At this point I think we can all recognize that any kind of a bi-partisan healthcare bill is highly unlikely. The GOP is still playing the same "My way or the highway" games that they have been playing over the last 9 years.
Which leaves us with two options:
- Appease Olympia Snowe and get the DINOs on board to bring a bill to a vote on the floor. The reality is that getting Snowe's vote is likely going to be easier than getting the votes of Lincoln, Bayh, Nelson, Landrieu etc...
- Blow up the entire process and use reconciliation. This is looking like the more likely path each and every day.
Assuming that option #2 is the way this all plays out, the effectiveness of the bill is going to be determined by one man - Alan Frumin.
Now, assuming that you didn't click on the hyperlink above, you are probably asking, "Who in the heck is Alan Frumin?"
Alan Frumin is the Senate Parliamentarian. The next logical questions is, "What does he have to do with anything?"
Basically it works like this: The Dems write up a "reconciliation bill" that contains the medicare and medicaid subsidies, tax code changes, insurance subsidies, and of course the PUBLIC OPTION.
What happens next is that some GOP senator will challenge basically every line of the bill as not having substantive budgetary impact within the next 5 years.
This is where Mr. Frumin comes in. He is essentially the judge, jury, and executioner of every provision in the bill. He gives it a thumbs up or a thumbs down. His "thumbs down" votes are then sent back to the Senate. At this point a vote of 60 Senators can override his vote. Essentially, Mr. Frumin wields a tremendous amount of power when reconciliation is used and the the ultimate effectiveness of the reform bill will be in his hands.
Based on his Wiki bio, I'd have to guess that he is somewhat of a left leaning individual considering that he was fired by Trent Lott when the GOP was the majority.
I just thought that fellow Kossacks would like to know where to direct their fruit baskets in the next few weeks. We are going to need Mr. Frumin's help.