Mitch McConnell: GOP Only Needs 51 Votes to Overturn Mandate

Mitch McConnell: GOP Only Needs 51 Votes to Overturn Mandate

Abby Livingston
Roll Call Staff
July 1, 2012

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated today that Republicans believe they will only need 51 votes to overturn the centerpiece of the 2010 health care law.

In an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," the Kentucky Republican repeatedly referred to the mandate that individuals buy health insurance as a tax, citing the recent Supreme Court decision.

If Republicans take the majority in the Senate in the 2012 elections, McConnell said, he would use budget reconciliation to overturn the law — a move that would not be subject to the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster.

"Reconciliation is available because the Supreme Court has now declared it a tax," McConnell said. "They have unearthed the massive deception that was practiced by the president and the Democrats to constantly deny that it was a tax. ... And as a tax, it is eligible for reconciliation."

President Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats have repeatedly argued that the fee that people who do not buy insurance will pay is not a tax, preferring to call it a penalty or use other language.

In an appearance on ABC's "This Week," White House Chief of Staff Jacob Lew called it "a penalty" and "a charge."

"What you call it is not the issue," he said.

In order to overcome a filibuster, Democrats required 60 votes in the Senate to pass the health care law. It passed on a vote of 60-39 in 2009. After Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) was elected, Democratic leaders later had to use reconciliation to pass the final amended version, 56-43, in 2010.

Congressional Republicans, including McConnell, opposed the use of reconciliation to pass the health care bill at the time.

After Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) was elected, Democratic leaders later had to use reconciliation to pass the final amended version, 56-43, in 2010.

Bwah ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Dems used reconciliation to pass the bill. Now they can watch the GOP stick this sorry bill back into their asses via the same procedure.

Bwah ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And they had better have the balls to do it!!!

Ever try listening to his ideas or the GOP's ideas? You probably haven't and won't.

TheNextPrez2012 wrote:

TexasBlue wrote:

The Dems used reconciliation to pass the bill. Now they can watch the GOP stick this sorry bill back into their asses via the same procedure.

You better hope your buddies on the right have something ALREADY PLANNED because Americans are not gonna wait two years for Mittens to devise something that was there until he wiped it out.

Mitt's ideas need to be more than "I don't like Obama's ideas" or "give tax breaks to wealthy people"
If that's all he got, Americans are gonna go nuts.

Mark85la wrote:Ever try listening to his ideas or the GOP's ideas? You probably haven't and won't.

I posted his plan in another post. Apparently, NP ignored it or selectively reads posts. I won't bother posting it again. I get tired of repeating myself.

Mark85la wrote:Ever try listening to his ideas or the GOP's ideas? You probably haven't and won't.

Nope. that's 'cause they don't exist
If they had existed, they would have been in place by now (what with the whole line of those GOP presidents since 1980)
Those guys were too busy to put up a health care idea. Getting convicted for Watergate, selling weapons for hostages, stealing elections and starting unnecessary wars.
Who has time for health care?

Tex posted a link, you should read it at least.

TheNextPrez2012 wrote:

Mark85la wrote:Ever try listening to his ideas or the GOP's ideas? You probably haven't and won't.

Nope. that's 'cause they don't exist
If they had existed, they would have been in place by now (what with the whole line of those GOP presidents since 1980)
Those guys were too busy to put up a health care idea. Getting convicted for Watergate, selling weapons for hostages, stealing elections and starting unnecessary wars.
Who has time for health care?

The only Democratic platform I've seen is for them to wait until the Republicans come up with a platform and then attack it.

I find it morally reprehensible to steal from others and yet so many liberals demand that those that have more than them give even more so they don't have to. I call that theft.