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Here's the bottom line: For health reform to become law, the 2,700-page Senate bill somehow has to get through the House. The trickery that Speaker Pelosi is concocting to get that done almost defies belief. It's aptly called the "Slaughter Strategy," after Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-NY, who cooked it up. Here's how it would work: The House would "deem" the main … [Read more...] about Slaughter Strategy

Let's cut to the heart of the matter: First, let's start by setting aside the extraordinary complexity of thousands of pages of health reform legislation. Next, let's throw out the labyrinth of details about the Senate reconciliation process. Not important. Only one thing matters. President Obama must convince the House to pass the Senate bill. Everything else, including any separate … [Read more...] about One Simple Agenda

The consensus among most pundits and reporters was summed up by The Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan in her column today: "Boy, that didn't work." The White House expected a slam dunk, building on what it considered a triumph at the House Republican retreat in Baltimore a month ago, so it could convince rank-and-file Democrats that the time has come to get health reform done. … [Read more...] about Summit Standoff

We hosted a conference call on Tuesday with the former parliamentarian of the Senate, Robert Dove, so colleagues and journalists could ask the authority with 36 years of experience in Senate procedures about using reconciliation to pass health reform legislation. Dr. Dove concluded it would be a long, exhaustive process that would likely produce a Swiss cheese of legislation because … [Read more...] about Expert Advice

100 votes short? One of the more telling comments about the prospects for final passage of health reform came from a top House Democratic official quoted in a Politico article today entitled, "Family Feud: Nancy Pelosi at Odds with President Obama": "Though Pelosi and other House Democrats have made it clear that they're angry with the Senate, they're also frustrated with … [Read more...] about A Summit Primer

Frustration: The Democrats seem to be in the anger phase of grief over the collapse of their health overhaul, with a sharp and heated meeting between top White House advisers and Senate Democrats on Wednesday. Politico reports: "Sen. Al Franken ripped into White House senior adviser David Axelrod this week during a tense, closed-door session with Senate Democrats. Five sources who were in … [Read more...] about Starting Over

President Obama failed to offer any path to break the congressional stalemate over health reform in his address last night, simply offering another rallying cry for his signature domestic policy initiative and repeating talking points he's made in countless speeches all year. The president insists people would like his plan if only they understood it. But the American people do understand … [Read more...] about Stalemate

As Washington continues to reel from Scott Brown's astonishing victory in Massachusetts, Democratic leaders still are not giving up on trying to pass their health overhaul legislation, despite today's news reports that health reform is dead. Here's a scenario that should send chills up anyone's spine: In yet another rebuff of representative democracy, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said … [Read more...] about Listening to America