Reid: We Have The Votes

by: Chris Bowers

Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 15:40


Details are still sketchy, but it appears that the stimulus bill has newfound momentum, and without any of the Collins-Nelson cuts:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters Thursday that he has enough votes to pass a more than $900 billion stimulus bill out of the Senate.

Reid said he believes at least two Republicans of "good will" would support the Democratic-crafted package.

"Do we have the votes? We believe we do," said Reid, who expects a final vote on the package will be held on Thursday.(...)

Democratic leaders also cast doubt on an effort negotiated by centrists such as Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) to strip as much as $200 billion from the bill.

If this is true, it is great news.

In addition to the Democratic leadership's claims, I don't see any way that the Collins-Nelson cuts could have made it into the bill since the committee markups last week. No amendments have passed that include those cuts, at least yet. It is possible that the Nelson-Collins cuts will once again rear their head during the conference session between the House and the Senate, and perhaps some votes were secured by promising to make substantial cuts during the conference sessions. However, that is purely speculation on my part. Anyway, even if no promises were made, the conference session was always going to be a big fight, as Kagro X describes very well.

Maybe just a couple more days of arm-twisting was needed to pass the economic recovery plan at the $800 billion to $900 billion size. Perhaps we are about to score a big victory. Here is to hoping!

Chris Bowers :: Reid: We Have The Votes

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Reid: We Have The Votes | 18 comments
good news (0.00 / 0)
imagine if we had franken and kennedy and maybe newman

we could extend a big fat finger to the gop

I don't think so. (4.00 / 1)
I think the Vichy Dems still would find a way.  We would need 65 votes.
[ Parent ]
65 with franken & co.? (0.00 / 0)
then what happens now?
[ Parent ]
conference (0.00 / 0)
can someone explain how will the conference be organized?
Conference Committees (4.00 / 2)
are appointed by the leaderships of both houses.  They generally include the Chair and ranking members of each committee with jurisdiction plus selected members of those committees.  The leadership generally picks committee members they know will vote their way.

Conference committees reconcile the House and Senate versions of the bill.  If the two bills have different versions of the same provision they work out a compromise or accept one houses language.  A provision in one bill but not the other can be kept, modified or dumped.  Technically conference committees are not supposed to add new provisions but sometimes they do because there are ways to suspend the rules preventing it.  

I think if we can keep the Nelson-Collins amendments from making it into the Senate bill we should be in good shape on that front because that would be adding new provisions and would require suspend normal rules for conference reports upon consideration on the floor.  The leadership in both houses would probably like to avoid that b/c it will give amo to the Rs.
 

[ Parent ]
thanks (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
Bet Dollar to Doughnuts [I think that's the saying...] (0.00 / 0)
Ben Nelson and quite a few of his allies will be in the Conference Committee.

Reid often uses Nelson's [heavy hitting appropriation] skills to beat down the House.

Nelson May Hold Key to Conference [2007]
http://www.rollcall.com/issues...

oh here is Nelson 'before' the election talking about what he wants in a stimulus bill.  Let's see what happens.

http://bennelson.senate.gov/ne...

[ Parent ]
If Nelson Is Good At Conference Committees (0.00 / 0)
that maybe true since the House tends to do better in conference committees.  However, if Nelson can't get his changes in the Senate version he is going to have a hard time doing it in conference.  I am not saying it won't happen but that will be a tougher place to do it especially since the House is not going to want to reduce the size of the stimulus.
[ Parent ]
great news indeed. (4.00 / 1)

credit obama? (0.00 / 0)

too soon? (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
if he gets his bill passed, (4.00 / 1)
are we going to give him any credit on this site, or are we then going to talk about how much we don't like Summers again?
[ Parent ]
Prolly both (4.00 / 3)
You can hold two thoughts in your head simultaneously, right?

"It sounds wrong...
     ...but its right."
[ Parent ]
No (0.00 / 0)
As one of the panickers, I'm not sure we can hold two thoughts in our collective heads.

Conduct your own interview of Sarah Palin!
[ Parent ]
I'll give him credit (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
lol (4.00 / 1)
we'll end up crediting ourselves for making enough of a stink to push the Democrats to get it passed.
[ Parent ]
Great news! (4.00 / 1)
msnbc is all over the centrists:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29...

Senate moderates from both political parties worked to cut up to $100 billion from economic stimulus legislation and clear the way for the bill's passage as President Barack Obama urged lawmakers to "rise to the moment."

They love that story.

i hope you're right and Reid is also.

obama (4.00 / 1)
He rejected the argument that more tax cuts are needed in the plan and that piecemeal measures would be sufficient.

good

[ Parent ]
Reid: We Have The Votes | 18 comments





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