New post at the Des Moines Register Politics Blog. The upcoming Feb. 25 bipartisan health care reform summit looks like showdown time. Will the Democratic House and Senate conferees get their shit together and offer a compromise bill? What, if anything will the Republican leadership offer and how will they defend it?
The Democratic Party cannot go into the midterm elections with health care reform undone. If it comes down to it, they will go with the budget reconciliation process and let the chips fall. But they absolutely cannot let the best chance to get this done in 50 years slip through their fingers. The question the GOP has to ask themselves, when push comes to shove are they going to remain 100% in opposition when the most important social welfare legislation since Medicare gets done? The original Medicare bill got 17 Republican votes in the Senate and 70 in the House, by the way.
