McConnell and Reid may have just set a 51-vote threshold for passing Obamacare repeal

[rangerrebew]

McConnell and Reid may have just set a 51-vote threshold for passing Obamacare repeal


By Timothy P. Carney • 7/24/15 3:25 PM

 

Next week, Senate Republicans could pass Obamacare repeal with a simple 51-vote majority as part of the long-term highway bill, according to Sen. Mike Lee.

The Utah Republican laid out the argument in a press release after party leaders set the sequencing of votes:


"The first Obamacare vote on Sunday will have a 60 vote threshold, and Democrats will likely block it," Lee continued. "But thanks to the sequencing of the votes we just locked in, Republicans will have the opportunity resurrect that Obamacare amendment later on in the process, and put it back before the Senate in a manner that only requires a simple-majority vote."

After cloture is reached on the Export-Import Bank amendment, senators will still be allowed to offer germane amendments to the highway bill, each of which would only require a simple-majority to pass. If the Chair rules that the Obamacare amendment is non-germane, Senate Rule 22 also allows any senator to appeal that ruling to the full Senate. At that point, a simple-majority of Senators would have the power to add the Obamacare repeal amendment to the highway bill.

If Lee is correct, then Democrats, in order to save Obamacare, would need to kill the highway bill — and thus their effort to restart the expired Export-Import Bank. (Unless, of course, Republicans bail Democrats out and sink the repeal efforts.)

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[rangerrebew]

  :broc: OOOOOh goody.  They'll pass the bill with 51 votes!!  Do they have another 15 to override the veto that will follow?  Not very likely.  This is a smoke and mirrors game where it will look like McConnell is doing the work people want when in fact he has done nothing - with the help of Harry Reid.

[Longiron]

:broc: OOOOOh goody.  They'll pass the bill with 51 votes!!  Do they have another 15 to override the veto that will follow?  Not very likely.  This is a smoke and mirrors game where it will look like McConnell is doing the work people want when in fact he has done nothing - with the help of Harry Reid.

Exactly RIGHT. This is smoke and mirrors by the Washington Cartel to divert attention ,AGAIN. They really think AMERICA is STUPID. Cruz said this was going to happen on Rush or Levin as a tactic to divert attention and is only a symbolic vote. The 61 will never come until SCUM HOLE is cleaned out with the current RINOGOP leaders and Senators.

[Luis Gonzalez]

:broc: OOOOOh goody.  They'll pass the bill with 51 votes!!  Do they have another 15 to override the veto that will follow?  Not very likely.  This is a smoke and mirrors game where it will look like McConnell is doing the work people want when in fact he has done nothing - with the help of Harry Reid.

People need to stop talking out of both sides of their mouths.

You can't out of one side condemn this Congress for doing nothing, then condemn them again for engaging in some symbolic gesture that will get vetoed by Obama when they don't have the votes to override the veto.

Here's reality...

The things that need to get done will get vetoed by the Muslim in Chief, so the best that this Congress can do (insofar as passing laws, or passing laws to repeal laws is concerned) is to engage in symbolic gestures to satisfy the noble strife of the conservative madding crowd. So then either stop demanding that they "do something" (translation: engage in a fruitless symbolic gesture predestined to fail), or stop slamming them when they do try to "do something" where "the definition of "do something" remains constant with the "engaging in a fruitless symbolic gesture predestined to fail) associated with doing nothing.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Exactly RIGHT. This is smoke and mirrors by the Washington Cartel to divert attention ,AGAIN. They really think AMERICA is STUPID. Cruz said this was going to happen on Rush or Levin as a tactic to divert attention and is only a symbolic vote. The 61 will never come until SCUM HOLE is cleaned out with the current RINOGOP leaders and Senators.

Another GOP hater is heard from.

[libertybele]

Cruz was absolutely right ... nothing but smoke and mirrors.  I for one am sick and tired of the horse and pony show by both the DEMS and the GOP/RINO's and their "symbolic gestures" and b.s. games. 

