Ben Nelson on CNN now saying democrats could have gotten whatever they wanted with reconciliation

[no limit]

that's why he agreed to a compromise. Are you fucking kidding me? This guy has some balls coming on TV telling us the democratic party could have done whatever the hell they wanted but instead came out and decided to gut the bill for corporate interests so that they could get 60 votes. These people are whores.

[jaxx]

1. He also said both sides hate him.....

like going home and the family dog biting him. Oh woe is me. He's not telling the truth, can you see him saying no to reconciliation? Without a doubt!

[no limit]

3. The point is he is a United States Senator admitting reconciliation was a very real option

so real it made him agree to a compromise he wouldn't have otherwise agreed to.

So why did reconciliation always seem to be off the table?

[jaxx]

6. Why would you believe him?

What has he done to say he would support reconciliation? I see nothing.

[no limit]

7. You are missing the point, he doesnt need to support reconciliation

they would have the votes without him. The point simply is that reconciliation was a very real option, an option the democrats refused to use or even threaten.

[MH1]

9. You can't get insurance company reforms in reconciliation,

if I understand correctly. And there are probably several other things. I think Nelson is mistaken to say Dems could have gotten "everything we wanted" by reconciliation.

And reconciliation is probably still an option for some things, like expanding Medicare. But if Dems try to do too much that way the republicans will get some PR mileage out of "Democrats abusing the budget process" or some shit like that.

[no limit]

11. You expand medicare to everyone you dont need insurance reforms.

Plus you can push reforms in reconcilation based on what I read in the means of taxes on insurance companies for certain practices.

[jaxx]

12. It takes 60 votes. He is one of those 60.

Who else would have voted for it? Snowe? I thought the threat to use it was always there...at the end. Not during negotiations. Was that a mistake? Yep. But then you also can't put some things into the bill because it has to be budget oriented.....or this is how I understand reconciliation, and I can be totally wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

[no limit]

14. Reconciliation does not require 60 votes, it requires 51.

Reconciliation uses the budget to pass legislation which can not be fillibustered. That in itself has some limits but as said it can be used to expend medicare and medicaide as well as an arsenal of other things.

[jaxx]

16. It doesn't take 60 votes to start reconciliation?

I know it means that it only requires 51 votes on legislation after the reconciliation is started. But to start it? If that's true then it would be used constantly.

[dkf]

15. Good. Asshole

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

2. Thinking this through - there was NEVER any negotiating with the

Repubs, and the Dems were only negotiating with themselves, this can be truly said to be a Democrat only bill. If it is true that they could have rammed through a much better result through reconciliation, then we have ourselves only to blame.

I agree with Feingold who said that we got the bill the President wanted in the first place.

[Jackpine Radical]

4. FEINSTEIN said that?

I know that Feingold did, but that would be kind of a mind-blower from Diane.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

8. No, you're right - Feingold - I will correct

It would be a mindblower from Feinstein - she is on my permanent s@#tlist due to the Project Censored story on her.

[xchrom]

5. Just confirms that there was never

A need to create this monster of a bill
in the first place.

They'll have to revisit this bill for a generation
to get it close to right.
The stupid burns but it won't burn them.

[villager]

10. No. As ever, it burns us.

n/t

[HughMoran]

13. Nelson is even dumber that I could have imagined

He cover up his deceit with a lie - amazing.

[hayu_lol]

17. Ben Nelson, a Ner'do'well who finally has the center stage...

is doing backflips trying to stay in the limelight.

His moment in time has finally arrived.

Kill this bill.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mzmolly]

19. It's not too late to use reconciliation to suppliment the current

bill.