Pelosi Aide Calls Democratic Plan to Pass Health Care Bill "A Trick"

[CARLHAYDEN]

From The Atlantic:

Pelosi Aide Calls Democratic Plan to Pass Health Care Bill "A Trick"

While everyone else is wondering how Obama could possibly have thought it a good idea to praise bankers, I'll be pondering this gem from Nancy Pelosi's top health care aide:

"In comments reported by Congress Daily, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's top health care aide Wendell Primus admitted top Democrats have already decided on the strategy to pass the Senate's pro-abortion, government-run health care bill.

"Primus explained that the Senate will use the controversial reconciliation strategy that will have the House approve the Senate bill and both the House and Senate okaying changes to the bill that the Senate will sign off on by preventing Republicans from filibustering.

"'The trick in all of this is that the president would have to sign the Senate bill first, then the reconciliation bill second, and the reconciliation bill would trump the Senate bill,' Primus said at the National Health Policy Conference hosted by Academy Health and Health Affairs.

"'There's a certain skill, there's a trick, but I think we'll get it done,' he said."

What on earth possessed him to refer to budget reconciliation as a trick?  If they run the bill through this way, this is going to be the lead-in to every Republican ad between now and the election.

[CARLHAYDEN]

Well, it was Primus' quote, not Pelosi's.  But yeah, it's stupid to call it a "trick."  Bush used budget reconcilliation five times during his presidency to get bills passed.

And if Republicans want to run campaign ads against the bill's passage, they should go ahead and do that.  Nobody will care about process in November for a bill passed in March, and the Republicans will be running ads against the Democratic party insisting on health care coverage for everyone.  Campaign against guarenteed issue...be my guest.      

Oh, then are you disagreeing with Obama that public opposition to the bill is largely a reaction to 'the process'?  

And what makes you think that the Senate bill will pass the House?

A couple of the members of the House who voted for the House bill last year have left the House (one by resignation and one by death).

As the Senate bill does not have the House bill's prohibition on funding of abortion, three members who voted for the House bill last year are on record as stating the will vote against the Senate bill.

Finally, a number of members of the House who voted for the bill last year have publicly expressed reluctance (to put it moderately) to vote for the Senate bill.  

Remember. the Roll Call vote (No.887) on HR 3965 was 220 to 115.