Health Care Act, a republican filibuster, and 60 votes... No one goes under the bus!

I am hoping strong constitutionalists who understand the exact working of how a bill gets passed in the senate will check in with this also.

Here is the corker. I like many, had thought that 50 plus would get us our Health Bill. If the republicans want to hide under the desk while we released the nuclear option.. so be it.

Now, listening to the talking heads.. This scenario has come up. If the Republicans filibuster in the senate it will take 60 votes to pass it.

That means we need blue dogs and all other ships at sea.

From the sounds of Grassley and Snowe we are going to get a filibuster.

We can't be throwing anyone under the bus..we are going to need them all.

Edit to add.. Thank you everyone for the input.. It cleared up a LOT of misconceptions on my part.. back to work for this one..

The first time the blue dogs enable a filibuster, will be the last time they enable a filibuster.

Republicans have been filibustering every bill since 2006. I mean the filibuster is used by everyone but it has taken a 4 fold spike since 06.

Ed keeps railing for the 50 plus VP vote =51.. well if they filibuster we will need 60. No wonder the President is on a 24/7 charm offensive with them.

But we have to pressure the dogs..

No public option...NO bill!!!

PO is a part of it, not the only part.. Reform is a part of it.. not the only part.. but honestly I do not see any of it standing alone.

it will be game over.

Baucus, Bayh and those types will be most in jeopardy.

If you do not pass the bill, in some form, then it dies in Senate. Pass a watered down version of the bill, then, in the budget reconciliation process(where no filibusters are allowed), the bill gets toughened up again, and all we need is a simple majority (51 votes) to pass the damn bill.

Here's a rather convuluted Wikipedia article on the process:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconciliation_(U.S._Congress)

BushCo used the same process to push through multiple tax cuts, and tried to use it to slam through drilling in ANWR.

They could put the Public Option in there, and pass it with 50 Senators plus VP Joe Biden.

Passing regulations of the insurance industry would take 60 votes if there is a filibuster.

So getting the current House bill through the Senate would probably require dividing the bill in two in the Senate.

We need 60 votes to break the procedural maneuver of the filibuster. Frankly, any Democrat who would thwart their President's wishes through such a maneuver should immediately be stripped of all seniority on all committees on which they serve.

They can vote any way their conscience (if any) dictates on the actual bill. But if they vote against cloture then the hell with them...down to the last one.

They should face primary challenges when they get home, too. I'll gladly send money to such challengers.

Enough is enough. This is bullshit.

(Good Lord you would hope they would do that) then we can get it through on 51?

Conservative Democrats in the Senate (and the House) are called DLC-ers after the Democratic Leadership Council.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Dog_Coalition

with some well place phone calls

We only need 60 votes for Cloture. Then they take the vote on the actual legislation. If they won't vote for Cloture, then they are working for the Republican Party as far as I'm concerned.

the number of Democrats in the house. Now, it is hard for me to do that because they give some of the money to help Blue Dogs along with everyone else. So my solution is to give the same money but mail it directly to campaigns of Democratic primary challengers to Blue Dogs or directly to those whom I consider to be real Democrats in races against republicans.

I don't vote for Democrats to have them side with Republicans against a Democratic President. I won't contribute directly to such individuals, and I'll do my best to avoid helping them indirectly.

It is not a question of 'throwing anyone under the bus', it is a question of being willing to take a hit for the team, defined as the people of the country and the Party. Democratic Senators from 'red states' are going to have to stand up and put their seats at risk, and if they do not, will deserve every calumny of cowardice and corruption and petty self-serving that has traditionally been directed at them here from the left. It has been my practice to defend such people here on occasion from such charges, arguing that is necessary to preserve their seats for a future battle on decent odds. Well, the time of that battle is now. No fight was ever won without casualties.

"The art of war consists in a well-reasoned and extremely circumspect defense, followed by audacious attack."

And when it ends, as all filibusters do, we pass it anyway. The opposition can then reap their rewards next election.

Make them filibuster .... on the Senate floor.

The Democratic majority controls the Senate and makes the Senate rules, not the Republicans.

And people wonder why many believe the Democrats in Congress pushovers and whimps.

We could bring Congress back into session Monday and pass the entire thing.

And make them filibuster on the floor on the Senate. No fake "phone it in" filibusters!