Dem 'Centrists' Plot To Push Back On Obama Agenda

UPDATE 3/20: House Democrats are setting a September deadline for a compromise with Republicans on health care, the Washington Post reports. After that, they will use the budget reconciliation process to move forward without GOP votes.

After meeting late Wednesday with senior White House officials, House Democratic leaders decided to include the shortcut in the budget proposal they will unveil next week, congressional sources said.

Known as budget reconciliation, the shortcut would permit lawmakers to roll Obama's health-care proposals into a bill that cannot be filibustered, meaning Democrats could push it through the Senate with 51 votes, instead of the usual 60. Since Democrats control 58 seats in the Senate, they could approve a reconciliation bill without Republican votes or the support of some reluctant conservatives in their own party. [...]

The decision by the House would not prevent the parties from working cooperatively on health-care legislation, but merely provide a "fallback provision" in case Congress fails to pass legislation by the end of the August recess, a deadline chosen by House leaders, according to a source involved in making the decision.

* * * * *

Roll Call reports (subscription required) that a group of centrist Senate Democrats are working to block parts of President Obama's agenda. As Obama and Democratic leaders consider using a budget rule to bypass Republican filibusters, some in the party are not going along.

A bloc of Senate Democratic moderates is quietly maneuvering to keep open the option of vetoing two of President Barack Obama's most ambitious agenda items this year -- climate change and health care reform.

Eight Democrats who want to water down new climate change legislation have already joined with Republicans and signed a letter opposing any attempt to use fast-track budget rules to prevent filibusters. Many of the same Democrats also oppose using those budget rules to prevent filibusters of health care legislation.

Democrats aim to use a budget reconciliation rule to make some key proposals easier to pass. Under reconciliation, only 51 votes are needed to end debate and force a final vote, instead of 60.

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) are among the eight Democrats who signed the letter opposing reconciliation. Republicans are on their side, claiming the move would break Obama's bipartisan pledge.

"That's absolutely a concern of a lot of people," Lincoln said. "We need everyone in the room. It needs to be done in a bipartisan way."

Meanwhile, Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana announced the formation of a 15-person working group of moderate Senate Democrats on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Wednesday. He says they will focus on fiscal responsibility. Watch:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Comments

[jordan3189]

Stay behind, not smart to stay on a sinking ship!

[hackerblaster]

Soooooo, how many of you think the repubs will actually try and do some work now? Repubs, here is your chance to get on board the success train. Jump on or stay behind. Your choice.

[ArticleFriendly]

It's about time the dems got a backbone! The only way anything in Washington is going to be done in a bipartisan way is if the repubs start offering real solutions, but it's become obvious they only care about campaigning for the future by playing to their tinhat base.
They need to lead, follow or get out of the way so we can get the "change" promised (although, the last three months have been far better than any years of bushes terms!)

[AgeofReason]

I've seen no evidence yet of any kind of backbone, unless you count the Dems who are standing up to the Dems. I'd like to see a little more unity and cohesion among the Dems in the House and Senate. Let them display backbone when dealing with republicans.

[Colmore]

Two steps need to be taken ASAP. Print a list of political doners from the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, list who gave what to the politicians. Name Names!! Also, take away their "socialized medicine" paid for by taxpayers. Let them shop for healthcare, with pre-existing conditions. It could lower our taxes at a time we can least afford to pay them. Step 3 would be to end the pension plan they enjoy. We are paying generous pensions to people who never really worked much when in office. Robt. Packwood said he could not remember harrassing staffers, since he was "drunk most of the time" Now he gets a pension, and works as a lobbyist. They treat taxpayers like fools, because they get away with it.

[teacheng]

Starting to hate Evan Bayh.

[nomobull]

let him know. he deserves it.

[DRaymond]

She is giving them over half a year to come to the table with something constructive. If they can't do it by then they certainly qualify as obstructive and unwilling to pass anything. Seems to me that if that occurs they deserve to be bypasses.

[NWBrunette]

They already qualify as "obstructive", and they already "deserve to be bypassed". Hello! We gave them enough rope already. Its time for the you know what. Get a move on Dems.

[SouthFloridaDem]

They're not even trying if they can't come up with something in that time.

[24kgold]

That's right Nancy get that health care for all, we don't care what they say about you.

[freedomitchy]

Go for it, own it.

