Word: reformator
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...While the next three days are sure to be dominated by even more posturing, the reform plan that Democrats appear to have settled on closely resembles the most bipartisan version developed throughout the past year: the Senate Finance Committee bill. It's been tweaked and stretched and has gotten somewhat more expensive but, in essence, this is the legislation that Democrats hope to pass. Though the notorious bipartisan Gang of Six disbanded before the final bill was written, the basic structure of the legislation was developed with Republican input. It even got a Republican vote when it was passed...
...Read TIME's interview with President Obama on health care reform...
...Boehner was referring to budget reconciliation, a legislative maneuver that would allow the Senate to pass changes to its reform bill with only 50 votes. (Vice President Joe Biden could, in this case, cast a tie-breaking vote.) The White House has been very careful not to explicitly say it intends to pursue a reconciliation strategy, which Republicans insist is a radical, undemocratic move - this, even though the GOP used it during the Bush presidency to pass two rounds of tax cuts. But during a briefing on Monday, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said of the approach, "The avenue...
...Still, in an apparent effort to showcase its efforts at bipartisanship, the White House drew reporters' attention on Monday to the GOP ideas already in the House and Senate bills and in the President's reform plan. But in doing so, the White House was also communicating that Democrats have already adopted all their favorite Republican ideas and won't be adding any major new ones to their reform legislation. (One possible exception is medical-malpractice reform. Obama has said he's open to the idea, which is often cited by Republicans as a major driver of rising health care...
...still not entirely clear that congressional Democrats can pass health reform on their own. House Democrats do not seem eager to do what's required for a reconciliation strategy - that is, pass the Senate bill as is, along with a package of changes as outlined by the Obama plan. Meanwhile, Senate majority leader Harry Reid has not demonstrated that he can wrangle the required 50 votes to get a reconciliation package through his chamber. Republicans have said they intend to make the process difficult by offering endless amendments, for example. (Adjustments to one controversial element of the Senate bill...