If President Obama is looking for some common ground in the fight for health care reform, he can rest assured that Republicans and Democrats are agreeing on one thing: the Slaughter rule is no way to pass a bill.
With the Democrats still short of the votes they need for an up and down vote in the House, some Democrat leaders are suggesting that they skirt the vote and use the Louise Slaughter rule, where the House just votes on amendments to the Senate bill in a procedural vote and then surreptitiously claims that the Senate bill has already been voted on.
Republicans have come out in a fury against this, and even yesterday, CNN's own Jack Cafferty had this to say about it, "Politically speaking, this is beyond sleazy. It's meant to protect Democrats - especially those up for re-election in November - from having to make a tough vote. Pelosi says of this process, 'I like it... because people don't have to vote on the Senate bill.' In Nancy Pelosi's world, accountability is a dirty word."
Cafferty adds, "The Senate bill, of course, contains many provisions that are unpopular among some House Democrats - including language on abortion funding and taxes on high-cost insurance plans.Republicans are jumping all over this - and rightfully so. They're painting it as a way for Democrats to avoid taking responsibility. Some even suggest it's unconstitutional.
"Meanwhile President Obama is campaigning relentlessly - calling on lawmakers to pass health care reform, 'I want some courage. I want us to do the right thing.'
"The irony here is if Nancy Pelosi gets her way, it won't take much courage at all on the part of our so-called representatives."
Cafferty couldn't be more right. Evoking the Slaughter rule would be gutless and "beyond sleazy."
0 comments:
Post a Comment