With Senate Dems threatening to force
Republicans to vote on whether to repeal
individual popular provisions in the health reform
law, Senate GOPers are mulling a response: Aides
say they may retaliate by demanding that
Democrats vote on other tax-related individual
provisions in the law that Republicans can paint
as "job killers."
In recent days Republicans have been demanding
that Senate Dems allow a vote on the repeal bill
that the House has already passed. As Brian
Beutler reports, Dems have crafted an aggressive
response: If the GOP persists, they will insist on
votes directly on whether to repeal popular
provisions like the restriction on discrimation
against people with pre-existing conditions.
Now the GOP is preparing their response to the
Dem response. According to a GOP Senate aide,
Republicans may counter by demanding a vote
on whether to repeal provisions disliked by
business, such as the one that imposes an excise
tax on medical device manufacturers. Those
manufacturers have been complaining that this
provision forces them to shoulder an unfair
burden of the cost of expanded health coverage
and could lead to layoffs.
The GOP aide says if Dems try to force votes on
individual provisions, Republicans will respond in
kind. GOP aides are combing through the
legislation to find provisions that they can
demand votes on, should it come to that.
"If Democrats are pushing for political votes on
health care, they can expect the exact same
thing," the aide says. "They don't really want to
go back and forth and relitigate this." The aide
added that Republicans would pick provisions
"that have an impact on jobs."
Translation: Republicans would demand votes on
provisions that serve their larger (and ubiquitous)
message that health reform is a "job killer."
Of course, a lot of this on both sides is bluff and
bluster, a form of brinksmanship designed to
spook the other side into backing off. But if there's
one thing we've learned from the health care
wars, it's that Republicans have not shied away
from procedural fights of this kind. Indeed, they
seem to proceed from the assumption that noisy
process fights help them by tainting the health
law -- and its architects -- with Americans' dislike
of Congress, which is at historic lows.
Source: Http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2011/01/gop_strategy_force_dems_to_vot.html
Republicans to vote on whether to repeal
individual popular provisions in the health reform
law, Senate GOPers are mulling a response: Aides
say they may retaliate by demanding that
Democrats vote on other tax-related individual
provisions in the law that Republicans can paint
as "job killers."
In recent days Republicans have been demanding
that Senate Dems allow a vote on the repeal bill
that the House has already passed. As Brian
Beutler reports, Dems have crafted an aggressive
response: If the GOP persists, they will insist on
votes directly on whether to repeal popular
provisions like the restriction on discrimation
against people with pre-existing conditions.
Now the GOP is preparing their response to the
Dem response. According to a GOP Senate aide,
Republicans may counter by demanding a vote
on whether to repeal provisions disliked by
business, such as the one that imposes an excise
tax on medical device manufacturers. Those
manufacturers have been complaining that this
provision forces them to shoulder an unfair
burden of the cost of expanded health coverage
and could lead to layoffs.
The GOP aide says if Dems try to force votes on
individual provisions, Republicans will respond in
kind. GOP aides are combing through the
legislation to find provisions that they can
demand votes on, should it come to that.
"If Democrats are pushing for political votes on
health care, they can expect the exact same
thing," the aide says. "They don't really want to
go back and forth and relitigate this." The aide
added that Republicans would pick provisions
"that have an impact on jobs."
Translation: Republicans would demand votes on
provisions that serve their larger (and ubiquitous)
message that health reform is a "job killer."
Of course, a lot of this on both sides is bluff and
bluster, a form of brinksmanship designed to
spook the other side into backing off. But if there's
one thing we've learned from the health care
wars, it's that Republicans have not shied away
from procedural fights of this kind. Indeed, they
seem to proceed from the assumption that noisy
process fights help them by tainting the health
law -- and its architects -- with Americans' dislike
of Congress, which is at historic lows.
Source: Http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2011/01/gop_strategy_force_dems_to_vot.html
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