[Paladin]

Another GOP hater is heard from.

Hey, Luis, remember this?:

“Congressional Republicans are committed to
[Obamacare’s] repeal; and a Republican President...
will use his legitimate waiver authority under that
law to halt its progress.”

Nope, wrong guess. Not the National Lampoon but from the Republican National Platform, the latest one in 2012.

Have the GOP Congressional leaders done anything you know of to implement their own stated principles, or have they done the exact opposite, like maybe instead voting to fund the ACA?

Libertybele is quite correct when stating, 

I for one am sick and tired of the horse and pony show by both the DEMS and the GOP/RINO's and their "symbolic gestures" and b.s. games.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Hey, Luis, remember this?:
Nope, wrong guess. Not the National Lampoon but from the Republican National Platform, the latest one in 2012.

Have the GOP Congressional leaders done anything you know of to implement their own stated principles, or have they done the exact opposite, like maybe instead voting to fund the ACA?

Libertybele is quite correct when stating,

The GOP has voted to repeal Obamacare on its entirety six times since it was enacted into law. Three times as a group and three times as part of the budgeting process.

In addition there have been eight instance in which the GOP passed measured repealing specific parts of the law that Obama actually signed into law (the 1099 reporting requirement is one of them that I can recall), there have been about 40 more individual instance where the GOP Has passed measures designed to either gut the law, or at last cripple it.

Unfortunately, lacking a vote proof majority coupled with the fact that there actual opposition party that... opposes the GOP, things get hung up or not done.

[xfreeper]

News flash: Zero care is here to stay as well as it's continued use as a red herring, typically by the gop

[sinkspur]

:broc: OOOOOh goody.  They'll pass the bill with 51 votes!!  Do they have another 15 to override the veto that will follow?  Not very likely.  This is a smoke and mirrors game where it will look like McConnell is doing the work people want when in fact he has done nothing - with the help of Harry Reid.

Wait a minute. If the Senate and House pass the highway bill with the Obamacare repeal in it, if Obama vetoes the highway bill, then he owns the death of the highway bill.

I don't see the downside of having Obama own the killing of jobs.

[sinkspur]

Exactly RIGHT. This is smoke and mirrors by the Washington Cartel to divert attention ,AGAIN. They really think AMERICA is STUPID. Cruz said this was going to happen on Rush or Levin as a tactic to divert attention and is only a symbolic vote. The 61 will never come until SCUM HOLE is cleaned out with the current RINOGOP leaders and Senators.

I see you've become the token Democrat on GOPBR.  And you're doing a very good job of doing your job.

[Formerly Once-Ler]

People need to stop talking out of both sides of their mouths.

You can't out of one side condemn this Congress for doing nothing, then condemn them again for engaging in some symbolic gesture that will get vetoed by Obama when they don't have the votes to override the veto.

Here's reality...

The things that need to get done will get vetoed by the Muslim in Chief, so the best that this Congress can do (insofar as passing laws, or passing laws to repeal laws is concerned) is to engage in symbolic gestures to satisfy the noble strife of the conservative madding crowd. So then either stop demanding that they "do something" (translation: engage in a fruitless symbolic gesture predestined to fail), or stop slamming them when they do try to "do something" where "the definition of "do something" remains constant with the "engaging in a fruitless symbolic gesture predestined to fail) associated with doing nothing.

You're saying a lot of the stuff I'm thinking, but you say it better than I think it.  Great post.  I don't like "reality," but I sure do appreciate your explaining it so well.

[EC]

Wait a minute. If the Senate and House pass the highway bill with the Obamacare repeal in it, if Obama vetoes the highway bill, then he owns the death of the highway bill.

I don't see the downside of having Obama own the killing of jobs.

I do.

The worm is not running again. Do you really want something that Hillary/Saunders can use to put clear water between them and the Worm? Anything that makes them look good is bad, no?