Reported by The Hill
Harry Reid threatens nuclear option to pass controversial health reform legislation.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) gave Republicans his most direct warning to date that he is prepared to use a procedural maneuver to pass healthcare reform with a simple majority.
Reid told Republicans that he would prefer to pass healthcare reform under regular order but warned that he would not hesitate to use budget reconciliation if the legislation stalled in committee. The Senate Finance Committee began marking up a sprawling healthcare reform bill on Tuesday morning.
“If we can’t work this out to do something within the committee structure, then we’ll be forced to do reconciliation,” said Reid, who said the tactic would be used as a “last resort.”
Reid then spelled out how healthcare would pass under budget reconciliation proceedings, giving his colleagues a clear picture of what they face if they fail to reach bipartisan agreement.
“On reconciliation, under the order, there’s only 20 hours of debate,” Reid explained. “There would be a free amendment process, which would take some time.
“We’ve done reconciliation on many, many different issues in recent years,” he said. “We’ve done it on a number of healthcare issues.”
Reid also reiterated his threat to cancel the weeklong Columbus Day recess scheduled to begin on Oct. 10, depending on the progress of healthcare reform.
“A lot depends on whether we’ll be able to keep that a whole week [of recess] when we get to the healthcare legislation. It is obvious [that if] we’re in the middle of healthcare, we can’t take a recess for a week.”
Reid also laid out the Senate schedule for the rest of the month. Lawmakers will take up an extension of highway funding authorization as well as a postal reform bill.
Reid hopes to finish the fiscal 2010 Interior appropriations bill this week and then move to the Defense appropriations bill “at the earliest possible date.”
He said Congress would also have to pass a continuing resolution funding government when the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30 “because we won’t be able to complete all of the appropriations bills prior to the end of the month.”
Chet: writing the headline in the first person voice implies Reid actually said the words you wrote. The headline – Reid threatens to use nuclear option to pass health care – would be more honest. As written – Reid to GOP: I will pass Health Bill with nuclear option – you have Reid speaking in the first person, as if he actually said those words. He did not. He said, “If we can’t work this out to do something within the committee structure, then we’ll be forced to do reconciliation.”
Hi PJ, glad to see you back as we always welcome your comments. However, your criticsm of the headline is off base. If you would like to engage in this debate, then I suggest you click on the link below, but I will summarize.
According to your observations, the AP article titled “Obama to the World: America can’t fix everything” would suggest that President Obama actually said “America can’t fix everything”, which is not the case, but it is the message that he delivered. Notice, there are no quotation marks? The same principle applies to my header that you are critiquing.
If you want to continue this argument, then I suggest you take it up with the Associated Press first. Now, I am not claiming to follow all their standards at all, because I am not. But let’s put it this way:
PJ to Chet: The AP is wrong
I am happy to debate the actual issues at hand, but picking apart the headline is a little petty, especially when you have not done your research first.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA?SITE=WVEC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Later
Please please please pass this Health Bill using your Nuclear Option! I say this because I am so ready to welcome the day, and it will come, when I can say, “No, the Democrats pushed this through even though America wasn’t cool with it. See, they know what is best for us as we are all simpleton racist hate-mongers and we meekly cling to our guns and our religion. Isn’t the Democratic Party just swell?”
The Dems have threatened and postured but they won’t squeeze this trigger. Why not? What are they afraid of happening? You already passed a 787 Billion, yes with a “B”, dollar Stimulus Package, without so much as a friendly, “So America, what do you think?”, so go ahead and cram this one down our throats.
In 2010, Congress will be getting an enema, which is appropriate, as they have done nothing but use our Constitution like toilet paper since Obama took power.
Long Live the Republic.
Chet:
No doubt – sensational headlines are nothing new, and you can find them everywhere.
In the case of the link you provided, at the time I followed it the headline read: “Obama to world: Don’t expect America to fix it all”. In my opinion this headline is not misleading, and it accurately conveys the President’s message. The headline did NOT change the focus of President Obama’s from “America” to “I”, the way your headline does (a bad version of the AP headline could have read, Obama to the world:Don’t expect ME to fix everything.) The AP headline also did NOT draw in inflammatory or misleading rhetoric to “spice it up” the way your headline does. (again, an even worse version of the AP headline could have read: Obama to the world: Go jump in a Lake, I can’t fix everything)
Your point about the difference between using quotes and not using quotes is a good one.
Here are some nice links: http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp http://www.spj.org/ethics.asp
Don:
There is no “Nuclear Option” here. This is just the Republican frame of the day, to make the congressional budgetary reconciliation process sound like an extreme measure. Budget Reconciliation is fairly common. President Bush and his Republican controlled congress used budget reconciliation to pass the Bush Tax cuts a few years back. Budget reconciliation follows the clear rules of the senate, and has been used 21 times since 1974.
The phrase “Nuclear Option” was coined by Republican Bill Frist in 2005. At the time, Senator Frist was proposing to change the rules of the senate, taking away the filibuster so that he could get some appointees confirmed. He later attempted to change the name to “Constitutional Option”, so that it would not sound so extreme.
To PJ:
Thanks for the history lesson, (I always enjoy learning new things), but my words remain unchanged. I sincerely hope the Democrats do pass their plan without the consent of the American people. It would only serve to reveal the current agendas of the progressives who have hijacked the Democratic Party, and their complete and blatant contempt for the common American person, and the American way of life.
(Yes, I do not really think the current heavy-weights in the Democratic Party fully represent the Dems at all. The people we have now making headlines are uber-liberals, not your normal, everyday Democrats.)
Don:
I think you are about to get your wish. As far as history lessons go, I am guessing that William Kristol had it right in the 90s when he tried to lead the Republican Party to midterm election victory by defeating Clinton’s health care reform. I also think he is right today, that stopping the current attempt at health care reform is a must for the Republican Party. I think he was right when he warned that passing legislation like this would, “revive the reputation of the party that spends and regulates, the Democrats, as the generous protector of middle-class interests.” Certainly, passage of Social Security in the 30s and Medicare in the 60s did NOT hurt the democrats.