We could be in for some extremely interesting times.

If Francis’ and other reports are correct, the current plan is to drop abortion language changes and try to cobble together other votes by turning the reconciliation bill into a Christmas tree of “wish list” items in the hopes of getting 216 House members and 51 Senators to “sign on” to the provisions without amendment (and without Stupak et. al).

Hence the trial balloon of adding student loan reform and perhaps other yet-to-be disclosed goodies to move votes that wouldn’t vote for ObamaCare alone – and that the Democrats know will never pass the Senate under normal rules requiring 60 votes.

Then they will pass the Senate bill and proceed with Biden’s help if needed to pass reconciliation without amendment, pushing away Republican objections and/or using the media to label the Republicans as obstructionist, etc..

And they will trust that the media can spin this as “just following the rules” to keep the American people from rebelling.

will suppress the potential for violence some of us feel.

Don’t give the POTUS an excuse to impose martial law.

I’d like to think they would. But I know that, by and large, the judicial branch stays out of how the legislative branch conducts its business.

Keep in mind that Article I, Sec. 7 simply states that no bill can be sent to the president for signature into law until and unless it’s received the Yeas and Nays in both houses of Congress.

From what I gather, the loophole here is that the bill in question wouldn’t be the one sent to the president….just like any other random procedural thing the House does on a daily basis.

Rather, the bill that would be sent to the president would be more of a framework bill that would be reconstructed, piece by piece, using the reconciliation process.

Have to say, while I’m law-abiding, I’ve also got lots of canned goods, my own well, a powerful generator, and lots of ammunition.

It’s going to be fun to watch the upheaval.

BTW, I suspect it will be 9-0, not 6-3. I don’t think much of Ginsburg, Sotomayer, or Stevens, but they’re not traitors.

They accused Republicans of just being obstructionists, having no alternative plans themselves.

FAIL — Republicans were obstructing with the blessing of their constituents, and their always existing plans sounded a whole lot like cost-lowering free-market ideas.

That’s just not true. For the vast majority of the #hcr debate, though the Democrats accused the GOP of obstructionism, the simple fact was that the Republicans lacked the numbers to have done one single thing to obstruct or stop Obamacare from going forward. The lack of “progress” on #hcr throughout 2009 was 100% the result of Democrat infighting, not one bit because of anything the powerless GOP superminority did.

Kipling wrote this about the Battle of Maiwand in 1880, but it holds more than a passing resemblance to events past and future among the Congressional Democrats.

That Day

It got beyond all orders an’ it got beyond all ‘ope;
It got to shammin’ wounded an’ retirin’ from the ‘alt.
‘Ole companies was lookin’ for the nearest road to slope;
It were just a bloomin’ knock-out — an’ our fault!

Now there ain’t no chorus ‘ere to give,
Nor there ain’t no band to play;
An’ I wish I was dead ‘fore I done what I did,
Or seen what I seed that day!

We was sick o’ bein’ punished, an’ we let ‘em know it, too;
An’ a company-commander up an’ ‘it us with a sword,
An’ some one shouted “‘Ook it!” an’ it come to sove-ki-poo,
An’ we chucked our rifles from us — O my Gawd!

There was thirty dead an’ wounded on the ground we wouldn’t keep –
No, there wasn’t more than twenty when the front begun to go;
But, Christ! along the line o’ flight they cut us up like sheep,
An’ that was all we gained by doin’ so.

I ‘eard the knives be’ind me, but I dursn’t face my man,
Nor I don’t know where I went to, ’cause I didn’t ‘alt to see,
Till I ‘eard a beggar squealin’ out for quarter as ‘e ran,
An’ I thought I knew the voice an’ — it was me!

We was ‘idin’ under bedsteads more than ‘arf a march away;
We was lyin’ up like rabbits all about the countryside;
An’ the major cursed ‘is Maker ’cause ‘e lived to see that day,
An’ the colonel broke ‘is sword acrost, an’ cried.

We was rotten ‘fore we started — we was never disciplined;
We made it out a favour if an order was obeyed;
Yes, every little drummer ‘ad ‘is rights an’ wrongs to mind,
So we had to pay for teachin’ — an’ we paid!

The papers ‘id it ‘andsome, but you know the Army knows;
We was put to groomin’ camels till the regiments withdrew,
An’ they gave us each a medal for subduin’ England’s foes,
An’ I ‘ope you like my song — because it’s true!

An’ there ain’t no chorus ‘ere to give,
Nor there ain’t no band to play;
But I wish I was dead ‘fore I done what I did,
Or seen what I seed that day!