[lagumbo]

Nancy Pelosi, you go girl. And if Landrieu of La doesn't go along with the PRESIDENT, she will never be elected to anything else in LA. I live in Louisiana and the majority of people who voted Landrieu in are watching her closely. If she doesn't support THE PRESIDENT she will be out on her ears. The democrats of Louisiana don't forget easily.

[Rule Of Law]

This procedure has existed for how long now, and this is the first time we hear about our guys being willing to use it?

[sarabono]

Why doesn't Obama propose the existing Medicare Plan & the existing Medicare Drug Plan for Everyone?

We have 40 years of experience with Medicare. It works. It is understood. The systems are in place to administer it. It provides a very good level of care. It provides a high level of choice. Private supplemental Insurance to cover expenses not covered by Medicare is readily available from multiple vendors and is relatively inexpensive.

The Medicare Drug Plan instituted by Bush two years ago works very very well. It provides a high level of vendor choice and competition, very good coverage, and is also relatively inexpensive.

Why do we always have to reinvent the wheel all the time? Why turn this into a huge political battle?

[freedomitchy]

Some of us prefer individual liberty and freedom.

[sarabono]

I and my wife have been on Medicare A&B and the voluntary Part D drug plans for two years.

Same doctors & hospitals as we had under our Group Plan. Same services available.
Less hassle and less paperwork.

[hardlyhikin]

Liberty to pay 31% of your insurance premium for administrative costs and profit? Freedom to accept double digit increases in your premiums each year? Go for it!

[Tommygun264]

You don't have to take it, moneybags.

[joebloe]

Democrats can pass health care reform and Republicans don't have to take any credit for it.

I'm OK with that.
I don't understand why business is not behind comprehensive health care reform as they are the ones being drowned by these parasitic health insurance companies.

[24kgold]

Businesses are involved, they attended the health care summit with Obama.

[ChiGuy]

Even McCain admits that in this case, what goes around will likely come around, and that Republicans deserve it.

[Car84]

I think back to when the Republicans had control, and were timid about exercising power. The question at that time was whether, if the shoe was on the other foot, the Democrats would do the same. Well, obviously, we have an answer. They'll use the nuclear option in order to destroy the health care system that has created the embarrassment of riches (miracle drugs, an attitude that nobody should ever die of anything anymore) that U S capitalism has created.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Senator Kennedy isn't going to Cuba or Canada or France for his treatments, is he?

When people decide (and it is mostly a choice) to be able to afford health care coverage, as opposed to another kid or two, or unnecessary luxuries, we'll be in much better shape as a nation. But it's so much easier to crab about what we make a conscious choice not to afford, and to bash and endanger the greatest incubator of health care advances ever known to man.

[instarx]

What specious logic. I have worked and paid taxes all my life. Now however, I don't have health insurance because I can't afford it. It is in NO WAY a choice. Also, a relative, through no fault of her own, had parents who both had diabetes and so cannot get health insurance at any price. There is no choice for her. Your idea that it is somehow a choice is just a salve for your own greed and parsimony.

You apparently want to blame the victims. I have been well-off most of my life, but I am observant enough to know that NO ONE works harder than the poor. Millions have to support their families on multiple low-paying jobs with no benefits, working long hours.

You are apparently blind to anything but the talking points you have been fed that maximize the profits of the insurance companies at the expense of both the individuals and taxpayers.

[MargaretO]

You are rare. A well off person recognizing that the poor do work hard. Thank you for posting. I agree, entirely.

[carolinecantoo]

I hear you. Thank you for noticing all my hard work.

[hardlyhikin]

Except for the part about "being well-off for most of my life", you could have written that for me; and I agree with you 100%. There are so many people in this country just barely getting by no matter how hard they work or how hard they try, it's really sad and disgraceful.

It doesn't matter whether somebody is busing tables at a restaurant, picking up your garbage or is "just a sales clerk", everybody deserves respect and compassion. It's not that people are lazy either, I know many well educated hard working people who have seen their standard of living fall significantly over the past three decades.

I've owned my own business for 30 years and am having a tough time trying to figure out how to retire, I'm now on medicare with a supplemental health care policy so insurance is no longer MUCH of an issue with me (just for the record, Medicare costs about $95 - $100/month and the supplemental costs almost $150/month, that's for me, the wife pays the same) that's still almost $500/month! The good part is everything is covered.

