In case you haven't been paying attention to the moment-by-moment maneuvering over health care, the latest twist is a suggestion that the House might pass the bill using a parliamentary device known as a "self-executing rule," which works like this: Instead of having a vote on the Senate bill and then a vote on the package of fixes to the Senate bill (the latter of which would then be passed by the Senate), the House will have one combined vote, in which they will "deem" the Senate bill passed and pass the package of fixes. Naturally, Republicans are reacting as though this is a crime on the level of genocide, even though -- you know what's coming -- it turns out Republicans used the technique all the time when they were in charge.
The supposed purpose behind this is to allow members who don't like the Senate bill to avoid casting a vote directly on the Senate bill. The idea that they would somehow insulate themselves from attacks on the particulars of the Senate bill is pretty ridiculous, and if there's even the tiniest chance that it could produce a constitutional problem, it should probably be avoided. But let's not get too worked up over this, because in the end it won't matter.
Let's acknowledge what a terrific education we've all gotten in the arcana of Congressional procedure through the health-care debate. Three cheers for civic learning! But we should keep in mind that once this bill passes, all of this will be forgotten. The Gang of Six, the Tri-Committee Bill, the Manager's Amendment, the Louisiana Purchase, the Cornhusker Kickback, reconciliation, self-executing rules -- it will all fade into the past. What remains will be the law itself.
The White House seems to get that, as you can see by the talking points they distributed to Democrats on the issue. Nearly all are about substance not process, including the suggested responses to Republican arguments about process. Republicans say they're going to extend this debate into the fall campaign, but which side of this argument would you rather be on:
Republican candidate: "My opponent's party resorted to parliamentary tricks to pass a big-government health care plan."
Democratic candidate: "My opponent thinks insurance companies ought to be able to deny you coverage because of pre-existing conditions and kick you off your insurance when you get sick. Thanks to the reform we passed, they can't do that anymore."
The process has been ugly, it's true. But the process is almost over.
-- Paul Waldman
