C. Todd on MSNBC just said the VP can overrule the Senate

[napi21]

Parlimentarian "If the Dems go for Reconciliation on HC and the Parlimentarian rules against one or more of the ite the bill". I don't recall the guest's name who was bening interviewed by Chuck, but he mentioned the VP, as President of the Senate can overrule the Parlimentarian's decision, but it hadn't been done since Hubert Humphry. The guest & Chuck both agreed though, that Humphry had spent years in the Senate & knew it very well, and Biden also fits that mold.

[spanone]

1. i saw that. chuck was a bit surprised.....so was i

someone unrec'ing good news, eh?...the trolls are out early

[laughingliberal]

2. That would certainly leave no more excuses. nt

[leveymg]

3. Takes 60 Senators to overturn the decision of the VP on a Byrd Amendment "extraneous" issue

That's why legislation passed by reconciliation can be very sweeping. A Public Option would be a shoe-in if the White House wants it.

[Jennicut]

4. Look what I found:

Biden Could Force Reconciliation Through the Senate

Robert Dove, a professor of legislative process at my alma mater who for twelve years was Senate parliamentarian, said that Vice President Joe Biden could in effect commandeer the reconciliation process in the Senate to force through a number of controversial aspects of health-care reform.

Since the reconciliation rules are intended to be used only to alter budget outlays and reduce the deficit, they give the Senate parliamentarian broad — and broadly subjective — powers to strip from reconciliation legislation any measures they deem "incidental" to those goals. Passing the "incidental" test is one of the major hurdles facing Congressional Democrats as they prepare Obamacare for a spin through the process, as they must convince current parliamentarian Alan Frumin that its major components are designed to reduce the deficit and not "write new policy." (!)

But Dove said that Biden, in his constitutional capacity as President of the Senate, could override any ruling by the parliamentarian, though "no vice president, frankly, since Nelson Rockefeller in 1975, has exercised that right."

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MjYxM2Q2YTcxMGU3ZjBhOGE4ZmJlZGE3YTNjYmQ4NzY=

Even the National Review picked up on this. Rethugs know we could go down this route if we wanted to.

[napi21]

5. Maybe we should all email Biden now! One thing I do know

is that Joe sure has the b***s to do it if Obama says OK. He's not one of the wishy-washy Dems for sure!

[Jennicut]

6. That is the truth. He would totally do it if given the greenlight.

[ThomWV]

8. It doesn't matter how long its been since it was done last - its legal, do it.

It doesn't make any difference how long it has been since a right has been invoked, in fact it wouldn't matter if it had never been done in the past. What matters is that its legal to do. As an example I'd be willing to bet that most of the people here have never invoked their right to a trial by jury, but that doesn't mean that they do not have that right.

Same thing with Biden, it doesn't make a hoot in hell that it hasn't been done in 35 years, it wouldn't matter if it had never been done. He still has the right to do it as President of the Senate, and by god he should if in his judgement it is the best thing for the country.

[Jennicut]

10. Yes, Dems can do it. The question is will they?

[ThomWV]

11. No, they won't ever get to Reconciliation - that's just a sham - so its a moot question

[still_one]

7. and the Democrats could pass a public option through reconciliation if they want to

[alcibiades_mystery]

9. Cheney woulda done it in a heartbeat

Er....

:evilgrin:

[spanone]

12. cheney would have done it while telling dems to go fuck themselves

[gratuitous]

13. Under the Bush Rules

Anything not specifically and categorically illegal is not only acceptable, but obligatory. And even if something is illegal, if someone in the administration can proffer an explanation, no matter how bogus, the "liberal" media were supposed to act as if there was some gray area where something like torture was somehow okay.

So I see no impediment here. And I was glad to hear a couple of times over the weekend people use the term "majority rules" in answering the predictable Republican yammering about reconciliation.

[ashling]

14. Does anyone know what Hubert Humphrey used it for?

Wasn't Medicaid passed this way?

[gateley]

15. Hmmm..l

[Blue Owl]

16. Biden' our time...

C'mon Joe, the folks have had enough waiting -- let's do this thing!

I'm ready to hop on Joe Biden's HCR express -- all aboard!

Steamroll right over McConman, Boner, Cantor, and the impotent GOP obstructors -- flatten' 'em like a dirty penny.