Friday, March 19, 2010

A brief guide to the healtcare vote:

With assistance from David Waldman and Sarah Binder -- and the caveat that we don't know many details yet -- here's a very rough guide to what will happen with the health care reform bill this weekend:

The House Rules Committee will likely meet on Saturday morning to draft a special rule *that allows the House to pass a bill by approving the rule and not necessarily the bill itself. By all indications, this rule will be the now famous "self-executing" rule which "deems" the Senate health care bill passed upon adoption of the rule. While Republicans on the Rules Committee may try to amend the rule, they're dramatically outnumbered by Democrats 9 to 4.

The House will likely debate the rule for about an hour and hold a vote on whether to end debate. Assuming that passes, the House holds another vote on adopting the rule. If the rule is approved with 216 votes, the House may begin debate on the reconciliation bill that makes fixes to the Senate version of the health care bill.

The House then debates the reconciliation according to guidelines set forth by the rule. Once debate is finished, the House will finally hold an up-or-down vote on the reconciliation bill. If it passes with 216 votes, the original Senate bill goes to the President for his signature.

However, the fireworks start all over again in the Senate next week as debate begins on the reconciliation bill with the "fixes." Republicans have promised a flurry of amendments and other stalling techniques to try to block the bill.

*this didn't happen this way. there is no "deem and pass" rule.

31 comments:

Unknown said...

i believe this might be a too complicated process, while i would like to see health care passed, i don't believe right now is the right way, or in the right manner to get it passed. either way it goes i'll be content. on one hand our congress will actually get something done, before having another two year debate on Obama's next great idea of reconstructing our society. and on the other hand, the health care bill will not pass; therefore, taking all of the democrats in purple districts down with them too, for the simple reason of them not doing anything.

j.polinski said...

The only thing i can compare our President of the United States right now to is a little girl. He won't stop until he gets what he wants, even if most of the American people disagree with what he is trying to do. I'm getting sick of hearing about this garbage, and if this does indeed pass, this is the first step of us becoming the United States of Socialist America.

Tyler Kehoe said...

As the debate on the health care bill is finally coming to an end, we may be on the verge of yet another to be entitlement programs. (not saying this bill is one, but in the future persay health care could become one)
Anyway, entitlements=bad. So I have worked and will work my life for my fortune (mwhaa) and then when i reach a certain point I pay for some people who basically just lay around all day and stick needles in their arms and smoke some joints (which could be legal? less governmental interference in our lives liberals?) anyway, the point is, I truly dont get why everyone who is working really hard to earn money end up giving it to people who havent worked as hard as they could. (And yes, IK there is a lot of people who work hard and do deserve health care, there are MANY, but the negatives, in my mind, outway the positives) There are winners and losers in life; everyone being a winner is NOT right. EVERYONE has an opporotunity to gain wealth and build up status, it has happened many times. These programs either need to be fixed or gotten rid of soon, before we start truly coming out negative.

Mr. Bretzmann said...

Like you, I've watched C-SPAN, CNN, and MSNBC all day (except for an ill-fated trip to see the Easter Bunny this morning). So far I've seen everyone from WI but Dave Obey give their opinion on the healthcare bill.
p.s. Just found out today that the new house I moved into last summer is in Paul Ryan's district whereas the old one was in Jim Sensenbrenner's district. I guess I was a bit distracted.

Mr. Bretzmann said...

Paul Ryan just gave a very effective speech. Substantive, sober, and rational. Tammy Baldwin gave a good speech based in the historic nature of the vote and her excitement about being there. Dr. Kagen spoke early on. Ron Kind gave a surprisingly pointed speech in a partisan way. Gwen Moore was fun to watch and didn't disappoint. Her speech was dripping with sarcasm, but she delivered it well. Jim Sensenbrenner and Tom Petri logged their opposition then Sensenbrenner came back and talked about the fact that the president's executive order is worthless. Still waiting to hear Obey scold somebody and yell a bit.

MKlinka said...

This is why we can't have nice things

The bill passed, now the republicans are going to have to do all they can to fix it. Unfortunately, I can't see them doing all too much because unfortunately, the dems have control. So, all of the bills and amendments the Republicans promised really may not do anything at all, because there aren't enough of them. Of course, the president could always veto the bill, but, well, those odds aren't too good.

Mr. Bretzmann said...

