Harry Reid said there were over 100 Republican additions to the Healthcare bill [View All]

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

Must be talking about Senate version(s). I have to assume that most of the additions are designed to dilute the impact and protect the insurance companies, delay activation, provide for triggers, etc. since they are the additions of people who don't want any bill at all if they had their preference.

Here's my question - since they're not going to vote for it anyway, why should we keep their inclusions? We will have a crappier bill due to their input and they will walk away with clean hands after helping to design weak legislation.

If I were Harry Reid, that is what I would do:

I would put every single one of their additions in a separate rider to the bill. If the Repubs vote for the major bill, then the rider can be voted on as well. If they don't vote for the major bill, then it would be clear they were negotiating in bad faith to begin with and we drop the rider and get the better, stronger bill without their dilutions.


It's harder of course to apply the same policy to the Blue Dogs who are doing the work of the Republicans for them.