I saw this shirt online and just had to share it with everyone. Stilton Jarlsberg (HopeNChange Cartoons.com), the designer of this shirt, says:
In the increasingly arcane debate over healthcare reform, a new issue has arisen which is terrifying House Democrats. Specifi-cally, they're afraid that they can't trust Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, or Senate Democrats.
There's been a lot of talk about "reconciliation" lately - a process which would supposedly consist of the House Democrats voting to pass the original Senate Healthcare bill (which includes the "Louisiana Purchase," the "Cornhusker Kickback," and special goodies for Floridians), after which the bill would enter "reconciliation" and be changed into something more palatable to the House. But the Republicans can attack and delay the bill if it goes to reconciliation.
Which is why a growing number of people think the real strategy is to trick House Democrats into passing the Senate bill by promising reconciliation...but then having the president immediately sign the original, corruption-filled bill into law. The House Democrats would be betrayed, and many would lose their seats. But Obamacare would immediately become the law of the land.
Frankly, the House Democrats think they're being set up for a donkey punch by the leaders of their own party. Because, in the words of Whitehouse spokesman Robert Gibbs, to make Obamacare into law the president will do "whatever it takes"...
One clarification on the bit about how the "Republicans can attack and delay the bill if it goes to reconciliation." That's a bit misleading. Reconciliation is not, by Senate rules, allowed to be used to do the kinds of things that would need to be done to make the two bills the same. Thus it's just a completely illicit move for the Democrats even to propose this. Obviously, what they can do is get the House to pass their bill and then smack their foreheads and say, "Oh! We just realized! We _can't_ use reconciliation to make policy." (Of course, this is already known, but they can pretend to discover it later.) Then they don't change it, Obama signs the Senate bill, and it's law. So it really has nothing to do with Republicans' "attacking and delaying." This is all among the Democrats, now. They are trying to stab each other in the back.
ReplyDeleteThese are scary days, Lydia. Quite scary, indeed. I hope our electorate can make it to the next election cycle and correct some of our past failures.
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