Reid: GOP Should 'Stop Crying About Reconciliation'

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) began to make the case on Tuesday for using a majority-vote process to move the final piece of health care reform through the Senate and he slammed the procedure's GOP critics. Known as budget reconciliation, the maneuver requires 51 votes and can't be filibustered.

The GOP has been demanding that Democrats take reconciliation off the table in advance of a bipartisan health care summit on Thursday.

"I would recommend they go back and look at history. Since 1981, reconciliation has been used 21 times," Reid told reporters after the weekly lunch with his Democratic caucus.

He insisted that Democrats would go to the bipartisan summit with an open mind and attempt to win Republican support, but if that didn't happen, "nothing's off the table."

"Realistically, they should stop crying about reconciliation as if it's never been done before," Reid advised the GOP. It's been done in almost every Congress. And they're the ones who used it more than anyone else."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/23/reid-gop-should-stop-cryi_n_473572.html

Reid goes on to enumerate some of the legislation for which the GOP used reconciliation. One of those pieces of legislation was Medicare part D which, for those who may not remember, had an $800 billion price tag which they did not pay for. But, we can't spend $900 billion or so (which is paid for under the terms of the bills) to get more Americans covered. I'm not that happy with the bills we have but we could, arguably, get more improvement if we did them under reconciliation.

actually believe that REID of all people put it that way. He seems to be too nice usually. A welcome change. That's what we NEED TO DO. CALL THEM OUT. Excellent start.

Reid is, obviously, not the most liberal Senator on the planet but he is far more liberal than many. There has been a deficit of fight from him, however. I saw a small spark after Rahm showed up that Sunday night and ordered him to give Lieberman what he wanted. He came out right after that and stated he was being told he had to do this and he wasn't sure he was ready to just roll over on it. For some reason, that got little play and he, quickly, dropped the subject. I like seeing him get more aggressive. If it works to get his legislation passed, it should encourage him to do more of it.

I'm very happy to see it, plus the more Bohner appears on TV lately, the more he is revealed as an empty suit.

mark