End run by Dems is a travesty
Mar. 18, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic .
Last Sunday, The Arizona Republic published a brief editorial chiding Democrats in the U.S. House for considering an elusive, patently preposterous method for passing their epic health-care legislation.
In point of fact, we did not believe at the time they were serious. We saw desperation. A grasping at straws. A passionate willingness to consider any means necessary, even something like "deeming" - a sleight of hand that in theory might leave no fingerprints.
But we did not truly believe the Congress of the United States ever would attempt to pass a measure reconfiguring an entire sector of the American economy by obscure parliamentary trickery. Without a real vote on the measure at hand.
We thought they would come to their senses. They have not. Aghast, astonished and still agog at the brass on display, we can only say . . . this . . . is . . . not . . . right.
In one of the more memorable acknowledgements in this historic fight over health-care reform, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that "nobody wanted to vote for the Senate bill." That may be the case, but it does not justify this end run.
The intent of the Democrats is to vote to pass a package of amendments to the Senate legislation passed on Christmas Eve. Once the amendments bill is passed, Pelosi intends to invoke a "self-executing rule" to "deem" the legislation on which the amendments is based - the Senate bill - passed, sans vote.
Their mission is to throw a thick cloud of smoke over events, thus giving (make that, attempting to give) reluctant Democratic members of Congress plausible deniability regarding their vote.
The Democrats' majority leader, Rep. Steny Hoyer, insists the practice "is consistent with the rules" and is "consistent with former practice." It is neither, if by rules and "former practice" one means abandoning a clear Constitutional expectation that a bill should pass by vote of both houses of Congress, especially a bill costing trillions and impacting one-sixth of the nation's economy.
The tactic has been employed by both parties but never regarding anything nearly this substantive. Indeed, Democrats, including Pelosi, took Republicans to court in 2005 to oppose its use. They said it was unconstitutional. They were outraged. Really.
Any vote in support of an abomination like this "self-executing rule" should be viewed for what it is: an abdication of responsibility regarding the most significant social legislation in 70 years. It will not provide the cover Pelosi thinks. We will see the fingerprints.
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