the Pres going ahead on healthcare without the endorsement of the Repubs (GOP)
White House may push through health care without Republicans
19 August/2009
Democrats say they have not given up on a bipartisan plan
Democrats may use tactic that requires only 51 votes to pass
GOP could call move a power play, accuse Dems of failing at bipartisanship
If Democrats go it alone, public health insurance likely to be back on the table
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Obama administration is looking hard at pushing through a health care reform bill without Republican backing, top Democrats close to the White House have told CNN.
Democrats say Republicans, particularly Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, aren't serious about striking a deal.
The Democratic majority in the Senate has been stymied in the health care debate by Republicans and conservative Democrats, leaving it short of the 60-vote "filibuster-proof" margin needed to pass the bill.
Democratic success could depend on an obscure tactic called reconciliation, a type of budget maneuver that requires only a simple majority - 51 votes - to pass.
Congressional Democrats authorized the maneuver specifically for health care reform legislation during the debate over the 2010 budget, which passed in April. Watch an explanation of the tactic »
One top Senate Republican warned at the time that using reconciliation to pass such a measure would be "like a declaration of war."
Going it alone could be risky for Democrats, not because they couldn't raise the votes, but because Republicans could cast it as a power play and accuse them of failing to win bipartisan support. A Quinnipiac University survey released two weeks ago showed that 59 percent of registered voters nationwide oppose passage of health care legislation if the bill fails to win bipartisan support ...
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/19/ ... index.html
