Reid confident on eve of health bill's debut

[babylonsister]

Reid confident on eve of health bill's debut
By J. Taylor Rushing - 09/15/09 04:04 PM ET


A day before delivery of the Senate’s long-awaited healthcare bill, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday struck a cautiously optimistic tone for its passage and began to offer the first details on how it will be debated.

Reid said the delicate, prolonged negotiations among six bipartisan members of the Senate Finance Committee will produce a bill “tonight or tomorrow,” which will be merged with the bill passed in July by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Reid said the bill will be open to Republican amendments and coordinated with the White House.

If necessary, the majority leader said he would use the controversial legislative tactic known as reconciliation, which could allow some elements of health reform to be passed with 51 votes. Republicans have complained loudly about the possibility, and at least some GOP support would be necessary to reach 60 votes.

But Reid said he may have no choice.

“We’ve always had a place at the table for Republicans. There’s one there today. We hope it bears fruit,” he said. “If we can’t get the 60 votes we need, then we’ll have no alternative but to use reconciliation. I strongly favor a bipartisan approach.”

Reid said the bill will be marked up by the committee next week, and the Democratic caucus will then be “more heavily involved” in promoting it. So far, only Baucus and Democrats Jeff Bingaman (N.M.) and Kent Conrad (N.D.) have been negotiating with Republicans on the bill. Reid also said the bill can be passed by the end of September.

more...

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/58855-reid-confident-on-eve-of-health-bill

The 60-Vote Lie
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6555687&mesg_id=6555687

[Champion Jack]

1. reconciliation? you mean harry may actually grow a pair?

I'll believe it when I see it

[babylonsister]

2. Wouldn't that be refreshing?! nt

[customerserviceguy]

3. "...the bill will be open to Republican amendments..."

Well, that's how they will kill it. It's not hard to think of a half dozen poison pill amendments that the Rethugs and the Blue Dogs would add to the bill, that would make it completely unpalatable to the House.