Posted on 03/05/2010 10:11:21 AM PST by Free ThinkerNY
ABC News' Zachary B. Wolf reports: The man who wrote Senate reconciliation rules now says Democrats can use the procedure for health reform as long as the Senate-passed bill is used as the basis.
Reconciliation is the arcane parliamentary maneuver Democrats will use to pass a buffet of fix-its for their health reform bill with only 51 votes. He had opposed the maneuver to pass the bill to begin with. And Republicans often cite “the Byrd Rule” – named for Byrd – which says reconciliation shouldn’t be used for policy matters.
But in a letter to the Charleston Daily Mail, the 92 year-old, rarely seen-these-days Senator says reconciliation can be used to “find savings” and fix the Senate reform bill.
He says the bill already passed the Senate by a 60-vote supermajority, so it does not need to again.
So it sounds like Byrd doesn’t like the idea of using reconciliation to change policy in the Senate bill, but he does endorse using it to work toward reducing the deficit. It is a little unclear how that Democrats will sell the fix-its as savings since all indications are that the tweaks proposed by President Obama could make the bill more expensive. A final cost estimate from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has not yet been released.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.abcnews.com ...
Back when he had all his faculties, he was quite clear on the fact that reconciliation could not be used this way. Now that Harry Reid writes his sentences for him, he’s changed his mind.
Selling your soul to the devil Bayh?
Actually, the question mark is superfluous.
He already has sold his soul to the devil.
Senator Byrd will be joining his buddy Teddy in Hell pretty soon, I would imagine....
You don’t take a republic to communism with only 51 votes ***hole! Even a braindead old KKKer should understand that.
I bet you can use it to ban West Virginia coal.
Illegal bill, to passed illegally.
Sounds like the definition of a banana republic.
“You know you have your white niggers also”
Can Byrd even pronounce reconciliation these days?
He’s clinically dead. His staff wheels him in and casts the actual votes.
He tries, but it comes out sounding like the n-word.
I would expect that to continue long after his flesh decays from his bones.
LOL - ouch!
Harry Reid was seen a few months ago walking out of a DC taxidermist..I want proof that Sheets is still with us..
Oh, FGS! I do apologize for sounding so disrespectful of any senior citizen but, Senator Byrd has become stupefyingly incoherrant. Most of the time appears to be nearly comatose. How dare anyone try to tell us that he actually has a clue as to what is happening around him much less articulate an opinion.
What is Obama holding over Byrd????
Here’s another interesting thought...If Sheets is indeed called to meet his maker soon, the Dem Gov of WV will appoint a replacement..obviously a Dem..but the election for the unexpired part of the current term will be held this Novemeber, and in this political climate..there’s a really good chance the GOP could pick it up....keep an eye on it..
BS
The media blitz is on........all over the news, Democrats telling us why it will be good for us to surrender to government takeover of healthcare....and rationing in front of death panels, er, ‘advisory boards...
Keep calling and contacting your Reps saying NO
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