Democrats: Any Means to an End on Health Care
Just a few days ago, Nancy Pelosi said that she liked the idea of the Slaughter process, otherwise known as deem and pass, because then no one in the House would have to vote on the Senate bill.
In an interview on Fox News this evening, the President voiced a similar opinion by saying, “I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about what the procedural rules are in the House or Senate”. Why would he be bothered with the fact that Congress is making moves to pass legislation without the consent of the governed? Why would he care that his policy is so unpopular that it cannot be passed using standard legislative process? He should.
Social Security was not passed this way, Medicare was not passed this way and those are unsustainable entitlements that were not unpopular.
The CBO is not expected to score the current batch of fixes to the Senate bill tonight. It would appear that Sunday, at the earliest, is when a vote may take place – some kind of vote anyway.
The Democrats are criticizing those who are questioning the use of the reconciliation and the Slaughter rule. I would counter that if the policy was not so terrible, if the bill was not a gift to unions and friends of Obama, if the legislation was not an evil, transition step towards single-payor.. the parliamentary side-steps would not be necessary. It isn’t just the back-room deals and dishonest approaches to passing the bill that is worrysome, it is the idea that these under-the-table mechanisms are required to pass such important legislation.
Pelosi has made it clear that she intends to get this bill passed by doing, “whatever it takes”. Perhaps they should all consider that the end to their means, may be their termination as members of Congress.
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