Framing 'Reconciliation' as minor "fixes", most specifically demanded by Republicans

[ProgressiveEconomist]

demandeded by Republicans

Finally, Chuck Todd of MSNBC has said something worthwihile, IMO. (What;s yours?)

On MSNBC's special "Hardball" recap of today's Health Care Summit, with Chris Matthews and Savannah Guthre (where are Rachel and Keith?), Todd analyzed Harry Reid's puzzling statement that no Democrat was committed to reconciliation as the only way to get healthcare legislation enacted into law.

Todd pointed out that Democrats ALREADY have passed health care reform through the Senate with a supermajority, but that neither President Obama nor any Democratic leader mentioned this fact at the summit today.

Todd pointed Democrats toward a re-framing of reconciliation quite different from Lamar Alexander's and John McCain's scary characterization today and tailored to winning huge popular support as the embodiment of Republican demands for changes in the current Senate version of healthcare reform:

Nobody is trying to push through a huge healthcare package, "17 percent of the economy", through a "seldom-used procedure" in the Senate. Rather, Todd suggested, with help from Guthrie, that a "majority vote" was going to be taken to strip out unfair "backroom deals" from the Senate-passed bill, while the House simultaneously passes the Senate version for the President to sign into law.

Is Todd's suggested framing of reconciliation a valuable gift to Democrats. I believe it is

***** WHAT'S YOUR OPINION? *****

[lazarus]

1. if they're dead set on abandoning the PO through reconciliation

then this framing is the way to go.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

2. YES! Reid can say, "We listened to Republicans", and here's how we're going to fix

the bill.

He could make Republicans look like hypocrites if they don't vote for reconciliation!

Commercials could be made with footage of Alexander, McCain, and others today, showing them demanding the specific provisions of the Democratic reconciliation bill.

I think Todd's idea is psychological GENIUS for Democrats--forcing Republicans into a complete role-reversal.

[FrenchieCat]

3. That would be good.

I'm not sure that this is Todd's idea though....
More like what the WH has in mind anyways.
Todd ain't too swift, so he must have been talking
to some aides or something.

But yes, that would be a great way to handle it.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

6. "Todd ain't too swift... must have been talking to some aides" Sounds pretty likely,

given what I've seen from him in the past

[elleng]

4. and todd may have gotten it from Prez O (and ME!)

Perfect! We know what they 'want,' whats already in the bill(s), and it can be done. and would likely force their hand(s), as we all have them on tape!

[ProgressiveEconomist]

5. Do you think President Obama had this framing of reconciliation in mind weeks ago

when he announced plans for the summit? And he held back on this framing of reconciliation and the already-passed Senate bill to lure Republicans into advocating exactly what will become the provisions of the reconciliation bill?

Nobody is that smart.... Can Obama be THAT smart?

[elleng]

7. He certainly might have. What he 'lured' them into

was advocating the stuff he knew they'd been advocating forever, and he knew was already in the bill. He (ours) knew what was in the bill and why, they've been through the wringer with all of it. It's LOGIC, and it demanded a cool, knowledgeable, SMART 'conductor.' GOT IT, eh?

(None of this occurred to me until AFTER!)

:fistbump:

[ProgressiveEconomist]

8. "He certainly might have" If so, IMO, that would make him "scary-smart", like

"Prince of Darkness" Jim Baker, who came up with the idea of "Voter ID" to give Republicans an edge in every election.

You don't encounter political genius like that very often.

[cliffordu]

13. LBJ was this cunning - he was more bully, too -

The Prez ain't playing 3-D chess....Just world class politics.

Many here at DU have said that people underestimate Obama at their own peril.

Boehner and that fucking Cantor and Da posse of NO-NO-NO-NO are beginning to catch on to PRECISELY what that means.....

[ProgressiveEconomist]

14. Agreed--LBJ had many years of Congressional experience and ruled Congress from

the WH.

If Obama pulls out a win on HC reform based on this summit, ornery Democrats in Congress may fall in line for him too.

I think letting Reid and Pelosi take the lead for a year and get itself bogged down was a master stroke for Obama too. He's visibly rescuing them just as he's openly vanquishing the Rs.

[cliffordu]

17. Yep - He just waited for all the bloviators to paint themselves into

corners.

[elleng]

16. Yes, LBJ was a bully, AND cunning.

I do think Prez is playing chess, but that may be my mistake. World class politics? Maybe. VERY smart and observant, and able to make good use of his attributes and those of others.

Don't know that Boehner and Cantor are smart enough to catch on so as to 'defend' against same in the future. If we're lucky, they'll 'succumb,' but don't know for how long their friends would tolerate such.

[Bitwit1234]

9. Passing by Fox I caught McCain saying that

republicans would never use the nuclear option and reconciliation against Democrats when they were in power. That is wasn't done.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

11. IMO McCain needs to retire. He embarrasees himself halt the time he opens his mouth, and he

shuffles around like Mr. Magoo! I can't believe he got tens of millions of votes for President.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

10. Anonymous recommender--Thanks for rating this up

I think Todd's insight (Todd's source's insight?) was by far the most valuable bit of analysis of today's historic and crucial healthcare reform summit. And nobody has posted otherwise so far.

[Pirate Smile]

12. I thought it was a great point too. It is TRUE and great PR. Dems need to push

it.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

19. Kick

[ProgressiveEconomist]

20. Kick

[rufus dog]

15. the only thing that bothered me was it came from Todd

Hadn't considered it came through a leak. Maybe Gibbs fed him the info. I always wondered why they weren't out there pushing back against the Brown election/stop HCR vote since the vote was already in the bank.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

18. The Sunday talk shows should be interesting this weekend. What will the

Republican "spin" on the summit be? "Start over"?