At Least He's Not Opposed...

Oaky this a is House / Senate tango here (0.00 / 0)

"Pass the Bill. Fix the Bill."

Remember all those House/Senate meetings to work out differences in the bill? That is the "Fix" because we all learned from School House Rock that before the President can sign a bill both chambers have to pass the same legislation.

Now, who goes first. The House has 290 bills that went nowhere so far this year. This is why you hear of W. Va. native Sen. Carper D-DE saying he would sign a promise.

And a spokesperson for Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) told TPMDC yesterday that Carper would be willing to sign on to a letter assuring House Democrats that the Senate would take action on a reconciliation bill if they passed the comprehensive Senate bill first.

Budget dudes in the Senate are going to insist on that way as any fixes are scored against the common bill. Otherwise it is current law. The House thinks it a matter of enrollment and what the President signs first. They are worried about getting shafted by that cooling saucer, again.

Now the reason I bring this up, Sen. Byrd is still on the Budget Committee with Sen. Conrad. Kent outlined a path for no reform at all. So, where does Sen. Byrd stand on all this? Back in April 2009, before any bills passed, he was against using reconciliation for major policy changes. Now we have those policy changes in a Senate bill. Find out if his position has changed.

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NFTT: Support My Team or I Will Dance

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by: CA Berkeley WV @ Wed Feb 24, 2010 at 19:59:44 PM UTC

Sen. Byrd does not oppose using reconciliation to pass the health care bill. (0.00 / 0)

According to this New York Times report, Rockefeller is against it.

It's interesting because Byrd actually wrote the original budget reconciliation rules, and Rockefeller's supposed to be the "liberal" on this health care issue.

Something's wrong with wrong with this picture.

Referring specifically to passing the public option through reconciliation, Rockefeller clearly stated "I'm probably not going to vote for that"

Wvblueguy, your diary appears to somewhat misleading at best.

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by: One Citizen @ Sat Feb 27, 2010 at 17:51:57 PM UTC

I vote for NY Times being wrong, not wvblueguy (4.00 / 2)

I don't see how you can blame WVBlueGuy for quoting directly from a Sen. Rockefeller's press release. I think it's far more likely that the N.Y. Times is working off of old information.

That Greenwald piece you quote is dated the day before the press release WVBlueGuy links to. So, it's not like the NY Times would be the only one working off of old info. ;-)

Either way, it is news that Sen. Byrd is open to reconciliation to pass a healthcare reform bill. That's an evolution of his position as he originally--back like a year ago at the beginning of this process--wrote a letter saying he was against using reconciliation.

Congratulations to everyone for their continued advocacy on this issue. I think both Sens. Rockefeller and Byrd are listening to us constituents and getting the message loud and clear that we want meaningful health care reform to happen ASAP.

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by: Clem Guttata @ Sat Feb 27, 2010 at 19:06:58 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

What has changed is the two bills passed each chamber. (4.00 / 2)

His original press release was last April, before any bills existed. Reforms in some form have passed both the House and the Senate, so what is in the reconciliation bill is not major policy reform, like Reagan and Stockman did in their first reconciliation bill with small city block grants.

Now the House has to find out a way to get the Senate to see their version of fix it and pass it, or the Senate has to get 51 of their members to sign a letter in blood, sweat and tears that they will not back out of pass it and fix it.

Some former staffers argue you can do hte first. Conrad evidently does not want to think about whether it is possible. The fix is what is has come out of the process of making the House and Senate bills exactly the same.

NFTT: Support My Team or I Will Dance

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by: CA Berkeley WV @ Sat Feb 27, 2010 at 20:49:37 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The NY Times is Wrong (0.00 / 0)

Many have used earlier Rockefeller statements to show that he is opposed to reconciliation.  His press release which I referenced on his web site was dated the same day as the NY Times article.  I still feel that Jay is playing the middle, but he states clearly that he is not opposed to reconciliation.  Thanks for backing me up Clem.

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by: wvblueguy @ Mon Mar 01, 2010 at 19:42:13 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Re-read the NY Times Report (4.00 / 1)

The article observes that Senators like Reid and Rockefeller are changing their minds on reconciliation. They opposed it when Republicans held the majority, but are reconsidering and are beginning to SUPPORT using it now that Republicans are using the filibuster to prevent passage of legislation.

Similarly, Republicans like Sens. Gregg and Grassley now object to reconciliation when previously they thought was a good idea as they passed the Bush tax cuts and other Republican priorities.

By the way, what's your source that Byrd supports reconciliation for health care reform? I haven't seen that anywhere and he's been rumored to object because of his commitment to the "Byrd Rule" that bears his name.  

If he's in favor, that's great news.  He'll chew up and spit out the Republicans who object on procedural grounds if he sets his mind to it.

In a good conversation everyone speaks.  In a great conversation some even listen.

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by: Wabi-Sabi @ Sat Feb 27, 2010 at 19:11:20 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I am looking forward to the Sen.Gregg Shame! Shame! session (4.00 / 1)

NFTT: Support My Team or I Will Dance

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by: CA Berkeley WV @ Sat Feb 27, 2010 at 20:51:08 PM UTC

[ Parent ]