Not even Santa and his elves are keeping this schedule....

[Clio the Leo]

No Room For Error If Senate To Pass Health Care Before Christmas

With no bill or CBO score in hand, a maximum of 57 committed "yes" votes when he needs 60, and 90 to 100 hours of procedural down time ahead of him before he can finally hold an up-or-down, majority-rules vote on health care, it seems virtually impossible that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will be able to pass a reform bill by Christmas.

But Senate leadership aides say it could happen, if everything goes according to plan.

Early this morning--in a rare 1 a.m. vote--Democrats invoked cloture on a defense spending bill. Unless Republicans cede back some time, Senate rules allow them to eat up 30 hours debating that bill before it can pass...at 7 a.m. Saturday morning. Then it's back to health care.

"Following passage of the DoD bill, Reid would file cloture on the manager's amendment, substitute amendment and the underlying bill on health care," reads an outline provided yesterday afternoon by a senior Senate aide. "This would set up the first cloture vote on the manager's amendment on Monday morning at 1 am."

The second cloture vote on the substitute amendment would be Tuesday at 7 am. And, the cloture vote on the underlying bill would be Wednesday at around 1 pm.
We could get an agreement to wrap up and have a final passage vote on the 23rd, however Republicans could continue to not cooperate and force us to have a vote on final passage on Christmas Eve.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/no-room-for-error-on-road-to-passing-health-care-in-the-senate-before-christmas.php?ref=fpb

[hobbit709]

1. I say chain them to their seats without food or drink

until they get something passed.

[Brickbat]

2. I heard on NPR about one senator -- Leahy, maybe? -- who said he was planning on having his tree

shipped to Washington. And I was all BOO FUCKING HOO.