The Washington Independent » obama senate speech

Durbin Explains Why the Democrats Won’t Use Reconciliation

Mike Lillis — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:25:14 +0000

With Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) threatening to kill health insurance reform legislation unless it’s diluted considerably, liberals nationwide are urging Democrats to side-step Lieberman by using the budget reconciliation process, which would allow them to pass parts of the bill with a simple majority vote of 51.

This morning, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) told MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough why party leaders won’t go that route.

Scarborough: Why don’t you blow the whole place up and just say majority rules, 51 is enough?

Durbin: We’ve been blowing things up on this issue for decades, and as a result, we’ve accomplished nothing. Reconciliation is a very spare and thin process with limited opportunities. For example, no insurance reform if we do reconciliation. We won’t give American consumers the tools that they need to fight back against the health insurance companies.

And I think they understand, as we do, that’s a very, very important element in this package.

Decrying Washington, Obama Returns for Bailout Vote

Ari Melber — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:17:53 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC — Sen. Barack Obama returned to Washington on Wednesday night to back the bailout package, both with his vote and his rhetoric, as the Democratic nominee took to the Senate floor asking his colleagues in both parties to pass the controversial measure.

Obama stepped out of his van on Capitol Hill at 4:22pm, talking on a cell phone, and ignored a journalist’s question about what he would do to recruit more votes for the bailout. “He waved at us and said nothing,” wrote the reporter on pool duty.

Soon Obama was on the Senate floor, offering a wonky reprisal of his economic stump speech. The well-timed address is not designed to move votes. Unlike the House, the Senate vote is expected to back the bill by a wide margin. That’s partly because unlike the House, the vast majority of Senators are not up for reelection next month. Thus constituents who oppose the bailout have less leverage on the Senate side. Of course, Obama is aiming for the largest constituency of all, and still bucking public opinion today.