[lbo-talk] How to make the Senate a majority rule institutioninone day

[Carrol Cox]

No one, in e ither party,_wants_ a real health bill. And no one on this 
list has produced an iota of evidence that either party does. It is just
assumed that the DP senators want, really want, a real health bill, and
that the only thing between them and their heart's desire is a
technicality which, unfortunately, all 51 of them are ignorant of.
(Because if even one Senator, assuming real desire to pass the bill,
knew the technicality, he could easily educate 50 more.

We are seriusly in never-never land in this thread. Wild and unprovable
statements are being made abou the internal psychological motives of 51
people, none of whom any membeer of this list has a personal
acquaintance with. And we have a century of evidence that Democrats will
not bring about substantial social legislation without a gun being
pointed at their heads in the form of disorder in the nation that
threatens to grow unmanageable.

I find particularly bbaffling Michael's statement that "The main point
is convincing people it's entirely possible." Just how are we to do
that? And what would those people do with their knowledge of the
possibility of a rules change? And as I said above, if 51 senators
_really_ want a piece of legislation, and there exists a technique known
to een ONE of them, then all 51 will know it in a day or two. Though I
often disagree with him, Michael is one of the more level-headed persons
on this list and I just can't understand what led him to this wild
adventure. Perhaps he is competeing with Swift, and this should be
entitled, "A Modest Proposal."

Carrol

Joseph Catron wrote:
> 
> On Sat, Jan 23, 2010 at 10:14 AM, Michael Pollak <mpollak at panix.com> wrote:
> 
> The main point is convincing people it's entirely possible and would
> > radically change government for the more democratic.  (It would also be more
> > in tune with the founders intentions according to Tom Geoghegan:
> > http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/opinion/11geoghegan.html
> >
> 
> Michael, upon rereading this article, it occurs to me Harry Reid could
> simply call for a floor vote on a health care bill acceptable to 51
> Senators; declare it passed in violation of Senate Rule 22, on the grounds
> that the latter's supermajority rule violates the Constitution; and defend
> the Senate's case in the courts. The courts, of course, will do as they
> please, but this would, at the very least, beat the hell out of waiting
> until the 112th Congress begins on January 3, 2011 to do anything, if only
> because it's something. And it wouldn't exclude your proposed rules change
> or any number of other options from consideration.
> 
> --
> "Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre, mod sceal þe mare, þe ure mægen
> lytlað."
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