Reconciliation ?? We are weeks, if not months, away from happening. Midknight Review does not believe it will happen at all. Here is why.

Harkin: Reconciliation is a go — Sen. Tom Harkin told POLITICO that Senate Democratic leaders have decided to go the reconciliation route. The House, he said, will first pass the Senate bill after Senate leaders demonstrate to House leaders that they have the votes to pass reconciliation in the Senate.

There is much in the Senate bill that is not to the liking of House members, however.

First things, first, however. All the morning talk will be about "reconciliation" or "a simple majority vote." BUT the next several days, perhaps weeks, will be focused on the House of Representatives - not reconciliation. Here is the intended Democrat schedule:

1. The Senate will bribe and bride some more until they count 51 votes (reconciliation).
2. Word will be sent to the Pelosi that reconciliation has been bought and paid for.
3. Pelosi, will work to call for a House vote on the Senate bill-as-written by the Senate. She will need 218 votes to pull this off. She has 56 more votes than she needs, but if half of this group votes against the Senate bill, 24 Democrat votes, she will not be able to get House approval.
4. The Senate bill, passed by the House without debate or amendment, will then go to the Senate where "Reconciliation" will be called for by the Senate Leader, Harry Reid.

In other words, the only way health care gets passed through to Obama's desk, is for the House to avoid debate on the Senate bill and vote a simple 218 majority to pass.

Understand that because Obama will announce the "nuclear option" does not mean that the Dems have 51 votes for that procedure. Democrat Senators Nelson, Lincoln and Bayh have said they oppose the use of Reconciliation in this case. Liebermann will not vote for this process. Add these four to the 41 Republicans who will surely vote against Reconciliation and you have a minority vote of 45. Are there at least 6 other Senators that see this as a misuse of Reconciliation? Well, we don't know, but Senator Robert Byrd, the author of Reconciliation, has indicated that he will not support this maneuver . . . . giving us 46 down and 5 to go.

What's great about this mess is that the Senate is too damn busy to do much of anything else. PTL !!!
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