Looks like either we go the way of reconciliation, or health care reform is dead with Scott Brown taking Ted Kennedy’s seat. This is what happens when you take something for granted. Coakley took a month long vacation, didn’t campaign, and looked like she didn’t even care. It would be nice to say that perhaps we would learn something, but how much did we really learn from Kathleen Brown? Anyway, onwards we go toward the land of Corporatism.
Here are some links:
* The Tea Parties = The OC GOP = The Tea Parties = Crrrraaaaazzzzyyyy
* Former Governor George Deukmejian is backing Steve Poizner.
* Jean Ross has a post up on CalBuzz about budget help from the feds.
* Peter Schrag calls the Governor’s school budget a race to mediocrity.
Right now there is a standing rift between the grassroots tea baggers in the GOP and the Country Club Republican leadership. We can fully expect that the Brown victory will embolden the grassroots which are far more extreme than the Country Club group. What will be lost in the chest thumping celebration of the GOP is that Brown was pro-choice and supported the Mass. health care bill that puts that state well in advance of what we have.
Nevertheless, the victory there will make the far right stronger which should mean that the republicans will continue towards that end. This then is the weakness as they will try to project their entire social package and anti-Obama stance with their candidates—at least we can hope that they go that route as it will make them easier to defeat.
If you say we can, then that means you do not know what “reconciliation” is.
Something we can do is pass a bill (either with the Senate voting on the House “compromise” hashed out last weekend, or with the House passing the Senate version) and then make changes via reconciliation.
Reconciliation is good for small, single items that do not increase the deficit. A public health insurance option, for example, could be passed using reconciliation. For the health care bill in general, reconciliation is impossible.
This is what happens when you take something for granted. Coakley took a month long vacation, didn’t campaign, and looked like she didn’t even care. It would be nice to say that perhaps we would learn something
What a wonderful point. Speaking of which, who are the Democrats running for Governor?
I heard eMeg’s radio ad, and she was claiming that California has much more generous welfare than other states, and we should whack it back and make ’em work (as if there are jobs out there). Her figures have to be wrong. Anyone have any idea where she’s getting the numbers she’s spinning?
Or is it the old trick where people say no state spends as much as California on something, not bothering to point out that we’re #1 in population?
She also wants to change the five-year lifetime limit on welfare to two years, which presumably means that a lot of people lose everything but food stamps and have to become homeless.
Ha ha, just kidding.