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Democrats Grow Nervous About Meeting Christmas Health Care Deadline
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)
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The Congressional Budget Office was supposed to weigh in on new changes to Senate health care legislation by early to mid-week, swatting aside one big procedural hurdle standing between Democrats and health care reform. But Tuesday passed quietly. Then Wednesday. Then Thursday. Now it's Friday, and Democratic aides say they're still not sure if they'll hear back from CBO analysts by the end of the day.
And that's making them very nervous.
As I reported earlier today, if Democrats want to pass health care reform by Christmas eve, they'll have to adhere to a very strict timeline, which includes filing for cloture on health care tomorrow.
The late CBO report isn't helping.
If the cost-estimate comes back tomorrow, aides say Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid could call an impromptu caucus meeting, present his "manager's amendment," along with new budget figures, to his members, and hope against hope that he receives signals from all remaining hold outs--including Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)--that they'll vote to end a series of GOP health care filibusters.
If that doesn't happen, it's difficult to see how they'll be able to pass a health care bill by Christmas.
Aides have suggested privately that when Reid releases his manager's amendment to the media, it will be a sign that he has--or at least thinks he has--60 votes lined up to clear all of the remaining procedural hurdles. So that's the event we'll be awaiting tomorrow.
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VictorLH
December 18, 2009 1:11 PM
Worst Senate Leader in History folks.
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FreeRider
December 18, 2009 1:53 PM in reply to VictorLH
Dumbest comment in history, folks!
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CranialRectalLoopback
December 18, 2009 2:58 PM in reply to FreeRider
Yours? Or do you mean that VictorLh is simply stating the obvious?
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Indie Pro
December 18, 2009 1:12 PM
when you miss a self-imposed deadline, you set another self-imposed deadline.
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CT Voter
December 18, 2009 1:20 PM in reply to Indie Pro
Exactly. August recess, anyone?
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fbacon2
December 18, 2009 1:29 PM in reply to CT Voter
Does anyone want a repeat of August recess?
The difference here is that the Christmas holiday is a much harder target than a simple recess, and the leadership is doing the right thing to leverage it. Missing the deadline now means the process slips possibly for months or even indefinitely.
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Indie Pro
December 18, 2009 1:37 PM in reply to fbacon2
if it means a better bill, then I don't see what is to fear.
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fbacon2
December 18, 2009 1:49 PM in reply to Indie Pro
Ah, but will it? Do you really like our chances with another four months of bleeding the bill to death?
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Indie Pro
December 18, 2009 1:51 PM in reply to fbacon2
trying to pass something on Christmas Eve seems more like an attempt at passing a bill while no ones looking.
So yes, I think the chances are better.
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Darrius
December 18, 2009 1:57 PM in reply to fbacon2
We've already been debating this bill since June, any delay is going to result in no bill, and no forward movement on health care reform for 40 years.
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Indie Pro
December 18, 2009 1:59 PM in reply to Darrius
the bill has changed significantly since it began.
So you are saying that if they don't pass the bill in the Senate by Christmas they are giving up?
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Indie Pro
December 18, 2009 2:29 PM in reply to Indie Pro
Makes you miss the days of Greg Sargent around here:
It would really be nice if certain Beltway journalists could get it into their heads that the Senate bill’s critics on the left have actual substantive differences with the bill’s proponents, and are not motivated solely by “ideology,” whatever the hell that means.
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/political-media/journalists-cheerfully-urinating-on-senate-bills-ideological-critics/
good article.
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Tanjaoui
December 18, 2009 3:19 PM in reply to Indie Pro
Right. In fact it's the centrists who are motivated by (flawed) free-market ideology. The ultimate progressive solution (single payer or single negotiator) is tested, practical and cost-effective. It saves money.
You've been saying it for a couple months: no public option, no mandate. I'd go further: no robust public option, no mandate.
