Jack & Jill Politics

I have no idea whether the president will or won't say what progressives claim they want him to say but I predict that even if he comes out and says “Pass the damn bill” to the House they will still make up some other excuse not to do it. They could have taken the air out of the Scott Brown hysteria the next day by simply passing the senate bill and having it on the president's desk in hours; instead, they went into full freakout mode because they care more about political cover than demonstrating the political will to get something done. So now, after doing the Chicken Little Dance for over a week, they finally settle on their alibi: claim you'll do it IF the senate passes fixes through reconciliation AND IF the president tells them to in the SOTU speech. And instead of demanding the House stop prolonging this charade and finish health care quickly so we can get on to other pressing matters, what do we do? We swallow it hook, line and sinker.

I'm not calling the White House.
The problem is the Senate.
FUCK HARRY REID.

MSNBC reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she can get the votes to pass a health care bill in the House if it is paired with changes to the legislation by the Senate.

John Harwood of The New York Times and MSNBC says he was told by Pelosi in an interview that she can get the 218 votes needed to get a bill through the House.

Part of the deal would be that the Senate would have to pass changes in the bill through the reconciliation process, which would not require overcoming a filibuster.

MSNBC: Pelosi can get votes to pass health care bill with Senate changes