Can DeMint's Objection Kill ObamaCare?

At RedState, Dan Perrin feels optimistic that DeMint's objection to the appointment of conferees has the ability to kill ObamaCare. It will create problems, but I believe it'll take more than that. At one point he quotes Slaughter's position. Great, but she also said she'd vote for the bill.

If I understand it correctly, the House will either be forced to amend their bill to bring it into line with the Senate bill, then that bill will have to go back to the Senate, where it would effectively start over depending on how it might still differ from the Senate's; or, the House has to accept the Senate bill as is. I think the real wild-card here may be time, perhaps more so than the various negotiations.

All the Democrats want this badly enough to get something passed, setting us upon the single payer, or socialist, road. But how difficult will the needed compromises be to get and how long will that take? If it goes on long enough to where Congress begins thinking seriously about November 2010, the bill could end up tabled. That would be proper, as the people would ultimately decide with their November votes. But the notion that this Congress is concerned with doing things properly is dead. Read Perrin's take here. I've always felt the key to killing it was dragging it out. DeMint's objection does buy us more time. It's still in the Democrat's court, just moving at a more lively clip than they'd like, what with the far Left making so much noise.

Now, because of the Senator DeMint’s objection, unless the House votes for the Senate bill unchanged — which is highly unlikely (see below) — then the Senate ObamaCare bill must be amended on the House floor to gain the votes they need to pass it on the House floor. And because of Senator DeMint’s objection to the appointment of the conferees, there will be no conference, or conference report.

If the House amends the Senate bill, they then have to send the amended bill back to the Senate — where all the 60 vote margin cloture votes still apply — cloture on the motion to proceed, and cloture to end the filibuster and cloture on any amendment.

Do I believe that this objection to the appointment of the conferees will kill ObamaCare? Yes, if the progressives or those 64 House Democrats who voted for the Stupak amendment do not roll over and play dead.

If you recall, the Speaker repeatedly and consistently has publicly and privately stated: I can’t pass a health care bill without a public option.

The Speaker is now changing her tune and saying everything is fine, please ignore what I said weeks ago. Now, the Speaker is essentially saying that Senator Nelson, Senator Lieberman and the White House has convinced all her members that its OK to vote for a bill without a public option.

Really? That theory will now be put to the test — and the initial reactions of the left are not promising for the Speaker and the White House.

Comments

[smitty]

The chief enemy of all of this Progressivism is scrutiny.
The more eyes on the agenda, the more a dog's ass it looks.
The agenda, in the light of the national debt, looks either dimwitted or diabolical or both, depending on where in the chain of command you focus.
The problem for the GOP will be to do its own hard pivot and wind up on a Federalist road.

[irongrampa]

So sue me for the OT, but I want to wish you a VERY Merry Christmas, Mr. Riehl, plus thank you for the teriffic job you've done with the blog.

And while we're at it, Merry Christmas and THANK YOU to our troops who cannot be home. Safe home, all.

[Dan Riehl]

Thank you, IG. Merry Christmas to you and yours, as well. Much appreciated.

[templar knight]

Merry Christmas, Dan, and merry Christmas to all my fellow commenters, most of whom are much more intelligent than I am. I wish you and your families the best. After the new year, we had best get around to saving our nation, so enjoy this holiday time.

[Dan Riehl]

Merry Christmas, TK! Thank you, my friend.

[Ashen]

Merry Christmas Mr. Riehl and posters too! Thx for keepin the fire lit in these dark times. Should this bill be signed law, it is my hope that we will redouble our efforts and get it repealed. God Bless the troops!!

[mariner]

It's already being reported that the conference committee will consist of Reid and Pelosi, who will present the changed measures for approval of their respective houses.

[Steven Den Beste]

From what that guy wrote, it sounds like the Senate bill will be sent to the House as-is, who (Reid hopes) will approve it.

But if that's the way it happens, then I think it would be unconstitutional. Any bill which raises revenue has to begin in the House. That's in Article I. This bill contains new taxes, so it cannot originate in the Senate.

Have I missed something? (Besides the fact that the Democrats don't give a damn about Constitutional limits on their power?)

[Dan Riehl]

That's correct, Steven. But the, just as with Senate Rules becoming procedures, perhaps tax increases will simply become fees? For all their talk of a living Constitution, they seem intent on killing it. So who knows?

[Andrew]

Merry Christmas to all.

Tom Coburn has sworn to either defeat this bill or work tirelessly to have it repealed in later Congress'. I say we stand behind Senator Coburn. He may not be successful this year or next, but he must be successful in the end.

Damn, I love my Senator!!!!

Signed: Redneck Okie from Morris, OK.