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TUESDAY WITH TYLER: TAG! YOU'RE IT!
Most Americans have played the game "hide and seek" at some point in life. Well, folks, we are now playing the biggest "hide and seek" game we ever played, but be careful, the rules are changing as we chase the ever elusive dreams of reasonable, affordable healthcare and good government.
President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have teamed up to shout to the American people: Tag! You're it!
When the game began, the American people shouted loudly to our anointed leaders in Washington DC that they were not happy with the existing proposals and wanted the elected demigods to start over.
As the game started, the U.S. Senate needed 60 votes to pass the proposed healthcare legislation. Whoa, Reid and Obama shouted, we are changing the rules -- only 51 votes are needed in the Senate to pass a "reconciliation" agreement with the House of Representatives.
The House balked at passing the Senate version of the legislation, so its Democratic leader Pelosi apparently also wanted to change the rules. Since the House couldn't agree on a compromise, Congress needed some new rules to elude the American people.
Snooker! Snooker! House Democrats shouted, recalling their upbringing with billiard sticks.
U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., then alerted "We the People" to yet another pitfall: "Don't trip on the leprechaun" as St. Patrick's Day approaches.
Nunes, a member of the House Budget Committee, said the rules were changing again as the panel began the "reconciliation" process -- without a bill to consider or a Congressional Budget Office analysis of how much the legislation would cost American taxpayers.
"You're more likely to see a leprechaun on St. Patrick's Day than to see this bill," Nunes told Fox News. "Maybe they [Democrats] can get their leprechaun out to discuss this."
Chris Wallace unraveled the new rules-change plot on Sunday while interviewing Democratic point man Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, pinch-hitting for Pelosi on "Fox News Sunday." Van Hollen, leader of the Democrats' November re-election efforts, faced off with Rep Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, on the matter of how the healthcare legislation would pass.
Obama, Pelosi, D-Calif., and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs had triumphantly said the phantom "reform" measure no one has seen would pass this week.
Van Hollen hinted at a new rules change to achieve passage -- and members of Congress would not need to vote on the healthcare "reform" bill.
Most likely, the main thorn in the side of House members -- whose seats are all at stake in the November midterm elections -- is the abortion issue. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., and 11 other Democratic congressmen apparently are adamant about legislation wording that would enforce the 33-year-old "Hyde Amendment" that prohibits taxpayer spending for abortions.
WALLACE: Will Democrats find some - not rhetoric, but some legislative way to guarantee no federal money for abortions?
VAN HOLLEN: Absolutely. In fact, the Senate bill already does that.
What the Senate bill says ...
WALLACE: Well, you know that a lot - in fact, Democrat Bart Stupak says that's not true.
VAN HOLLEN: But what Bart Stupak is saying, really, is you can't use your own money to purchase a health insurance plan that provides for reproductive health coverage including abortion.
WALLACE: No, he's saying you have to buy a completely separate policy.
VAN HOLLEN: But what the - what the Senate - what the Senate version says is that you have to write a check with your own money to the extent that you want to purchase additional coverage that covers reproductive services.
WALLACE: But you're not going to go beyond the Senate language.
VAN HOLLEN: I don't - I don't believe we're going to go beyond the Senate language, but I know there are ongoing discussions that have been taking place. ...
Wallace asked if Democrats were still considering the possibility of a rule proffered by Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y, chairwoman of the House Rules Committee, in which the House could vote for the rule and you wouldn't have to vote up or down on the Senate bill.
VAN HOLLEN: Well, let's make it clear. We're going to have an up-or- down vote, whether it's up or down on the Senate bill or up or down on a procedure that would include passage of the Senate bill, recognizing that we're amending the Senate bill. ..."
WALLACE: What assurance do you need from the Senate that they will take up the House reconciliation fix-it bill before you'll vote on it?
VAN HOLLEN: We need some absolute guarantees from the Senate. We need to be absolutely assured that at least 51 senators there will support the package of changes. Whether that takes the...
WALLACE: What's an absolute guarantee? What's an absolute guarantee?
VAN HOLLEN: Whether that takes the form of a letter, whether that takes the president of the United States saying that he has conferred with 51 senators and they're all on board - whatever form it takes, it has provide assurances to enough House members that they will follow through, because we want to change the Senate bill. We will be changing the Senate bill."
Cantor, speaking for Republican solidarity on the vote, said, "I think, in the minds of most Americans a direct vote on the Senate bill. I mean, I've got the Constitution right here. It's section one - or article one, section seven that says in all cases the votes of both houses shall be determined by yeas and nays.
And right here, we're seeing a perversion of the rules to go ahead and ram through this trillion-dollar healthcare that's going to - trillion-dollar healthcare bill that's going to change everyone's healthcare care. And it's simply a bill that Americans don't want and we can't afford. ... This is a trillion-dollar bill attempting to overhaul healthcare for every single American that the public has decided that's not the bill for us. Republicans care about healthcare. We want to make sure that positive reform is effected. We don't accept the status quo. We just don't like this bill."
Democrats have some ringers who say they are undecided on the issue, but that would likely mean Stupak and his group would cave and accept the "guarantees" from Pelosi, Reid and Obama that abortion funding would be banned in the final language of phantom legislation that no one has seen.
Votes on rules and procedures have been used regularly in Congress to provide political cover for members. They can go back to their states and districts and say they voted on a rule or procedure change and not on the substantive legislation. It is a comfort zone between what they actually DO in Washington and what they tell their constituents.
