New front in healthcare war: Procedure votes

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http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/65723-new-front-in-healthcare-war-procedure-votes

A fight over Senate procedural votes on healthcare reform holds dangers for both parties.

Republicans this week warned they’ll consider procedural motions that move the healthcare reform bill forward as votes on the substance of the bill.

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Procedural votes have long been used in campaign attack ads and are always a battleground in the Senate, but this time the debate will echo far beyond the beltway.

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Democrats warn they can play the game of scoring procedural votes as well.

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Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) noted on Thursday that 13 Republicans had recently cast votes against extending unemployment benefits. Many of them represent states with more than 10 percent unemployment.

“Does that mean they don’t care about unemployment, if procedural votes are substantive votes?” Durbin said. “Last week when they voted against cloture on providing money for troops, that they in fact don’t want our troops to receive that money? Senator McConnell better be careful. If that’s the standard he wants to use, some members of his caucus have some explaining to do.”