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‘DEMS WILL REBEL’: Newt’s Reaction to Dean’s Hint Senate Dems May Try to Pass Obamacare on Procedural Issue
By PoliJAM | August 9, 2009
Appearing on ABC’s ‘This Week’ with George Stephanopoulos, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) shoots down former DNC Chairman Howard Dean’s suggestion that only 51 Senate votes are needed to pass President Obama’s health care plan.
Saying that such a move by the Senate was “clearly designed for budget items,” Gingrich predicted that Senate Democrats would “rebel” if Democratic leaders tried to ram through a plan that rewrites 17 percent of the economy by overriding a filibuster on a procedural issue.
Share ThisSTEPHANOPOULOS: Well, but you need 60 votes to get it through.
DEAN: We need 51 votes.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So you’re saying…
(CROSSTALK)
GINGRICH: But if you want to see why the — why a substantial number of Americans are very frightened, that’s a good example. The Senate rules on passing reconciliation were clearly designed for budget items.
If we’re now going to try to rewrite 17 percent of the economy, life and death for every American, by pretending that massive health reform is a reconciliation item and ramming it through with 51 votes, first of all, I don’t think — I think a lot of Senate Democrats will rebel. I think the idea of stripping the Senate of its ability as a Senate to operate with some sense of discretion and ramming through something on this size will go down very badly with many senators, will go down very badly with much of the country.
But I — I talked to Senator Grassley as — as late as yesterday, and he made quite clear that he believes there will be no government plan and there will be no rationing in any bill that the Senate passes and that he would certainly not in any way support that. And I think Grassley’s very key to Republicans.
Topics: Politics | 1 Comment »
August 19th, 2009 at 1:08 am
[...] House Speaker Newt Gingrich said two Sundays ago, that if such a move were to be made by the Democrats, I think a lot of Senate Democrats will rebel. [...]