TNR Exclusive: Dems 'Almost Certain' to Bypass Conference

[flpoljunkie]

EXCLUSIVE: Dems 'Almost Certain' to Bypass Conference

Jonathan Cohn January 3, 2010
10:50 pm

Now that both the House and Senate have passed health care reform bills, all Democrats have to do is work out a compromise between the two versions. And it appears they’re not about to let the Republicans gum up the works again.

According to a pair of senior Capitol Hill staffers, one from each chamber, House and Senate Democrats are “almost certain” to negotiate informally rather than convene a formal conference committee. Doing so would allow Democrats to avoid a series of procedural steps--not least among them, a series of special motions in the Senate, each requiring a vote with full debate--that Republicans could use to stall deliberations, just as they did in November and December.

“There will almost certainly be full negotiations but no formal conference,” the House staffer says. “There are too many procedural hurdles to go the formal conference route in the Senate.”

One reason Democrats expect Republicans to keep trying procedural delays is that the Republicans have signaled their intent to do so. On Christmas Eve, when the Senate passed its bill, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell memorably vowed in a floor speech that “This fight isn't over. My colleagues and I will work to stop this bill from becoming law."

“I think the Republicans have made our decision for us," the Senate staffer says. "It’s time for a little ping-pong.”

more...

http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-treatment/exclusive-dems-almost-certain-bypass-conference

[secondwind]

1. Yeah! I LOVE ping-pong!!! Go Dems!

[Ian David]

2. So THAT is what the caller to The Thom Hartmann show meant.

He asked Thom to "explain the ping-pong thing" and Thom had no idea what he meant, because "ping-pong" was all the caller could remember.