Biden Dems' Secret Weapon For Reconciliation?

[kpete]

Biden Dems' Secret Weapon For Reconciliation?
Posted by Mike Memoli

As the Democrats head toward attempting to use reconciliation in the Senate to pass some "fixes" to the health care bill with a simple majority, some in the party have fretted that the fate of health care could rest in the hands of Alan Frumin, the Senate parliamentarian. It is Frumin who would determine whether those fixes meet the so-called Byrd rule which forbids reconciliation from being used on items not related to the budget.

But that may not be the end of the story, based on this fascinating revelation from MSNBC's "Daily Rundown" -- former Senate parliamentarian Robert Dove said that while the Senate parliamentarian does advise the chamber on such matters, Vice President Biden could hold the power.

"The parliamentarian only can advise. It is the vice president who rules," Dove said. "It is the decision of the vice president whether to play a role here. And I have seen other vice presidents play that role in very important situations."

No vice president has done so since Hubert Humphrey, he added. And Biden, a Senate veteran of more than 36 years, may want to do so. That would seem to open one more escape hatch for Democrats by spelling out the protocol.

more:
http://realclearpolitics.blogs.time.com/2010/03/01/biden-dems-secret-weapon-for-reconciliation/

[Saturday]

1. OR if the parliamentarian doesn't agree

with your position fire him like Bush's Senate did.