Watch Rachel Maddow on Andrea Mitchell: Just pass the Senate bill and fix it in reconciliation.

[flpoljunkie]

'If they let it die, they are committing political suicide.' 'Democrats have to do it alone, and they have to wake up to that.'

Video clip: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35015339#35015339

[still_one]

1. Isn't that what Democrats are good for, political suicide? /nt

[Ozymanithrax]

2. I assume that Rachel means that things like public option...

should be done through the reconciliaiton process after the President signs the bill. If the house passes the Senate Bill, it will be signed by Obama and not go back to the Seante. It will be what the Senate passed.

By the way, I want them to do that. It is better to do a little now than to continue to do nothing. But I am a proud incrementalist.

[flpoljunkie]

3. Even Howard Deans acknowledged the 'public option' is dead.

The House and Senate were working on fixing what's not acceptable to the House. There is no good reason why they cannot continue to do so and agree on a 'patch' to the Senate bill that can be passed in reconciliation.

We must not let fear kill health care reform--after coming this far and taking so long to get close to the finish line.

Pass. the. damn. bill!

[Ozymanithrax]

7. The concern is, that with the New Senator the Conferenced bill will not be accepted.

I agree, pass the damn bill.

[flpoljunkie]

10. The clean-up bill must be done through reconciliation in the Senate.

Remember last Friday the House and Senate negotiators were making progress, and had even sent some proposed compromises to the CBO to score.

[jenmito]

4. I saw it. She was really advocating passing the Senate bill. We've come too far to let

one senator ruin a year of work on this. If this fails, Obama and Dems. fail. I don't get how anyone in the House can reject the Senate bill at this time. They can fix it through reconciliation. We're playing right into the hands of the RWers.

[flpoljunkie]

5. Exactly. Quitting is not an option! Dems must show the people they can govern!

[Spazito]

6. I agree with Rachel! n/t

[TheKentuckian]

8. What is being offered in the patch and how many do we have in the Senate

commited to the changes?

The crisis of leadership issue should have been considered months ago when an unpassable and reckless bill was designed.

The 60 vote threshold should have also been dealt with because Byrd could go anytime (stay with us Bobby!).

This whole deal is political malpractice and the court decesion yesterday has even further hardened my position, I wouldn't turn over the treasury to these criminals to save my own life.

[flpoljunkie]

9. Last Friday, the House and Senate negotiators were making 'solid progress' in their negotiations.

WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Congressional Democrats closed in on a final deal on a landmark U.S. healthcare overhaul on Friday, with President Barack Obama pushing them to move quickly in marathon White House negotiating sessions.

Negotiators from the House of Representatives and Senate made "solid progress" in talks that stretched into the early morning on Friday, the White House said, and headed back for another round in the afternoon.

"We are making progress, we are establishing common ground on some of the very few issues that were different in our bills," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said of the negotiations.


http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1511491420100115?feedType=RSS&feedName=everything&virtualBrandChannel=11563

[liskddksil]

12. The Senate won't commit to voting on the changes

The House should not trust the Senate at this point.

[flpoljunkie]

15. They were making 'solid progress' in their negotiations last Friday. Gut it up and get it done.

[liskddksil]

11. I disagree

The Senate can not even guarantee that they will adopt the House's changes, so why should the House trust them. The Senate bill as it is toxic, which even Congressman Chris Van Hollen has admitted.

[ProSense]

16. "Senate bill as it is toxic"

Seriously, anyone trying to portray the Senate bill as the worse thing ever isn't looking at this objectively.

It may not be the perfect bill, neither is the House bill, and they are damn near the same. Anyone claiming otherwise is being completely disingenuous or really don't understand the bills.


Edited for clarification.

[liskddksil]

22. I understand them quite well

The House bill is decent. The Senate Bill is not. The mandates to buy private health insurance, without public competition, will completely destroy us this November, when the Republicans run against them. Then, there really won't be any reform. Its better to do popular things, like the medicare extension right now, that the Republicans won't be able to run against.

[Tamahawk]

13. on political suicide...

It is risky for the dems to keep pushing it the way they were trying to before Scott Brown won, and the numerous echoes of Rep. Webb's post-election statement support that.

The independant and moderate democrat voters got turned off by the secrecy, certain aspects of the bill, the bribery, and the approach in general. They remember Obama's promises of change, post-partisanship, transparency, and CSPAN; it's possible they also remember Pelosi's promise of running an open and ethical Congress.

It will take a lot of democrat Congresspeople not afraid of losing their jobs to pass this version of HC reform.

[flpoljunkie]

14. Nelson's deal has already been stripped out. It can be done if Dems do not run and hide.

Failure is the worst thing for the Dems in November. It is political suicide.

[TheKentuckian]

17. Pass the Senate bill and you can hang it up for a generation or two

starting in 2016, even if the corporate buy out of America can be stopped or sidestepped.

The fallout will be nuclear at the very best. Who do you think is going to be thankful for this yoke on their necks?

[flpoljunkie]

19. I disagree. Pass the Senate bill and a clean-up reconciliation bill. It's the only way forward.

[Mass]

21. Dont do anything and you can forget to have a half decent healthcare bill in

the next thirty years. The Supreme Court decision takes care of that.

So, what do you propose? (I am not married to the Senate bill, far from it, but it seems that passing it, then amending it by reconciliation, is the easiest way to do this, and I know that, if they cave now, they can forget my support.

[TheKentuckian]

23. What in the world would stop it from being reversed when the corporate raiders take over anyway?

If they are so inclined. That's not an argument.

I propose accepting the damn truth that health care reform has already been defeated well before Tuesday and keep fighting for reform.

[flpoljunkie]

24. If they're smart they'll pass real financial reform and public financing of their campaigns...

but don't hold your breath.

I have told the DSCC, the DCCC and the DNC not to expect any more money from me, until they start acting like Democrats. And, I mean it.

[Inuca]

18. Agree, unfortunately

Sen. Webb by the way. ANd welcome to DU :-)!

[Tamahawk]

20. Oops!

And thanks.