It's the only scenario by which we could actually get this whole thing done before the New Year.

--A Senate Democratic aide

Bullshit.

A real, likely-to-actually-help-people bill could have been passed through reconciliation. Congressional Dems, however, lacked the guts to go that route, fearful that the media may not like it.

Instead, here we are, it's nearly New Years, and a minority party that voters historically rejected -- TWICE IN TWO YEARS -- is managing to still run our government for all intents and purposes. And that includes putting onerous and destructive amendment into any and every bill.

Our legislative system is stupid.

Sadly, the latest news is that many Dems will go along with replacing true Public Option with a managed private access like the Legislators have, and subject even that gruel to "opt out"! A majority, and they still have to grovel like that ... Just weaklings, or too much lobby money? What can we do?

The below VIDEO - Can We Save the World Economy - should be Required watching by every thinking person, so that we and future generations will never have to experience this theft again! Speakers: George Soros, Nouriel Roubini and Jeffrey Sachs, Director of Earth Institute

http://www.earth.columbia.edu/worldeconomy/

The conference vote is a chance for the House to exert at least some pressure on the direction of the bill. So if we do the pingpong thing then this will reduce the extent to which the final bill looks like the House version. No? I think if you gave basically anyone on the left the choice between "a bill which looks slightly closer to the House than the Senate version" and "a bill which passes this year" they'd pick the first.

Mark D: I don't think you've looked into this very much. "Reconciliation" has all kinds of insane problems, starting with a man you've never heard of named "Alan Frumin" who just happens to hold an obscure position called "Senate Parlimentarian" getting a line item veto over the whole bill. What I'd very much like to see investigated is the public option being broken off from the main bill and passed alone through reconciliation, and I don't know of any reason we couldn't do that, but passing the whole bill through reconciliation is incredibly dangerous and something that wouldn't and shouldn't be considered unless there were literally no other alternatives.

I agree with Mark D (above) except at this point, I have to wonder if it's lack of guts or just lack of genuine interest and concern. Bush's tax cut was reconciliation; why would they fear the media? That's all they have to say. Not enough of them really want to change healthcare; not enough of them really get how serious the problem is.

But they are politically stupid, too. The Democratic party had another New Deal opportunity this year to make the Congress Dem for a generation, but they have blown it. Their failure to understand what's going on for the people will cost them this political opportunity and will sadly cost America this opportunity to make needed changes.

Sagacity: Again, like Mike D you're talking about reconciliation because it's some cool thing you heard about on a blog but don't appear to have put into any effort into learning what it is or how it works. Bush's tax cut was a purely budgetary item; the reconciliation process is designed for use with budgetary items. Passing something like a tax cut through reconciliation is procedurally easier and less risky than passing a 2000-page health care reform bill.

Meanwhile, passing the Bush tax cuts through reconciliation came at a heavy cost for the Republicans. You know how you sometimes hear about the Bush tax cuts "expiring" or the Republicans pushing to have the Bush tax cuts "made permanent"? The only reason we hear about these things is the reconciliation process, because in order to satisfy one of the funny rules for when reconciliation can be used they had to put a 10-year sunset clause on the tax cuts. Fitting the health care bill into reconciliation would potentially require similar sunset clauses and other ugly changes.

Reconciliation is something to be avoided at all costs. The only reason the Bush Republicans used it was they literally had no alternative. The Democrats won't use it either unless it reaches the point that they literally have no alternative.

It's quite incredible to me that people are acting like this never happened before. Not only has it, but it happened THIS YEAR, on the credit-card bill. And House liberals ate a measure to allow guns in national parks.

http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/12/07/remember-the-words-ill-fix-it-when-it-gets-to-conference-committee/

This tactic might also confound Lieberman, who clearly intends to appear "in-play" until the last possible vote, then change parties and become the Republican "hero" who blocks it.

But I'm not sure I care about this bill anymore. Obama has missed his chance to define what needs to be done, and it might be better to waste another 5% of our GDP on the current private system until its collapse forces genuine change. Only a few million people will have to suffer; a small price to pay for our senators to preen about their "relevance".

I don't see how anything like where the Senate bill is heading could pass the House.

Census year coming up. Your posts show it in their caution. This one is a good example.

You're still one of the best writers, but you've become too careful. Watch it or you'll get stuck.

And here's what the health care DC insiders think:

Insurance industry insider: 'We win'

With the Senate shifting sharply away from a "pure public option," an insurance industry insider who has been deeply involved in the health care fight emails to declare victory.

"We WIN," the insider writes. "Administered by private insurance companies. No government funding. No government insurance competitor.”

Link here:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1209/Insurance_industry_insider_We_win.html

There should be a Mechanism put in place that Senators can be Recalled by the people in the states they are supposed to represent.... It is very disappointing to see the Power the Insurance Companies have on many senators in the Senate. There is not much we can do at this time but take what we can and cut our losses and not fail to remember Who those Senators were/are who care more for the Insurance Companies than the people they represent, and Vote them out come their turn to run again. There must be retribution for their failure to do what is right for the people. However, I do believe Sen Reid had the power to do a Reconciliation and I am disappointed that he did not have the Courage to take that road! They had a chance to do something Nobel, right and meaningful and because of a Few bad apples, the dream cannot be materialized. If we let them, the GOP and the Conserva-Dems will not only destroy the United States (guns and outsourcing jobs), they will destroy the world (climate change and love of wars). These enemies of the people are not Noble in otherwords -- they are not trustworthy, they are not lovers of humanity and they are the slaves of their cheating, deception and greed!

[Blackbird/Commenter on Alternet] "I live left the US about 7 years ago and live in Scandinavia. I have to say that socialized medicine is fantastic. Everyone gets treated, including nasty foreigners like myself. I love that I don't have to worry about it. The doctor is free, the hospital is free. Medicine is very cheap. My kids get free dental until they're 18. But even having to pay for dental is still pretty cheap. It's just great to not have to worry. It's too bad that americans are so easily frightened by words like socialism, because in reality, the whole idea is that everyone, regardless of their social or financial status, should have access to decent healthcare. I'm sure glad to live in a country which puts the welfare of its residents above the profits of industry. Socialized medicine works."

http://www.alternet.org/