % to Dems % to Repubs
2010* 7 $14,745,744 $5,015,376 $9,730,368 N/A $7,761,694 $6,966,798 53% 47%
2008* 12 $46,703,066 $25,443,746 $21,259,320 N/A $20,766,498 $25,857,101 44% 55%
2006* 8 $31,569,173 $13,103,419 $18,465,754 N/A $10,905,565 $20,179,157 35% 64%
2004* 9 $36,405,525 $20,009,806 $16,395,719 N/A $11,775,481 $24,533,001 32% 67%
2002 8 $36,889,174 $9,137,510 $12,334,265 $15,417,399 $10,949,172 $25,899,585 30% 70%
2000 7 $40,484,116 $13,184,990 $12,413,562 $14,885,564 $12,953,040 $27,381,838 32% 68%
1998 6 $29,633,950 $7,882,419 $11,268,084 $10,483,447 $8,757,552 $20,839,576 30% 70%
1996 6 $32,610,313 $10,596,521 $11,737,683 $10,276,109 $10,109,093 $22,458,770 31% 69%
1994 5 $21,795,851 $6,786,148 $10,727,340 $4,282,363 $9,648,475 $12,117,428 44% 56%
1992 6 $21,060,232 $7,380,619 $10,042,961 $3,636,652 $9,610,388 $11,409,178 46% 54%

[Mari333]

18. they wanted lots more but they still make out like bandits

“This bill is not about fiscal responsibility or the common good.”

“The bill is about increasing corporate profit at taxpayer expense,” Hedges wrote.

“It lavishes hundreds of billions in government subsidies on insurance and drug companies.”

“The some 3,000 (corporate) lobbyists in Washington, whose dirty little hands are all over the bill, have once more betrayed the American people for money.”

“The bill is another example of why change will never come from within the Democratic Party. The party is owned and managed by corporations.”

http://www.singlepayeraction.org/blog/?p=2421

[Ter]

19. Wait, I'm confused...

Obama signed the bill already. Doesn't reconciliation come first?