Democrats Use GOP to Build Case for Reconciliation

Forget all that talk last week that President Obama and the Democrats had no plans to use the legislative tactic of "reconciliation" to force through healthcare reform with a simple one-vote majority in the Senate. Not only do the Democrats plan to use it, but the party is swiftly trying to educate the public on why it's not such a rare procedure.

In an interesting online bid, the Democratic National Committee has spliced together quotes from Republicans and sympathetic pundits who admit that the GOP has been a big fan of the tactic when it has helped the party. Said the DNC today: "As they desperately scramble to paint passing legislation with a simple majority as radical, Republicans want you to forget that they have used reconciliation to pass major pieces of legislation, including the $1.8 trillion Bush tax cut for the wealthiest Americans, with a simple majority in the past and more often than Democrats. And you don't need to take our word for it."

For proof, the DNC released a Web ad called "A Couple of Points on Reconciliation." Here is a link and the transcript they sent Whispers:

DNC VIDEO: "A COUPLE POINTS ON RECONCILIATION"

PUBLIC YOUTUBE LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKgON_kSgGw

MEDIA-ONLY DOWNLOAD LINK: http://my.democrats.org/page/-/video/DNCWebVideo_20100301_A_Couple_Points_On_Reconciliation.mov

SCRIPT:

SEN. TOM COBURN: "I'd make a couple of points on reconciliation." [Face The Nation, 2/28/2010]

CNN: "It's been used 22 times, often on non budget issues by every President since Jimmy Carter." [2/28/2010]

DANA MILIBANK: "Well I think it's been pointed out repeatedly that it's not any particularly radical step." [Reliable Sources, 2/28/2010]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN: "Republicans have used it more when they've been in the majority—16 times. Compare that to the number of times used under Democratic majority, just six times." [3/1/2010]

CHRIS WALLACE: "So the argument 'well, it should be used for, you know, small budgetary matters ...' The fact is it's been used 22 times and two-thirds of the time, by Republicans not Democrats." [Fox News Sunday, 2/28/2010]

CNN: "Recent examples include Medicare overhaul for physician payments, back in 1989." [2/28/2010]

COBURN: "Welfare reform happened with reconciliation." [Face The Nation, 2/28/2010]

ACOSTA: "Reconciliation has been used for the children's health initiative, the CHIP program and COBRA, that's that program that allows you to take your health insurance with you if you lose your job." [3/1/2010]

COBURN: "The Bush tax cuts happened with reconciliation." [Face The Nation, 2/28/2010]

GORDON PETERSON: "You can't get 60 votes because the party on the other side of the aisle refuses to do anything constructive in this area. Is that Democrat Harry Reid in 2010? No, that's Judd Gregg in twenty—2005." [Inside Washington, 2/28/2010]

DAVID GREGORY: "You have voted for bills through reconciliation nine times since 1989." [Meet the Press, 2/28/2010]

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: "Yes, I have voted for them." [Meet the Press, 2/28/2010]

MSNBC: "Reconciliation, that simple majority." [MSNBC, 3/1/2010]

FOX AND FRIENDS: "Now reconciliation is changing to simple majority, doesn't that sound much easier to swallow?" [Fox and Friends, 3/1/2010]

CHYRON: Rec-on-cil-i-a-tion a majority vote

[DNC Disclaimer]

• See a gallery of political cartoons.
• See a slide show of the GOP’s 10 Most Wanted.