That was kind of a sidebar, the issue I was trying to concur with is that even though I've been self employed, I've really learned over the years to respect every worker's efforts from the bottom up. We're all in this together.

[PenFighter]

Sure, blame the victim. It's the Conservative way.

Here's my story: I've been self-employed since 1988, in IT. When I left my last "job", I took my HMO insurance with me under COBRA. From then through 2001, my premiums were $179/mo. When the tech bubble burst and all the newly unemployed techies poured into the contract tech market, finding enough work to fill it became harder and harder. I'm self-employed, so I've never appeared on the unemployment roles, though i have been at least underemployed ever since.

As my age has gone up, employment offering health insurance has dried up. Companies see you're over 50, and whether it's legal or not, find reasons not to add you to their company's health care plan by not hiring you. Meanwhile, my monthly health care costs have risen from $179/mo, to $795/mo, in EIGHT years, while all the time falling back down through plans to higher deductibles and copays. And I'm remarkably healthy. I've never used my health insurance in all those years for anything major... barely for anything at all. I'm pure profit for them. Now I might actually NEED my health insurance and I can't afford it any more.

So sure. Blame me.

[pharm]

Over half the people in this country make $35,000 or less, they cannot pay $8000 for a health care plan. Every day sick people are denied care because they can`t pay, that is a disgrace in the richest country in the world! "an attitude that nobody should ever die of anything anymore," our youngest citizens death rate is about 27th in the world because they get no pre-natal or preventative care because of exorbitant costs. It is a proven fact that preventative care is cheaper than "after the diagnosis" care, but people can`t afford to exercise that option. Those "timid" Republicans seemed to get everything they wanted for the last eight years, by any method they chose. Obama`s health plan has been priced at $1.5 trillion over 10 years, half of what the illegal, immoral war in Iraq in 6 years!

[dcjdjay]

You're talking nonsense.

First of all, much of our miracle drugs and the fundamental research that created them were born in the incubator of the NIH, NCI, or under federal grants given to research universities, state and private. The federal government, under the largesse of the Bayh-Dole Act, transfers the IP rights to many of these drugs to the pharma companies who choose to develop them.

As for Sen. Kennedy, why should he go to Cuba or France. He never said that Cuba or France have better healthcare than we do. But they do provide healthcare to all their citizens, poor or rich. The good Senator can afford the best there is. At least he has the decency to want those less fortunate to also have access to health care. Any health care.

[Tommygun264]

You're trying to be ironic, right? Some kind of sarcastic joke?

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

Health care legislation doesn't have to be done in a bipartisan way.We've seen the Republicans fight tooth and nail to deprive millions of people of universal health care and they are no doubt responsible for the death of millions of uninsured.­They don't deserve any input and would only work towards watering any plan down.Their whole basis for living is greed and how they can make a dollar off anything,even peoples misery.Whe­re would our seniors be right now if Social Security had been privatized by the GOP?

[sarabono]

Seniors like Medicare and the Medicare Drug program started by Bush. I have yet to talk with anyone that doesn't like both programs.

Me and my wife have been on both for two years.

[instarx]

Then you don't get out much do you?

Although it is better than it was for most people -it is still not good. The huge donut hole causes my neighbors and some of my relatives to have to pay thousands of dollars a year for their drugs out of their own pocket. The part D plans cost them hundreds a month and prices go up every year. These private supplemental policies costs the government more than they give in benefits to citizens and the insurance companies pocket the difference! How stupid is it to require the government to pay more for drugs than the VA pays, or if individuals could buy them from Canadian pharmacies?

[hardlyhikin]

Part D is an unmitigated disaster! It REALLY needs to be revisited in the upcoming health care discussion. It's not much more than a "Big Pharma Enrichment Scheme" designed for Big Pharma by the Republican administration touting it as a sop to the common people. It's a gold mine all right. Big Pharma gets the gold, we get the shaft.

[instarx]

Republicans also fought tooth and nail against Social Security. They cried that it was socialist and would be the end of the Republic. Well it turned into the most successful and popular program in the history of the nation - providing care and self-respect to hundreds of millions of retired Americans over the years.

Ok Democrats - that's the lesson: get busy and pass a Universal Health Care program. Ignore the Republican doom-sayers and do what is right for the country and Americans. We will be a stronger country for it.