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.

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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

[HWNA]

They better follow through on this thing and whip up the votes for it to pass, because there is no way in hell the Republicans are going to cooperate. Any Democrat who opposes it should be targeted for challenge in their next primary, as well.

[ElkoJohn]

stop with to Obama worship
''Deficits Don't Matter'' will crush our grandchildren

[marchamlin]

So will health care costs.

[chitown8]

Cheney stated that no Obama.

"crush our grandchildren"

What is the point of this you don't want you kids worried about taxes but health care worry on.

I will say this like I have been saying for week now if I can't feed my kids today their will be no grand kids in the future. Allow the President to work at getting this country back on track.

Remember the only president to balance the budget was Jackson .

[Rogan]

The lack of a health care system that works, has ALREADY crushed ME, and my mother, too. I won't be around to SEE my grandchildren, if they don't fix it. (I haven't seen my daughter in several years, because I can't afford to travel to go see her, because I spend all my money on medicines and treatments­.)

[rabiddog6708]

It was Cheney and the Repubs who said "deficits did not matter" as Bu$h accumulated more debt than all other US Presidents put together. Get a grip on reality, too/.

[theone718]

Wow, Dems are.......­..........­.SHOWING A BACKBONE. HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN!


This pretty much gurantees a health care bill will be passed this year. How exciting.

[Buffyboy]

Why wait until September?

[Rogan]

To give the Republicans one last chance to do the jobs they were elected to do, instead of doing the jobs their big corporate contributors paid them to do.

[longtalldrink]

And to give everyone a nice Spring and Summer vacation. : - (

[instarx]

Gotta give the Republicans time to do nothing. If it were on a faster track they would complain that they weren't given enough time by the nasty Democrats.

Make no mistake - the Republicans have been backed into a corner by this announcement by Pelosi. They now have the choice of doing what they will never do - cooperate on health care reform, or do nothing. Even McCain says it - the Republicans brought this on themselves, and they deserve it.

[Whinger]

Scary Woman!

[ffejretsof]

Once again it all comes down to money. These supposed centrists are not centrists at all but Dem's beholden to big money interests just like every other scallywag who is a congress person or senator. People, we have to get money out of the political process if this country is to succeed.

[Sloane7]

Way to go Nancy, show them how it's done. We need Universal Healthcare and we cannot waste time making it happen.

[Paisano]

Ask them for their plan...but tell them up front... we're STILL going to use the budget rule... We want your ideas... but we'll pass it with you...or without you...

[marlovian]

One humble request: when the word "Dem" is used in a headline, would it be possible to insert a picture of someone or something instead of Nancy for the next four or eight years?

[Mnemanth]

Wow! My thoughts exactly! Thank you.
The former GOP right-hand-woman/ enabler had quite enough press during the Bush years. Her posturing now is ridiculous at best.

[barackobama4prez]

she's the 3rd most important person/democrat in the nation.

[Boneszy]

Sure lets rewrite I dunno about 25% of our economy by September and lets make sure we cover illegal immigrants too. Heck lets go ahead and give the illegals social security too since they paid into it for so long. O and lets implement a cap-n-trade bill to make sure we can stop global warming or climate change, whatever its called now if it even exists. That all makes sense to do in a recession can't waste this economic crisis. O and lets pass a bill to recover a few million from AIG while congress gives billions away left and right.

Lets also let the politicians act like they give a flying F@$# about us.

I am gonna go ahead a call a fire truck over to the treasury cause I think the printing press has caught on fire from being used 24/7 to make money.

[clarryr]

Too bad we don't have 8 years of the Republican improvements to health care to work.
Had they taken on this problem in the natural course of things, not blocked President Clinton's attempts to reform healthcare, it wouldn't be a crisis today. You can't use their inaction as an excuse to delay action now.

[Dan111]

Outrageous. These "moderate Democrat" senators aren't making any sense. I don't agree with some of Obama's agenda, such as the bank bailouts. Feel free to oppose those all you want. However, opposing HEALTH CARE REFORM??? If they don't want to achieve health care reform or deal with climate change (core Democratic policies), and yet they call themselves Democrats (meaning presumably they don't agree with Republican policies either), what exactly do they actually want to get done?

