http://newsmax.com/InsideCover/pelosi-healthcare-bill-votes/2010/01/21/id/347584?s=al&promo_code=95E6-1
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she lacks the votes to quickly move the Senate's sweeping health overhaul bill through the House, a potentially devastating blow to President Barack Obama's signature issue.
Her concession meant there was little hope for a White House-backed plan to quickly push the Senate-approved health bill through the House, followed by a separate measure making changes sought by House members, such as easing the Senate's tax on higher-cost health plans. Such an approach would be "problematic," she said.
"In its present form without any changes I don't think it's possible to pass the Senate bill in the House," Pelosi said, adding, "I don't see the votes for it at this time."
Pelosi's remarks signaled that advancing health legislation through Congress will likely be a lengthy process — despite Democrats' desire for a quick election-year pivot to address jobs and the economy, which polls show are the public's top concern.
That's the best news I've had all day today.
Having the House pass the Senate bill unchanged was the best chance the Democrats had to quickly and easily pass ObamaCare. I didn't think they'd have the votes to do that, but you can never be sure. It's nice to know I was right, and nice to know that yet another "move forward" method has been nixed.
So, what's left? They can either let the House modify it and try to use reconciliation in the Senate, but I don't think that will work, either... not all of the bill can legally fit under reconciliation. They CAN abandon the bills and start from scratch with smaller bills offering targeted solutions to specific problems. But that isn't incredibly likely either.
They could ALSO continue the process, send it back to the Senate, and try to scrounge up another vote to replace Brown.
At this moment in time, I don't see a clear path to passage for the Democrats. They tried too hard to make the bill as liberal as they could get away with, and it all seems to be falling apart now that they've lost that 60th vote. Even the wishy-washer Senators like Olympia Snowe don't seem eager to play ball, especially after having been burned once by them. That's one drawback to the methods the Democrats have been using over the past year.
If there's a way to get their ObamaCare passed, I don't see it right now. Let's keep watching and see what they do.
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