Simple Question: Why Are Democrats In the Senate Wasting Time with Republicans In Committee?

[berni_mccoy]

I have no idea why they don't just abandon the process that involves Republicans and pass the equivalent of HR 3200 using reconciliation. This ought to be what is done. It can be done in a matter of days. At the current pace, it's going to take weeks, if not months to hammer out the current Senate bill in committee.

[DefenseLawyer]

1. It's called cover.

Democrats are blocking reform. Republican are happy about it, but they have little impact on the process. (A few key) Democrats are blocking reform. Period.

[leftstreet]

4. +1

[librechik]

2. Becasue the Republicans have the testicles of the Blue Dogs safely in their purses.

[thunder rising]

3. There are problems with reconciliation. Next, Baucus (Sen OwnedByPharma) needs the backup.

I just saw that as plain as day when he voted with the Republicans to protect pharma from negotiating their prices.

[BlooInBloo]

5. Ezra Klein, Digby, and Yglesias have all been very good on how the Senate...

has become a key choke point for prospects of getting anything good done in American government. It's been a 50 or so year long process.

[RDANGELO]

6. They have to make it look like a bipartisan effort.

The majority of the public thinks that this should be a bipartisan effort, even though most of the Republicans want nothing close to what the Democrats are crafting and trying to block the legislation. In the end, the Dems can say they tried.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

7. Testing the theorem:

pig + lipstick = ?

[Tblizzard]

8. Why entertain the amendments?

545 amendments are you kidding me? This whole process is going to take months if the dems continue to take this obvious republican ploy to kill the bill. I hope the senate finance bill gets scrapped altogether in conference.