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Here comes the Democrats using an arcane "Deem 'n Pass" bit of legislative trickery that's likely unconstitutional. If you haven't read up on this Slaughter Maneuver, the Wall Street Journal will fill you in...

We're not sure American schools teach civics any more, but once upon a time they taught that under the U.S. Constitution a bill had to pass both the House and Senate to become law. Until this week, that is, when Speaker Nancy Pelosi is moving to merely "deem" that the House has passed the Senate health-care bill and then send it to President Obama to sign anyway.

Under the "reconciliation" process that began yesterday afternoon, the House is supposed to approve the Senate's Christmas Eve bill and then use "sidecar" amendments to fix the things it doesn't like. Those amendments would then go to the Senate under rules that would let Democrats pass them while avoiding the ordinary 60-vote threshold for passing major legislation. This alone is an abuse of traditional Senate process.

But Mrs. Pelosi & Co. fear they lack the votes in the House to pass an identical Senate bill, even with the promise of these reconciliation fixes. House Members hate the thought of going on record voting for the Cornhusker kickback and other special-interest bribes that were added to get this mess through the Senate, as well as the new tax on high-cost insurance plans that Big Labor hates.

So at the Speaker's command, New York Democrat Louise Slaughter, who chairs the House Rules Committee, may insert what's known as a "self-executing rule," also known as a "hereby rule." Under this amazing procedural ruse, the House would then vote only once on the reconciliation corrections, but not on the underlying Senate bill. If those reconciliation corrections pass, the self-executing rule would say that the Senate bill is presumptively approved by the House—even without a formal up-or-down vote on the actual words of the Senate bill.

Democrats would thus send the Senate bill to President Obama for his signature even as they claimed to oppose the same Senate bill. They would be declaring themselves to be for and against the Senate bill in the same vote. Even John Kerry never went that far with his Iraq war machinations. As we went to press, the precise mechanics that Democrats will use remained unclear, though yesterday Mrs. Pelosi endorsed this "deem and pass" strategy in a meeting with left-wing bloggers. [emphasis mine -ed.]

There's plenty of outrage against this tricky-dick procedure.

Remember this: Democrats have enough House members to easily pass the Senate bill without having to resort to this unseemly mess. Why can't they?

I'll tell you why. Discounting pure idiots like Kucinich (who thinks this current version of ObamaCare doesn't go nearly far enough) there are actually some Democrats who are not far-left ideologues; some Democrats who aren't enamored with the ham-fisted techniques Nancy Pelosi and her 'whips' are employing.

Again: if all the Democrats voted 'yes', this would become law.

Obama has lost his mojo.

Thanks to them, the sensible Democrats, and to the TEA Party throngs, it's not.

Oh, and try Nancy Pelosi for treason ? Why not?




Finally, this bit of hilarity in my e-mail box moments ago...


Yes, Tim Kaine, whatever I can do to help you pass 'health reform'.

Anytime,asshole.

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