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Nuclear Option In Health Care Reform

Fri., Feb 26

After yesterday's Healthcare Summit at the Blair House, Democrats are now considering Reconciliation to help reform move along over objections.

What is Reconciliation? Excerpt below from http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/health-care-reform-democrats-debate-reconciliation-republicans-cry/story\?id=9932649 "Reconciliation -- also called the "nuclear option" these days by Republicans -- is a legislative procedure for passing budget-specific policy without the possibility of filibusters, which require 60 Senate votes to overcome.

Instead, reconciliation allows for a simple majority vote on bills, which would effectively allow Senate Democrats to pass through health care reform legislation over the unanimous opposition of the GOP.

Established in 1974, reconciliation's original purpose was to allow Congress to make taxing and spending adjustments in order to close gaps in previously approved budgets. In 1985, lawmakers tried to eliminate loopholes in the legislation by passing the Byrd rule, which prohibits the use of reconciliation on any legislation that does not produce a change in expenditures or revenues."

So finger pointing continues. Republicans call foul as Reconciliation was not intended to be used for something like Health Care reform. Democrats counter that Reconciliation has been used 19 times in the past mostly by Republicans and 9 of the 19 times touched upon health care issues. Republicans further counter that this use effects 17% of our economy...

Whether the use of Reconciliation in this instance is a correct utilization of this statute will be up for debate for a long time to come. But perhaps we should be concerned that divisive political moves by either side only further separates and makes compromise and outcome even more distant.

Everyone seems to agree that at the end of the day, week, year or term, it is the voters who decide.