House and Senate Democrats are "almost certain" to sidestep a formal conference committee and negotiate informally to reconcile the health-care reform bills they have passed, two top congressional staffers told The New Republic. By "ping-ponging" the legislation back and forth, Democrats reportedly hope to avoid a series of procedural steps requiring votes and full debates that Republicans could use to delay negotiations. Would forgoing a conference committee shut out Republicans, or just save time before an inevitable showdown over the final vote? (Watch Republican leaders sound off on health care.)
This exposes Democrats' hypocrisy: The idea here is to bypass public hearings and exclude Republicans from negotiations to save a little time, says Ed Morrissey in Hot Air. But to do so House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and President Obama will have to break promises to end "backroom deals" in Washington. And for what? They'll never avoid a filibuster on a final vote unless the House accepts the Senate version of the bill, which has no public insurance option.
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