They will offer up an amendment for abortion that they promise they will pass - eventually. But House dems have to vote first - just take the Senate's word for the whole amendment thing - they're good for it.
Really.
They are willing to turn a well respected, 92 year old Senator into a hypocrite for the cause. They are even willing to offer your brother a judicial appointment if that does the trick. If those persuasions weren't enough, there is always a little arm twisting to get you to see the light.
The dems have been shut down at every turn, though. so now they are pulling out all the stops, and legality apparently isn't a necessary requirement anymore.
Rep. Louise Slaughter, chairwoman of the House Rules Committee, has come up with a solution to Pelosi's dilemma. Madame Speaker is short on votes and no matter how she tries, she's just not able to win them over. At least her method of pushing out the dead weight has helped her a little. Unfortunately, she still can't manage to cross the finish line. That's where the Slaughter Solution comes in.
In a nutshell, the House will pass a rule that says they 'deem' the Senate bill passed by the House - without actually voting on and passing it in reality.
Slaughter is weighing preparing a rule that would consider the Senate bill passed once the House approves a corrections bill that would make changes to the Senate version.
Isn't it nice that in the land of unicorns and rainbows in which our congress now lives wishes really do come true?
It seems that all Pelosi has to do now is wish for health care to pass, and presto! consider it done. This goes beyond bending the rules. Would someone please check out the trash bin behind the Capitol and see if the Constitution is in it? Maybe the Dalai Lama has seen it.
They have actually resorted to trying to pass the bill without a vote. In the Constitution is very clearly states how a bill becomes a law (emphasis mine):
First, a bill must pass both houses of Congress by a majority vote. After it has passed out of Congress, it is sent along to the President. If the President signs the bill, it becomes law.
Please note the very first thing that is required is for both houses of Congress to pass the bill by a majority vote. Rep. Slaughter must have a case of Clintonitis, but instead of wondering what the definition of "is" is, she is wondering what the definition of "vote" is. Let me give you a clue, madame chairwoman - "deeming" something does not constitute a majority vote. Unless, of course, Queen Pelosi has somehow managed to turn our constitutional republic into a monarchy/dictatorship.
Radio host Mark Levin (formerly a constutional lawyer) is calling for Slaughter's expulsion. He calls this effort "brazen" (via American Thinker):
Here we have the President of the United States and Congressional leaders actually talking about the possibility of a brazen and open violation of one of the most fundamental aspects of our Constitution and Republic! How we actually make laws!Let me be as clear as I know how. If this is done, this will create the greatest Constitutional crisis since the Civil War. It would be 100 times worse than Watergate.
...It would be government by fiat... meaning there would be no law... the mere discussion by officials in this government is such a grotesque violation of the actual legislative function of Congress [that it] puts us... at the brink. At the brink.
This really is a frightening step. This is in violation of everything this country was founded on.
There is a tiny part of me that wants them to pass this epic piece of manipulation, graft and backroom deals they call a bill this way. There's no way in hell it will pass the sniff test with the Supreme Court. It will get thrown out and we will be rid of it forever. Maybe we'll get a twofer and get rid of the progressives, too.
Oh, and if the bill isn't bad enough as it stands, the House is also talking about adding in the nationalization of student loans for good measure. After all, if you're going to send out a nice big "screw you" to the american people, you may as well double down.
As a bonus, Obama's trip to Asia has been postponed and all congressional hearings have been cancelled to focus on health care. Aren't these the same people who ridiculed John McCain for delaying a debate and suspending his campaign to deal with the financial crisis? What was it they said? Something about multitasking and grandstanding, wasn't it? The economy and unemployment can wait. After all, health care is number...um...eight on the public's priorities list.
The stench of desperation is getting rather cloying these days, isn't it?
UPDATE: Former Bush appointee Judge Michael McConnell weighs in (via The Volokh Conspiracy):
The Slaughter solution attempts to allow the House to pass the Senate bill, plus a bill amending it, with a single vote. The senators would then vote only on the amendatory bill. But this means that no single bill will have passed both houses in the same form. As the Supreme Court wrote in Clinton v. City of New York (1998), a bill containing the “exact text” must be approved by one house; the other house must approve “precisely the same text.”
With all due respect, I beg to differ on one point. The Slaughter Solution attempts to allow the House to pass three bills with a single vote - don't forget the nationalization of the student loan industry that they have tucked into the reconciliation.
Aside from that, bravo!
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