TPMDC
After Caucus Meeting, House Dems Still Don't Have A Plan
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
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House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer confirms that in the House Democrats' caucus meeting this morning, lawmakers did not discuss any detailed plans or options for how to move forward with health care reform.
Hoyer said members instead laid out their concerns and offered suggestions.
With Republican Scott Brown's Senate win Tuesday night, Senate Democrats lost their filibuster-proof majority -- and their plan to merge the House and Senate bills and vote on the resulting bill in both houses.
But they still hold majorities in both houses. They have several options, as reported by TPMDC: They can pass the Senate bill word for word in the House and then tinker with it using budget reconciliation; they can try to get the support of a Republican in the Senate; or they can break the bill into smaller pieces in the hopes of getting bipartisan support.
But it looks like Democratic leadership has not yet forged a plan.
Reporting by Evan McMorris-Santoro
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ottis
January 21, 2010 11:16 AM
My Gosh, they are afraid to talk about the deal!
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Maritza
January 21, 2010 11:20 AM
Where is Rahmbo when you need him. Rahmbo needs to tell the House to just pass the Senate bill and do the tinkering via reconciliation.
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Ethan
January 21, 2010 12:06 PM in reply to Maritza
I never thought I'd say this, but "Help us, Rahm!"
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Ethan
January 21, 2010 12:07 PM in reply to Ethan
lol, just being funny.
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
January 21, 2010 11:20 AM
Well, we've moved from the panic and cowering on camera stage to the expressing concerns and making sure every voice is heard and every damnfool impossibility is aired stage. That's great. We're officially on the torturous Democrat Road that eventually will end with "doing what everyone with the I.Q. of a newt should have already figured out will have to be done."
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Elizabeth2
January 21, 2010 11:46 AM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
"doing what everyone with the I.Q. of a newt should have already figured out will have to be done."
If they actually arrive at that point, I may be able to forgive the awkwarness and dizzying path to geting there. But not too convinced they make it.
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geofu54
January 21, 2010 11:20 AM
Just pass the goddamn bill!
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Kristin126
January 21, 2010 11:26 AM
Christ. Why did we elect these people again?
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Walter Mitty
January 21, 2010 11:28 AM
A bunch of chicken shit cowards who deserve what they get in November.
Time for term limits. Life time politicians are all about staying elected and not making any real decisions.
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northernMNer
January 21, 2010 11:51 AM in reply to Walter Mitty
It is amazing to see how quickly they forget the bloodbath that happens when you betray your base. Give some time; they will get it around Nov. 3, 2010.
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Juble
January 21, 2010 11:31 AM
Well folks sooner or later we all are going to realize
that the Dem leadership is just plain incompetent.
Campaigning and Governing are 2 different things.
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Elizabeth2
January 21, 2010 11:42 AM in reply to Juble
Yeah ...... but we **already** figured that out about the Republicans. So where does that leave us? (Rhetorical question - I really don't think I want to hear the answer.)
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Viva!America!
January 21, 2010 11:32 AM
In other words, they spent the entire meeting pointing fingers.
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
January 21, 2010 11:40 AM in reply to Viva!America!
Not at all. I'm sure a great deal of time was also set aside for listening to self-justification and brilliant schemes for accomplishing the politically impossible.
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Khyber900
January 21, 2010 11:33 AM
They had better pass the Senate bill, verbatim. That's the only option. Obama had better weigh in, because right now he's making me regret that we didn't elect Hillary. I hate to say that, but I have little doubt that her approach to handling legislative issues would be a lot clearer.
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Elizabeth2
January 21, 2010 11:44 AM in reply to Khyber900
It was (see, 1993). At least we are closer and not entirely dead yet.
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stillidealistic
January 21, 2010 11:55 AM in reply to Elizabeth2
God, lizII...are you getting as tired of saying "at least" as I am? I wish they would just grow a collective pair and get this done! Passing the Senate bill and fixing it with reconciliation sounds like the boldest move they could make right now, and I'm up for a bold move.
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martingauthier
January 21, 2010 12:41 PM
WHAT!?!?! Dems are in the MAJORITY in the Senate? That's news to me. I mean, I thought 59 was bigger than 41, but the news kept implying this did not constitute a majority. When I checked in on the "majority" party's direct comments, though, they confirmed it.
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agio
January 21, 2010 1:04 PM in reply to martingauthier
Legally speaking they have a majority. Morally speaking, they have the responsibility to exercise their majority.
But apparently it is "mathematically impossible" for them to govern without Republicans saying it is ok.
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Jackster
January 21, 2010 2:00 PM
"But it looks like Democratic leadership has not yet forged a plan." Boy that's news! No plan, what a huge surprise. They couldn't plan their way out of a paper bag for sh#t;s sake.
Maybe they need to plan to do their jobs and quite the foking whining. If this doesn't wake someone up there needs to be some house, (and Senate) cleaning. Primary challengers for incumbents.
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Max Thrax
January 21, 2010 2:23 PM
"Christ. Why did we elect these people again? "
Because the Green Party has no chance at winning and the Democrat Party does have a chance at winning....just no chance of getting anything done. At this point, you voting for the Democrats is like me rooting for the NY Giants, it's great when they win, but it doesn't affect my life at all really. Maybe the Green Party has no chance at winning, but you'll feel better about yourself and there's almost zero chance of the bitter aftertaste your experiencing now.
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