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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) told The Hill that he would absolutely back using reconciliation to pass health care reform.
And when asked whether he would support reconciliation in the event Lieberman and other Democrats blocked consideration of the bill, Sanders said: “Absolutely. Look, the trick here is to do the best that we can for the American people.
“And that is quality, affordable healthcare for all of our people,” he added. “If we can’t do it because we don’t get 60 votes, then there are other ways that we have to proceed. And I would strongly support those other ways.”
The important thing about the health care fight is that it is not like most legislative battles in the Senate. Normally, a handful of conservative Democrats and a few Republicans will demand outrageous concessions to get to the 60 votes needed to end a filibuster. Progressive senators are left will little recourse. They can try calling their bluff, negotiating some a deal on an unrelated bill, let the bill die (including the provisions they strongly champion), or accept the terrible demands for the greater good of passing something.
Health care reform is different because progressive Democrats have the option of using reconciliation. Reconciliation measures can’t be filibustered, so they only needs a simple majority to pass. Because of the Byrd rule, there are problems with using reconciliation. Kent Conrad has often said it would make “swiss cheese” of the bill. But if Lieberman, Nelson, Bayh, and Lincoln are allowed to control the debate, reform will end up “swiss cheese” anyway. It is starting to look like the holes the Byrd rule will make in the bill would be smaller and more easily fixed.
Sanders is raising the possibility the he might filibuster health care reform if it is too conservative. Normally this would be very difficult stance, but, with health care reform, Sanders can filibuster the bill without risking that nothing will be passed. Obama and Reid are so desperate for a victory that they would be forced to use reconciliation. On this issue, Sanders and other progressives in the Senate have the power to make sure Lieberman does not win.
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What does Swiss cheese mean wrt reconciliation? Go Bernie!
And who makes the decision on whether it goes to Reconciliation. Harry Reid? It would require political courage and Reid has exhibited a complete lack of it.
only things that directly effect the budget can pass using reconciliation. So provisions like repealing the anti-trust exemption have been scored by the CBO as not saving or costing money. That would probably need to go because of the byrd rule. Of course Ben Nelson is demanding it not be part of the bill so it would not really be a lose.
true. Unless he is left with no other choice. If three progressive Senators hold the line Reid will have no other options.
Sanders is raising the possibility the he might filibuster health care reform if it is too conservative.
I’d donate to him for that!!
(I was wondering where Jon went). Hell yeah!! Go Bernie.
Go Bernie. Throw Liebermann out on his fat $$$ padded ass.
What about the no rescissions rule, and the rule requiring insurance companies to sell insurance to people who enter the “high risk” pool for the insured? How are those key provisions budget-related?
Talking through my hat here, but just another weird but possibly neat deal: trade a weak (not open to everyone, not protected by stringently enforced risk adjustment mechanisms, negotiated rates) po for (1) ending the insurance anti-trust exemption (repeal McCarran Ferguson Act), (2) Kucinich Amendment
Alternately: trade a weak po for the mandate
Better: trade a weak po for McCarran Ferguson Act repeal, Kucinich Amendment and the mandate!
But first: let’s find out whether the po is worth fighting for. We don’t know what it looks like yet, do we?
Sanders and the progressive Democrats have always had the power to make sure Lieberman doesn’t win, they may even have the power to strengthen this bill if they have enough courage. A bloc of Sanders, Al Franken, Pat Leahy, Sherrod Brown, Sheldon Whitehouse, Paul Kirk, Jay Rockeller, Barbara Boxer, Ron Wyden, Roland Burris, Maria Cantwell, Carl Levin, Tom Harkin, Barbara Mikulski, John Kerry, Russ Feingold, Patty Murray, and Ben Cardin.
That’s a bloc of 18 Senators. If they choose 11 of them can bloc any reform without a very strong PO. If they did that and stood firm, the leadership would have to use reconciliation or the nuclear option and also begin whipping for a stronger PO among the other Democrats. We could even get a better bill out of the Senate than we’ve gotten out of the House.
Of course, I don’t expect this to happen. The expectations people have of these people, sadly, are much too low. But if they were higher perhaps this group could step up.
The anti-trust change is fairly meaningless.
I heart Bernie Sanders.
Wonderful. We get a bill, the Mandated Private Insurance Bill of 2009 or 2010 or 2013 or Whenever.
When do we kick off the “Weaken The Mandate” campaign?
Mandate wouldn’t pass reconciliation, would it?
There’s no plan that 60 senators will agree to, so the choice will be reconciliation or nothing. More than 50 will choose the former.