"W.H. backs reconciliation for health-care reform"(why Obama met with Congressional Leadership)

[Pirate Smile]

W.H. backs reconciliation for health-care reform

Prodded by the White House, Democrats worked into the night Thursday trying to reach agreement on a budget plan that could be adopted by next Wednesday so as to fall within President Barack Obama's first 100 days.

Top White House staff came to the Capitol for the talks, and despite some Senate resistance, one participant said that the chances were “fairly good” that Obama will get the procedural language to help expedite action on health-care legislation later this year. The process, known as reconciliation, would bypass a potential filibuster, and allow the legislation to pass with a simple majority.

At a meeting with congressional leaders at the White House, the president made clear that he would like this option preserved in the final agreement, according to persons familiar with the discussions.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) thanked Obama for “his candor” but warned that the decision could hurt the ability of the Senate to work in a bipartisan way. And even Thursday night, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D., Mont.), who will begin marking up a healthcare bill in June, said the White House-backed strategy would be counter-productive.

“It makes it a lot harder. I told Rahm that today,” Baucus told POLITICO speaking of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel who is part of the final talks together with White House Budget Director Peter Orszag.

-snip-
One key player, who would have to give his blessing, is Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D., N.D.). He has thus far opposed using the budget procedures, as the White House wants, to expedite action on healthcare reform. And one question is what concessions he may demand in return for delivering the plan as requested by the president.
One option would be for Obama to move closer to Conrad on the issue of creating a new commission to address long term savings in government entitlement programs—something Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Cal.) has opposed in the past. But there was no evidence Thursday night that that was yet part of the final deal.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21660.html

[Lasher]

1. Junior and his GOP lapdog Congress used reconciliation to pass their tax cuts.

Now they need to just STFU. Sucks to be them. Elections have consequences, ya know.

[firedupdem]

2. McConnell needs to STFU-they wouldn't know bipartisan if it

bit them in the ass. Get it done without them.

[Thrill]

3. We simply have to get some of the Democrats in the Senate out of there

All the times the Republicans used Reconciliation. The Dems are to wimpy to do it with something as important as Healthcare. First Conrad and now Baucus bitching about using it.

[AtomicKitten]

4. Forewarned is fair-warned. More than they deserve. n/t

[DrToast]

5. I'm tired of the narrative that 60 votes are needed to pass anything

And I'm sick of Dems not fighting back against that.

[blueclown]

6. Keep in mind that Harry Reid is still Senate Majority leader. n/t

[lamp_shade]

7. "hurt the ability of the Senate to work in a bipartisan way."??? Oh give me strength. n/t

[Vinca]

8. Bipartisanship will never work when one side always says "no."

They need to just get on with it and leave the Grand No Party behind.

[brianna69]

9. Wimpy dems like Conrad need to shut up

and put reconcilation in place. Why some democrats are still sucking up to repugs is beyond me. Repugs have no interest in helping dems in anyway shape or form. The aim is to pass healhcare. If it must be done by reconciliation so be it. Screw this trying to play nice to get repug votes. Just get healthcare passed this year, with or without them.

[jefferson_dem]

10. Good. Looks like it will happen.

TNR has a piece on "reconciliation" for healthcare. http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_treatment/archive/2009/04/23/reconciliation-this-changes-everything.aspx

The repug congresscretins will whine, bitch, and moan no matter what. Seems they have set a super-majority requirement for every single Obama-Dem initiative. So fuckem! Hardball time.

[Phx_Dem]

11. Good! We've had enough obstructionism.

[HopeOverFear]

12. Halleluiah!