Senate Democratic Leadership Will Pass Health Care Reform “By Any Legislative Means Necessary”
Thursday, August 20, 2009

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Amidst questions of whether or not any Senate Republicans will support a health care reform bill, Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., today said that the “White House and the Senate Democratic leadership still prefer a bipartisan bill.”

The Reid spokesman said that “neither the White House nor the leadership have made a decision to pursue reconciliation,” the somewhat controversial legislative process by which a bill is introduced in such a manner so that it requires merely 50 votes instead of 60 to proceed to a vote, thus removing the threat of filibuster.

Manley said that “we will not make a decision to pursue reconciliation until we have exhausted efforts to produce a bipartisan bill.”

“However,” he cautioned, “patience is not unlimited and we are determined to get something done this year by any legislative means necessary.”

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The spokesman was purposefully invoking the famous quote "by any means necessary," popularized by Malcolm X (demanding the rights of African-Americans to be respected in society), though it is thought to have originally been penned by French existentialist Jean Paul Sartre in his play about assassination “Dirty Hands” (in a line demanding the end of class).

Another interesting question: will Senate Democrats even have 50 votes?

You cannot start out assuming Democrats have their full 60-vote majority, since Sens. Robert Byrd of Virginia and Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts are so infirm.

So start with 58.

Then take out those who have expressed reservations if not opposition to a the inclusion of a public plan: Sens. Kent Conrad (ND), Ben Nelson (NE), Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor of Arkansas. Maybe Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.

Now you’re down to 53. And the pressure from outside interest groups and the insurance industry hasn’t even really begun yet.

On the other hand, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, organized a letter of 28 Senators demanding a public option.

So do Senate Democratic leaders have the votes for a bill with a public option?

Do they have the votes for a bill without one?

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