• Please be sure to read the rules and adhere to them. Some banned members have complained that they are not spammers. But they spammed us. Some even tried to redirect our members to other forums. Duh. Be smart. Read the rules and adhere to them and we will all get along just fine. Cheers. :beer: Link to the rules: https://www.forumsforums.com/threads/forum-rules-info.2974/

Dick Morris says dem will try an end around

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Highly informed sources on Capitol Hill have revealed to me details of the Democratic plan to sneak Obamacare through Congress, despite collapsing public approval for healthcare "reform" and disintegrating congressional support in the wake of Republican Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts.

President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid all have agreed to the basic framework of the plan.

Their plan is clever but can be stopped if opponents of radical healthcare reform act quickly and focus on a core group of 23 Democratic Congressman. If just a few of these 23 Democrats are "flipped" and decide to oppose the bill, the whole Obama-Pelosi-Reid stratagem falls apart.

Here's what I learned top Democrats are planning to implement.

Senate Democrats will go to the House with a two-part deal.

First, the House will pass the Senate's Obamacare bill that passed the Senate in December. The House leadership will vote on the Senate bill, and Pelosi will allow no amendments or modifications to the Senate bill.

How will Pelosi's deal fly with rambunctious liberal members of her majority who don't like the Senate bill, especially its failure to include a public option, put heavy fines on those who don't get insurance, and offering no income tax surcharge on the "rich"?

That's where the second part of the Pelosi-deal comes in.

Behind closed doors, Reid and Pelosi have agreed in principle that changes to the Senate bill will be made to satisfy liberal House members -- but only after the Senate bill is passed and signed into law by Obama.

This deal will be secured by a pledge from Reid and the Senate's Democratic caucus that they will make "fixes" to the Senate bill after it becomes law with Obama's John Hancock.

But you may ask what about the fact that, without Republican Scott Brown and independent Democrats such as Joe Lieberman, Reid simply doesn't have the 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a Republican filibuster that typically can stop major legislation?

According to my source, Reid will provide to Pelosi a letter signed by 52 Democratic senators indicating they will pass the major changes, or "fixes," the House Democrats are demanding. Again, these fixes will be approved by the Senate only after Obama signs the Senate bill into law.

Reid also has agreed to bypass Senate cloture and filibuster rules and claim that these modifications fall under "reconciliation" and don't require 60 Senate votes.

To pass the fixes, he won't need one Republican; he won't even need Joe Lieberman or wavering Democrats such as Jim Webb of Virginia.

His 52 pledged senators give him a simple majority to pass any changes they want, which will later be rubberstamped by Pelosi's House and signed by Obama.

This plan, of course, is a total subversion of the legislative process.

Typically, the Senate and House pass their own unique legislation and then both bills go to a conference committee. In conference, the leadership of both Democrat-dominated houses wheels and deals and irons out differences.

The final compromise bill is then sent back to the full Senate and full House for a vote and has to pass both to go to the president.

In the House, a simple majority passes the legislation. But under Senate rules, major legislation requires 60 votes to end a filibuster.

As it stands, the House bill and Senate bill have major discrepancies. Reid does not have 60 votes to pass a compromise bill that would no doubt include some of the radical provisions House members have been demanding.

But if the House passes the exact Senate bill that passed by a 60-39 Senate vote last month, there is no need for a conference on the bill. It will go directly to the president's desk.

There is a rub to all of this.

This secret plan being hatched by Pelosi and Reid requires not only a pledge by 52 Democratic senators to vote later for the House modifications. House liberals must actually believe these Senators will live up to their pledge and pass the fixes at some future date.

A Senate source cautions: "Senators more than House members and both more than ordinary people, lie."

Still, my Senate source and others in Washington believe that the liberals in the House, grasping at straws after the stunning Massachusetts defeat, will go along with the Reid-Pelosi plan to bypass a conference bill and ultimately will vote for the Senate version without changes.

Among the key "fixes" House liberals are demanding the Senate pass in reconciliation at some later date include a "carve out" for unions from the "Cadillac policy" insurance tax. The Senate plan funds their healthcare plan by heavy taxes on so-called "Cadillac" insurance plans that provide those insured with exceptionally good coverage including almost unlimited health access with little or no co-payments. The Senate's view was that rich people have such plans and should be taxed for them to pay the less fortunate.

But many unions have Cadillac plans for their members, and they are furious their members will be hit with the Senate tax. The unions have told their minions in the House to oppose the Senate Cadillac plan tax.

House liberals also are requiring a fix that increases fines for those who flout the law and don't buy health insurance (the Pelosi-passed plan includes criminal penalties, including possible jail time if a person doesn't purchase insurance). Another fix will raise subsidies for low-income families seeking to buy insurance.

In the original House bill that passed, healthcare expansion costs would have been paid for by an income tax surcharge on the "rich." House liberals are pushing for that fix as well.
[/FONT]
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I 'thought' the vote in Massachusetts clearly sent out a message to Washington that the people do not want this monstrosity of a health care bill rushed through.

Obama said they would not try to force through the current bills. I know he has lied before but to be this blatant about it would be political suicide. Why do these folks feel the urge to ram it down our throats. The message has been strong and clear against what they are doing, yet they want to proceed. Pelosi rules like an evil queen. She must have her way. I hope the people of California send her her walking papers.
 

joec

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
Please consider the source of this, Dick Morris. He says a lot of stuff with unnamed sources as usual. I've not heard anything from anyone in government other than the Senate bill won't pass the house period. Now they may break it up and start all over again over the next year but I seriously doubt that too. In my opinion this is now a dead issue with the conservatives taking over the senate and perhaps the house next time. Health care is pretty much dead in our life time.
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
I don't think Pelosi will let it go that easy. She will do all the arm twisting and bribing she can to force something through. They got it this far with a bunch of con jobs and I don't think they will let it go that easy. I hope you are right.
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Pelosi was on a Fox broadcast tonight saying healthcare is far from finished. Watch and see what games they play!
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
I don't think Pelosi will let it go that easy. She will do all the arm twisting and bribing she can to force something through. They got it this far with a bunch of con jobs and I don't think they will let it go that easy. I hope you are right.

Yep ! I am afraid you may be right !I would not trust that bitch as far as I could throw her.:sad:
 

waybomb

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
If'n ya threw her off the Hancock, would you trust her less or more?
 

ghautz

Bronze Member
Site Supporter
I don't think Pelosi will let it go that easy. She will do all the arm twisting and bribing she can to force something through. They got it this far with a bunch of con jobs and I don't think they will let it go that easy. I hope you are right.

I got a recorded phone call a few minutes ago asking that I tell my representative that I favor efforts to pass the health care reform. They even offered to connect me directly to her office if I pressed "1." Sounds like they aren't through yet.
 
Top