This is the problem I have with centrism. Centrists typically just want to avoid any sort of political heat, so they don't do anything that offends anyone, don't do anything even the slightest bit controversial, and thus they never get anything done. I wouldn't be surprised if Bill Clinton is working with Evan Bayh to block health care reform. Bill Clinton does not want Obama succeeding at health care reform where he was not able to, that's for sure.

[knowhelpnow]

The so call 15 centrist Democrats in the Senator are the peoples worst enemy we knew about the Repugs but these undercover Repugs are sick, we have put up with the Repugs for so long with there agenda and now these so called Dem's want to keep us from getting this mess cleaned up from getting the social reforms instituted in this country.
I don't care what they call themselves they are puke, a snakes under belly, the killer of the masses. The Repug's have used the filibuster for everything connected with social reform and the Dem's now have the nuclear weapon to use and these 15 sick mfer's are going to screw the people again. We will never get universal health care or anything done because of this group siding with the Repugs the people should revolt; in mass weld our government what we want and with these 15 Dem's we will never get it. This are the sickest people I have ever heard of they eat their own.For the first after FDR we have a chance to change history and to start taking care of our own put regulation in place and give the masses a fighting chance,a revolt against Congress and all these spineless cretins. The next election if there is one these spineless better run as Repugs because they will never get elected by the people again as a Democrat they are like the Repug's are not listing to the people.

[sc300nc]

Thank God for those centrist Democrats.­...this country needs more of them.

[marxmarv]

Except that what they call "centrist" is well to the right of absolute center.

[patricksmom]

No the country needs more progressive reformers. We'ill replace these "democrats" with the real thing.

[Ucan2]

Centrist Dem = Weaken legislation
Watered down bills
Loop holes in Regulations (Corporate Tax Havens)
(Wall Street crookery)


THE CENTRIST DEMS HELPED CREATE THE BILLS, REGULATIONS AND LAWS THAT HELPED LEAD US TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY!

[Carol06095]

The interesting part about health care reform is that the government wants to provide healthcare to everyone but the veterans. Why would the President wanted (has since backed down) private health carriers to provide coverage for veterans but now we're passing a health care reform bill to provide coverage to everyone. Somewhere I'm missing something. I don't think you can have it both ways.

[XLintLuvR]

It's another one of those non starters. Remember that the pres brought everyone to the table. Someone brought that up as an option. The veteran's groups let the pres know what they thought about that immediately. It wasn't even seriously taken into consideration.

[clarryr]

There is nothing wrong with looking for ways to improve the system and save some money.
There was an idea floated that was rejected, nothing more.
Of course, you are misrepresenting the Presidents stand on health care to make him look inconsistent.
He hasn't asked for the government to provide health care for everyone as you suggest, let alone, everyone but the veterans. He is asking for government coverage of those that don't have private insurance.
You did miss something, sorry you didn't understand it the first 100 times it was explained.

[patricksmom]

Hey Caroltroll;
The president has backed down on the veteran's insurance thing. When one is working on such a mess and considering all kinds of ideas some are bound not to be so good. Unlike the last incompetent incumbent this President knows when he has made a mistake.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

I can tell many people are reading this wrong. Pelosi wants to pass health care reform before September but if Republicans block it with the 60 cloture rule she will use the budget process to get around the cloture rule. Speaker Pelosi is the real leader in congress she is even leading Reid by the nose now.

[24kgold]

I understand, they are gonna push it through anyway with or without their support.

[knowhelpnow]

Pelosi is in the House these creeps are in the Senate, they may pass it in the House but these
in the senate will vote with the Repugs and stop every social reform or water them down to nothing. I'm sick of the saying of bipartisanship it only counts when the Dem's are in control you didn't see it with the Repugs did we.

[clarryr]

I think the point is Pelosi can pass the bill in the house and label it as a budget amendment that doesn't need 60 votes in the senate - just 51.

[Obamasoldier]

GOOD. I love how Nancy tricked the Rethugs into voting for a tax increase
CANTOR IS NOW TOAST

[24kgold]

Me too, she's no joke that is why the Republicans talk about her all the time.

[dcole61]

NANCY, don't give the Repugnitans any time, YOU HAVE THE MAJORITY, use it!

[instarx]

No, give them until September. That forces Boehner and the Republicans to be center stage for months and months vocally opposing health care for Americans while keeping their own generous Congressional health benefits. It will mean many, many more Republican losses in 2010. It is a brilliant strategic move by Pelosi and Reid.