Statists are nothing if not consistent and predictable. Obama is counting on his grandstand showpiece on Thursday to gin up enough support to allow passage of this monstrous, unsustainable TAX bill through reconciliation. Despite promises of open debate and transparency in the development of the health care bill, President Obama and his leftist Congress cronies have gone about the legislation like a meeting of the forty thieves in a cave somewhere.
Thursday’s meeting is already shaping up to be a barn burner, with Obama sure to be at his arrogant high-handed best since he, Reid and Pelosi have been unable to pass health care due to (on the House side) an inability to hold together the votes required for final passage and (on the Senate side) no longer holding the required majority vote.
Desperate for a success, the Democrats are falling back on their legislative version of a scorched earth policy. Obama’s plan has been to meld the House and Senate versions of the bill and add a range of draconian measures of his own. Republicans can be expected to be highly resistant to Obama’s intimidation tactics at the ‘health care summit’ on Thursday.
The Republican leadership has already stated that it may have found a loophole in the budget reconciliation process that would allow them to introduce an infinite number of amendments to the bill. Experts on Senate procedural rules from both parties have said such a filibuster is possible. While reconciliation rules limit debate to 20 hours, Senators lack constraints and could conceivably continue offering them up until 60 members agree to cut the process off.
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Senator Jim DeMint
Republican Senator Jim De Mint (S.C.) said that using reconciliation rules to pass the house-requested changes to the health care bill is “tyrannical”. “I think you’ll see us offering amendments to get us into November if we can”, said De Mint.
Senator Judd Greg, the leading Republican on the Budget Committee said, “You could continue to offer amendments, I suspect. You can offer an unlimited number of amendments after time has elapsed, so it’s logical that you could do it on reconciliation”.
Republicans are doing just what we want them to do. As long as we don’t have any defections, such as Olympia Snowe, we stand a good chance of beating this legislation. It is important that you continue to contact your Senators and Representatives to let them know we won’t stand for the Democrats Marxist tactics.
Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis
© Skip MacLure 2010