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Docb
December 18, 2009 8:13 PM in reply to CT Voter
Had we had Senate leadership this would have been done in July...Without the stupid inane BS of the blue dogs and the repubs..now we get watered down but at least a foundation to be amended/supplemented..Otherwise, we have noting going into the election year..The House at least passed a bill with the peoples needs considered --GBC Conference..then removal of leibermutt , Nelson- former CEO of Central National Insurance Group and only won his seat with the support of the RIGHT TO LIFE GROUP, Balanche L another Corp shill, Landreiu another shill.
My Democrats are no longer on our side-- they are the fools the party elects over morals or ethics...Shameless! Independents unite!
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Tanjaoui
December 18, 2009 1:13 PM
Bernie's in a difficult position. I hope he holds his nose and filibusters with Republicans.
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Walter Mitty
December 18, 2009 1:16 PM in reply to Tanjaoui
Everybody and their mother knows he'll vote for cloture. I too wish he wouldn't.
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MBH
December 18, 2009 1:49 PM in reply to Walter Mitty
Rable, rable, rable, rable!
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Dorn76
December 18, 2009 1:51 PM in reply to Tanjaoui
On principle he should take the same position as the GOP?
That is neck-snappingly illogical.
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Tanjaoui
December 18, 2009 3:24 PM in reply to Dorn76
On the merits of the bill, which is pretty darn awful and probably won't be fixed for who knows how long unless they have something to hold over the insurance companies' heads. I'd have greater confidence it might be fixed through a compromise: strip it of the mandate. Pass it. Then vote for a mandate in exchange for a robust public option.
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chimpale
December 18, 2009 1:22 PM
I don't like this bill. I think it stinks. I can only think of one good reason for not killing it and, instead, getting it passed. It would pull the plug on the GOP and tea baggers by handing them a loss and making it pointless for them to pull any more stunts on the topic of health care reform. Of course, they'd just move on to protesting and obstructing cap and trade.
That said, the only way that this bill should pass is if the legislators who are going to work on improving it are identified and get started right now. And, don't be afraid of reconciliation to get those improvements.
Regardless of the language in the bill, I won't believe that anything is going to be regulated or enforced until I see it happen.
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CranialRectalLoopback
December 18, 2009 3:00 PM in reply to chimpale
No it won't. The Dumbocrats always set themselves up for FAIL-FAIL. Whether they pass something golden, or golden shower, they'll be hammered. I can't believe how stoopid they are to think otherwise.
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Progressive Party
December 18, 2009 1:32 PM
Who wants to bet that the CBO is producing some bad numbers and they are having to re-work them since the PO and Medicare Buy=In exclusion are giving the cost much higher numbers. How fucked will be Reid be if the CBO numbers burn his bill?
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LindaR
December 18, 2009 1:41 PM
Why engineer defeat by clinging to a false deadline? They're not playing basketball, they're playing chess.
If the only tactic the Republicans have is to run the clock out, then take away the damn clock! sheesh.
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Tanjaoui
December 18, 2009 1:44 PM
Maybe Sanders - or someone - can be talked into standing pat on stripping the mandate (i.e. No cloture with a mandate in the bill). It doesn't come into effect until 2014 anyway. Passage of a mandate can then be used as a bargaining chip (a rather valuable one) in the much spoken of 'fixing the bill later' period, making it sooner rather than later. This is all spelled out by jon walker at firedoglake.
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cmpnwtr
December 18, 2009 1:58 PM
Nelson has a list of demands that amount to a promise of filibuster, so unless they have Snowe on board, it's over.
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Kristi
December 18, 2009 2:22 PM in reply to cmpnwtr
MSNBC just reported that President Obama met with Sen Snowe for 90 minutes yesterday and then later spoke with her by phone for 30 minutes.
The attempts to get Snowe on board don't seem so crazy after watching us negotiate with hostage takers Lieberman & Nelson.
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CT Voter
December 18, 2009 2:38 PM in reply to Kristi
I'd have to laugh my ass off if Snowe is on board and Nelson is left out in the cold.
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CranialRectalLoopback
December 18, 2009 2:57 PM
Hey, I really don't this lump of shit, I mean coal, from Satanta Claws.
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