I wrote the below in answer to a tidbit in "Today's Papers" over at Slate, today's round-up also citing another columnist furthering the "Obama's no long bipartisan" meme in charming fashion. After all, it's almost April!
It also came to me that it took years to develop the New Deal, and that after FDR was elected years after the stock market crash, and decades of progressive activity that included multiple constitutional amendments. That is, it took a lot of time and popular development, that -- some noise notwithstanding -- isn't really there yet. [see here]
[Sen. Gregg] also said that a Democratic proposal to use reconciliation, a budget procedure that would allow a measure to pass without significant Republican support, to pass health care reform was akin to an "act of violence against the system here in the Senate."
This procedure would require a simple majority (of a body already undemocratic given the two senator rule) to pass various budget proposals. The alternative would be a filibuster. This would allow a handful of Republicans to block economic measures even if nearly every Democrat supported it. That is, five can block 54 (one seat still open).
And, even then, you would not need "significant" support, since a handful of Republicans and conservative Democrats could pass the measures. Recall the stimulus bill required three. Once the farce in MN is finished, you might not even need that many. Still, it is nice that Gregg is standing on principle. Now ...
While Republicans seem to be experiencing a particular form of political amnesia from the Bush years, they ought to be reminded that budget reconciliation has been used by several other presidents, including Clinton and Reagan. In fact, Republicans — with Bond and Gregg among the leaders of the charge — were instrumental in pushing through key provisions of their signature legislative agenda, the Contract with America, using budget reconciliation.
Once upon a time, Gregg's sentiments were: "The president asked for it, and we’re trying to do what the president asked for." Oh well. Good he had a conversion experience.
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* The op-ed against Obama's actions regarding G.M. had a charming tidbit:
Fully one-half of the company’s unionized work force has been laid off or taken buyout packages, and the U.A.W. has agreed to a two-tier wage system in which new workers make only $15 an hour. Just a few years ago that would have been unimaginable.This is deemed a good thing.