I had my comment all ready to blast the "deem and pass" rule from Mrs. Slaughter's Rules Committee. She didn't do that rule though. What a bad rule for civics teachers and for political purposes. How does a bill become a law? It has to pass! Not in the the House, apparently. And do you really think voters would buy the idea that you didn't vote for the bill, you just voted for the rule to allow the bill to pass without another vote? That sounds like a great bumper sticker...

Mr. Bretzmann said...

Congressman Pence and others: How do you simultaneously call the Democrats' bill Socialism AND a mandate to buy private insurance? Can it be both? It seems like you're just kind of searching for something that might stick.

p.s. I don't have a problem with you searching for an argument that will work, I just wish you would have found it by now.

Mr. Bretzmann said...

Did you see Charlie Rangel stand up there and say that he was staying out of sight and that he stepped down from the chairmanship of the Ways and Means (Standing) Committee so he wouldn't be a distraction on Healthcare? Then he stood up there as a huge distraction on Healthcare for the Democrats. Advice: sit down Mr. Rangel. GOP: point at him Republicans and say, "This is your leadership." Oh, and then think about retiring Mr. Rangel if you did all those things you're accused of.

Mr. Bretzmann said...

Mr. Obey from Wisconsin in the temporary speaker chair! What an honor for him.

PMiner said...

Ha has anyone posted on the blog except Mr. Bretzmann?

and James, Obama is a little girl?
haha nice

I am personally getting a bit sick of reading and hearing and talking about healthcare. I do not agree with a universal system... I dont want to pay for somebody elses problems, because its not my problem...

Sorry Mr. Bretzmann.. You probably cringed as you read Jim and Kehoe and my posts haha

Mr. Bretzmann said...

The Speaker of the House spoke for one minute (from 9:15-9:29)

p.s. I only cringe when there is no thought...I don't care WHAT you think, I care THAT you think.

Mr. Bretzmann said...

216 YEA

It will be law.

K-Laz said...

"Dislike" BUT, at least its over...now we don't have to listen to all the garbage about it passing or not. Now we get to listen to how hard or not hard the republicans will try to fix this new problem. Which probably will take at least a new administration to fix.

Astoiber said...

life is not a game. and i am sick of the capitalist mind set that there have to be winners and losers in life.

what should be is that benefiting others is in the individuals best interest because in return society will benefit the individual. the republicans' every man for himself philosophy is unsustainable and will ultimately fail.

oh. what does this have to do with the blog post. idk.

btw this is all under the premise that truth exists.. and well, it doesn't so do whatever you want.

nsomers said...

So the law passed but Obama has signed an executive order that will not allow federally funded abortions. Obama did this in order to get the votes of the pro-life democrats. I hope he stays true to his word because, from what I've read online, Obama can repeal the order whenever he feels like it.

Tereza said...

I am shocked that this bill is finally being passed! Months and months have passed with the Democratic majority accomplishing very little. Finally they have done something that makes their time in the majority worthwhile. I'm sure the rate of success the bill will enact will effect the Democrats positively and negatively.

jmarczewski said...

First of all,

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Second, is President Obama really supposed to pass an executive order on abortion? Are there any current laws contradicting what he is saying in the order?

Mr. Bretzmann said...

In last minute negotiations with Bart Stupak (D-MI) he agreed to issue an executive order saying that no federal money would be used to fund abortions. That is the current law as required by the Hyde amendment (Henry Hyde R from ?). The White House previously said that the bill didn't change that; Stupak and 6 others disagreed. The president and Stupak's group agreed to the executive order to make sure.

Mr. Bretzmann said...

p.s. Stupak and his group are all pro-life (and Democrats).

Unknown said...

This debate has gone on for a long time. Personally I have been against the bill from the begining and am very shocked that it finally passed. I think this bill could cause more problems than the democrats imagined and our health care system could end up in worse shape than it started

Alex York said...

Mr. Bretzmann,

Congrats. We've won. And the American people have won. I believe that this is the first step in what will become a very solid system. I think this bill will foment the greatest good for the greatest amount of people. This is what politicians are supposed to do.

jmarczewski said...

So Congress actually did something about healthcare AND Democrats are voting pro-life now!?! What next, some unknown college (that I almost decided to attend) upsets the NCAA Tournament's number one overall seed?