Americans, beware, you might hear "Tag! You're it" or you just might get snookered.
President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have teamed up to shout to the American people: Tag! You're it!
When the game began, the American people shouted loudly to our anointed leaders in Washington DC that they were not happy with the existing proposals and wanted the elected demigods to start over.
As the game started, the U.S. Senate needed 60 votes to pass the proposed healthcare legislation. Whoa, Reid and Obama shouted, we are changing the rules -- only 51 votes are needed in the Senate to pass a "reconciliation" agreement with the House of Representatives.
The House balked at passing the Senate version of the legislation, so its Democratic leader Pelosi apparently also wanted to change the rules. Since the House couldn't agree on a compromise, Congress needed some new rules to elude the American people.
Snooker! Snooker! House Democrats shouted, recalling their upbringing with billiard sticks.
U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., then alerted "We the People" to yet another pitfall: "Don't trip on the leprechaun" as St. Patrick's Day approaches.
Nunes, a member of the House Budget Committee, said the rules were changing again as the panel began the "reconciliation" process -- without a bill to consider or a Congressional Budget Office analysis of how much the legislation would cost American taxpayers.
"You're more likely to see a leprechaun on St. Patrick's Day than to see this bill," Nunes told Fox News. "Maybe they [Democrats] can get their leprechaun out to discuss this."
Chris Wallace unraveled the new rules-change plot on Sunday while interviewing Democratic point man Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, pinch-hitting for Pelosi on "Fox News Sunday." Van Hollen, leader of the Democrats' November re-election efforts, faced off with Rep Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, on the matter of how the healthcare legislation would pass.
Obama, Pelosi, D-Calif., and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs had triumphantly said the phantom "reform" measure no one has seen would pass this week.
Van Hollen hinted at a new rules change to achieve passage -- and members of Congress would not need to vote on the healthcare "reform" bill.
Most likely, the main thorn in the side of House members -- whose seats are all at stake in the November midterm elections -- is the abortion issue. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., and 11 other Democratic congressmen apparently are adamant about legislation wording that would enforce the 33-year-old "Hyde Amendment" that prohibits taxpayer spending for abortions.
WALLACE: Will Democrats find some - not rhetoric, but some legislative way to guarantee no federal money for abortions?
VAN HOLLEN: Absolutely. In fact, the Senate bill already does that.
What the Senate bill says ...
WALLACE: Well, you know that a lot - in fact, Democrat Bart Stupak says that's not true.
VAN HOLLEN: But what Bart Stupak is saying, really, is you can't use your own money to purchase a health insurance plan that provides for reproductive health coverage including abortion.
WALLACE: No, he's saying you have to buy a completely separate policy.
VAN HOLLEN: But what the - what the Senate - what the Senate version says is that you have to write a check with your own money to the extent that you want to purchase additional coverage that covers reproductive services.
WALLACE: But you're not going to go beyond the Senate language.
VAN HOLLEN: I don't - I don't believe we're going to go beyond the Senate language, but I know there are ongoing discussions that have been taking place. ...
Wallace asked if Democrats were still considering the possibility of a rule proffered by Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y, chairwoman of the House Rules Committee, in which the House could vote for the rule and you wouldn't have to vote up or down on the Senate bill.
VAN HOLLEN: Well, let's make it clear. We're going to have an up-or- down vote, whether it's up or down on the Senate bill or up or down on a procedure that would include passage of the Senate bill, recognizing that we're amending the Senate bill. ..."
WALLACE: What assurance do you need from the Senate that they will take up the House reconciliation fix-it bill before you'll vote on it?
VAN HOLLEN: We need some absolute guarantees from the Senate. We need to be absolutely assured that at least 51 senators there will support the package of changes. Whether that takes the...
WALLACE: What's an absolute guarantee? What's an absolute guarantee?
VAN HOLLEN: Whether that takes the form of a letter, whether that takes the president of the United States saying that he has conferred with 51 senators and they're all on board - whatever form it takes, it has provide assurances to enough House members that they will follow through, because we want to change the Senate bill. We will be changing the Senate bill."
Cantor, speaking for Republican solidarity on the vote, said, "I think, in the minds of most Americans a direct vote on the Senate bill. I mean, I've got the Constitution right here. It's section one - or article one, section seven that says in all cases the votes of both houses shall be determined by yeas and nays.
And right here, we're seeing a perversion of the rules to go ahead and ram through this trillion-dollar healthcare that's going to - trillion-dollar healthcare bill that's going to change everyone's healthcare care. And it's simply a bill that Americans don't want and we can't afford. ... This is a trillion-dollar bill attempting to overhaul healthcare for every single American that the public has decided that's not the bill for us. Republicans care about healthcare. We want to make sure that positive reform is effected. We don't accept the status quo. We just don't like this bill."
Democrats have some ringers who say they are undecided on the issue, but that would likely mean Stupak and his group would cave and accept the "guarantees" from Pelosi, Reid and Obama that abortion funding would be banned in the final language of phantom legislation that no one has seen.
Votes on rules and procedures have been used regularly in Congress to provide political cover for members. They can go back to their states and districts and say they voted on a rule or procedure change and not on the substantive legislation. It is a comfort zone between what they actually DO in Washington and what they tell their constituents.
Americans, beware, you might hear "Tag! You're it" or you just might get snookered.
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