Earlier today we found out that things weren't exactly as they seemed last night with regard to the Senate parliamentarian's supposed ruling on the order in which the health insurance reform and reconciliation bills had to be considered.
Now things are getting muddied again:
Now, however, House Dem leaders appear to have adopted the former view. At her presser today, in a reference to the president, Nancy Pelosi said:
“People would rather he waited until the Senate acted, but the Senate Parliamentarian said in order for them to do a reconciliation based on the Senate bill, it must be signed by the President.”
Separately, on the House floor today, Eric Cantor pressed Steny Hoyer on the issue, asking Hoyer whether it’s his position that the Senate bill “must be signed into law before the Senate can even take up the reconciliation package.”
“I think the gentleman correctly states the Senate parliamentarian’s position,” Hoyer replied.
Well, no. The gentleman likely did not state the Senate parliamentarian's position correctly, at least if he thinks the position is that the Senate bill must be signed into law first.
If the House no longer needs the Senate to pass the reconciliation bill first in order to corral House votes for the Senate health insurance reform bill, then that's one thing. That was the whole aim of laying out this strategy, and if it's not necessary right now, that puts things in a different light.
But House Democratic leaders should not concede to the Republican position on this, if only to preserve the ability to use this procedure in the future should it ever prove necessary. There's no reason in the world to surrender this weapon if it's available to you. You don't have to use it if it's unnecessary, but you should never concede its legitimacy. That's just foolish.