Sorry, I often resort to sports comments when I'm irritated about Congress.

And who the heck is the guy with the white mustache and glasses that is ALWAYS standing behind Nancy Pelosi every time she says anything?

Ryan Paprocki said...

Kehoe,

The reason that you don't get it is that you're looking at it in the wrong mindset in the sense of when it comes to running a country. When you're looking at how to run a country or the world you MUST look at it completely objectively...as if you don't even necessarily apply to any of the variables in front of you (to help, perhaps).

In fact that is exactly how the general Liberal position has formed, through objective analysis and severe critical thinking. If you truly thought critically about your beliefs (and they DO matter, because our beliefs directly inform our actions), I can personally guarantee that you would not be Republican or conservative at all.

Example for healthcare reform. It is correct to have a single payer system where the rich pay a lot of money out for the masses because our country is ran as utalitarianist, or the "greatest good principle", which means that we do what is good for the greatest amount of people (objectively), and that it is attemted to label as moral (though is subjective, we can make some pretty broad guides when it comes to a macro level like running a country). The idea of having insurance companies in the first place is a clownly idea. In a nutshell, insurance companies just make us Americans pay vastly more for coverage by existing in the first place, while literally providing nothing positive in return to society (which shoule be REQUIRED if you're going to rob the country of billions of dollars...isn't that the idea or theory of capitalism!?).

Of course this goes waaay further than just these little bits here and there's much more explaining to do but I would be sitting here for hours typing, which I'm not willing to do haha. But I don't think you've even considered those things yet so I'll just leave it at that for now.

Diana said...

I am not surprised that the bill had passed. But, last night the republicans stayed up trying to find flaws in the bill. If my memory is correct, they found two flaws and the bill is being sent back for further revision. I do not think these minor flaws will affect the success of the bill. It will still be passed.

morgank said...

Wow, kinda surprising that something actually got done in Congress after the past several months of very little getting accomplished. Personally, I'm not a fan of the bill, and not many others seem to be either, guess we will just have to wait and see how this plays out and how the bill gets fixed up with the loopholes found...

rlepak said...

This bill is going to be either a really good thing, or a really bad thing. I just don't know which one yet. But, I do think that it will help Obama get reelected in 2012. One of his main campaign promises was to fix health care, and this bill gives him that credit. However, I also think that it will be the cause of a few Democrats losing their seats in Congress this midterm election. A lot of people are not happy about the bill, and that is the main thing the news is covering. It will be fresh on their minds when they go to the polls.

Astoiber said...

they were so close.

what they should have done was create a law banning illness. idk why no one thought of that. but then again this is congress we are talking about :P

aprichard said...

yes, and a law against physical disabilities, and birth defects, and speech impediments, and make a law that people are indistructable for the first 60 years of their life.
But as for the bill, I am completely with ayork on this one. To put in so much work, to not succeed would be like taking the organisms spine and ripping all of the virtibrae out. The main objective of this bill was to help people, to provide healthcare to those who can't afford it, and to make healthcare affordable to the other half of America.
I am curious why so many Muskego, affluent, suburbia, healthcare insured citizens are acting like this bill is socializing medicine, or dooming the insured to lower benefits. Why is this? I read through a lot of blogs, and most of this seemed to me like "I hate it because my parents do and I don't feel like thinking about it because I have a Republican mind set and am intolerant of other view points because they are not linear with my party". IF THIS IS COMPLETELY ABOUT MONEY, those fearing it in Muskego should be ashamed, because almost all of the citizens could afford a tax to help others. There is plenty of money in our community, and we need to remember that the world is different out of our sphere. Just because one does not know anyone who is in need of these benefits does not mean that they do not exist.
So, I would like to hear an unselfish reason of why this is bad that does not boil down to not wanting to pay for it. As for the national debt, we are already selling away ourself to china, we might as well do it healthy and at full strenght.
So once again, anyone who opposes this, or even mr. Bretzmann, can i have some clarification about why this is a parasite to American society? I would like to hear a logical reason for dislike.

Brandon D said...

Not really sure if this is a good thing but atleast progress has been made and somethings been done.We'll have to wait and see. But im not really sure if i like it

Unknown said...

I was very surprised that the bill had been sent back to be revised because of flaws. I do hope something good will come of this because as i said before i am not a fan of the bill.