Ah, the joys of special session. Today 255 House Dems and 178 House Republicans are making their way back to Washington for a 24-hour session of the lower chamber. The reason? A $26.1 billion bill providing aid to the states that the Senate finally managed to push through before adjourning last week — about half of the original $50 …
House
Obey Bows Out
UPDATE: Double posted on Jay, see above.
Al Frumin’s Bad Day
In the middle of a meeting in the early evening Wednesday on – what else? – reconciliation, the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Terrance Gainer interrupted proceedings to speak with the Senate Parliamentarian. Though neither man would discuss what was going on, reports soon emerged: Tea Party protesters were planning to picket the …
Fox News Cares About Process, Even if Most Voters Don’t
As Jay and I have pointed out, by the time Election Day rolls around, most voters probably won’t care much what procedures or sweetheart deals Democrats employed in their efforts to pass health care reform. Democrats are more likely be judged by the generic measure of whether they were for or against health care. (This is assuming health …
Health Care: The Talking Points
If the House does succeed in passing this health care bill, that’s a big step. But it is just the beginning of the battle for many members.
The next thing the Democrats will have to do is convince a very divided and skeptical public that they did the right thing. We were reminded of how difficult that can be by Marjorie Margolies, …
Be Afraid, House Dems, Be Very Afraid (or Not)
Not to beat a dead horse, but Republicans continue to write ominous memos and give cryptic quotes about the political danger House Democrats face if they pass the Senate health bill. They’re publicly naming names now in an effort to scare wavering or vulnerable House Democrats into voting against the bill. (Steve Driehaus and Nick …
Bending the Rules
As the Massa implosion fades, Capitol Hill returns today to health care reform with both chambers considering obscure parliamentary procedures in order to pass legislation before Easter recess, which officially starts March 28. The House is on a shorter leash, with the White House pushing them to get something done before President Obama …
Health Care: The White House Readies Its Own Plan?
The signals are growing louder that the Obama White House is readying its own health care plan in advance of next week’s summit. Press secretary Robert Gibbs fueled the speculation in his briefing yesterday. Asked about the possibility, Gibbs replied: “Stay tuned.”
If so, it would be a sharp break from the strategy that the White …
Today’s Health Care Checkup – GOP Plans Under the Spotlight
Perhaps to President Obama’s relief, Republican health reform plans are the ones being scrutinized now, in advance of the Feb. 25 bipartisan summit on health care that the president called for over the weekend.
* David Herzenhorn of the New York Times sees a way that the summit could be useful, informative and game changing…if …
The GOP Twitter Kings
Everyone thinks of Obama-land and the Dems as the rulers of new media after their successful harnessing of facebook and social media networking during the 2008 campaign. Apparently, Congressional Republicans have caught on quick. According to a new Congressional Research Study, House Republicans are responsible for the majority of …
Pelosi on Health Care: “We have to get this done.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is sounding very determined–and surprisingly upbeat–about the prospects for a comprehensive health care bill in the wake of last week’s Senate election in Massachusetts, which cost the Democrats their 60-vote, fillibuster-proof majority.
“You can always find a way. You can always find a way,” Pelosi …
The Health Care Dealmaking: Will We See It On C-SPAN?
Remember this promise by candidate Barack Obama during the presidential campaign?:
But the last point I want to make has to do with how we’re going to actually get this plan done. You know, Ted Kennedy said that he is confident that we will get universal health care with me as president, and he’s been working on it longer than I
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Health Reform: The Road Ahead
There’s more and more talk that the House and Senate will bypass a formal conference committee entirely, and instead, work out the differences between their two versions of the health bill in the leaders’ offices, a process that would involve only a handful of key committee chairmen. That closed-door shortcut of the normal process has …