Last night on his radio program Mark Levin said this is the next closest thing to martial law on the part of the Democrats if they try it. The constitutional expert who Mark had on his show as a guest also said that what Slaughter is proposing to do is the next closest thing to martial law. The point is, the president would be forcing enactment on the citizenry of something that was never voted upon in Congress according to the EXPLICIT instructions in the Constitution. He said that if this was tried, there would be a race to the courthouse by “scores” of lawyers to bring cases, and that he would be one of them, and it would immediately be ruled unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, the cabal in DC say, oh well, what’s our next trick?

---

Activists Taking Action: Unified Patriots

http://www.redstate.com/jsobieski/2010/03/12/stupak-2-obamapelosi-0/

The AP is reporting that the discussions with Stupak are over. Presuming the Stupak 12 stay solid, Pelosi is left with brute force arm twisting.

The next few weeks should be fun to watch. I may watch MSNBC just to enjoy the loathing.

of March 18th and the talk of Slaughter rule is more an acknowledgment of failure. I’m sure that the date will be moved up until it gets to close to November 2nd, before that day, they will take the vote and those that vote yes are gone.

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NTRmOGE3YzUzZjMwZjM4OTlmYWFlM2VlZWZlODIxZTQ=

She doesn’t have the votes. According to the latest tweet at NRO she is 10 short. She’s had it with Stupak. So she is going to try to endaround the Constitution. This lady is frickin’ insane.

Bluff or are they going postal?

That sometime in mid-late November the ‘voted out’ dems will say WTF and pass this bill then?

At that point they will know they have nothing to lose and might think this would be a good ‘ip yours’ to the republicans replacing them.

http://www.redstate.com/ladyimpactohio/2010/03/11/conference-call-with-reps-gingrey-mcmorris-rodgers-on-healthcare/#comment-127

Rep. Gingrey when questioned by a caller stated he felt the parliamentarian’s ruling yesterday would make the Slaughter Rule moot. But even he admitted he does not know and/or understand all the games the Dems can play and every single one of the complicated rules of the House and Senate.

Republicans aren’t going to do a thing except talk, and very few ordinary citizens, at least percentage-wise, are going to care.

No judges are going to do anything either. Nearly every judge in the nation sides with the Democrats on everything, having gone to “law” school where they teach not how to follow the law and Constitution but how to defy it (or make it fit to the side of the Democrat Party platform). This would be tossed out of court so fast it would make your head spin. It won’t see the light of day in the Supreme Court since there would be no cert granted to any appeal, which would probably be five or six years away anyway.

Right now, especially with Stupak’s group probably down to about half a dozen or less, I see NO WAY this thing is not passing as each and every one who is “undecided” will most certainly support it. Nancy and Harry will get the votes.

One, we find out where guys like Mitch actually stand once they’ve been bitch-slapped with a commie frying pan. Still wanna play nice?

But more important, we (the people) will no there is no sense in talking about indictments any longer. We move straight to the hangings.

And I’m serious here, in the sense THEY have to be made afraid, really afraid…afraid of things they always thought were unimaginable. They are much like children, only calculating what Mother will do, if she finds out, or Fatha, if he does, That is the paradigm changer.

Let them know that what they are about to do is like stealing hubcaps off a car, any car, in Vegas in 1970. The law is the least of their worries, cause the law don’t run this country. Da Mob do.

Suppose that Pelosi decides to go with some version of the Slaughter Solution, so that House members will not have to directly vote for the Senate Health Bill. Still, there’s no way those congressmen can avoid the consequences of approving the Slaughter Solution: Obama would then sign the Senate Health Bill into law, and the Senate could well reject the Reconciliation Bill. Pelosi has admitted as much:

So we will pass the Senate bill. Once we pass it, the President signs it or doesn’t, it’s – people would rather he waited until the Senate acted, but the Senate Parliamentarian, as you have said, said in order for them to do a reconciliation based on the Senate bill, it must be signed by the President.

So, regardless of whether the “Slaughter Solution” is constitutional and regardless of whether the “Slaughter Solution” complies with the statute regarding reconciliation, still it would not really help wavering House members, IMO.

He said in his NRO interview that Democratic leaders in the House believe they have the votes for this to pass without him and his fellow abortion holdouts.

I don’t know why he’d lie about them thinking that. Let’s hope that either he’s wrong or they’re wrong.

Then we’ll see.

If no one in the House actually votes for the Senate bill, the bill cannot go to the pres. for a signature. O can sign his name to a napkin but it doesn’t make it a law.
We’re not a banana rep. yet, altho’ every day this pod person is in office, we get closer to both ban rep standards: dictators and bankruptcy.

will manufacture guillotines at 4 factories just outside Washington DC and all 50 state capitals.

Tyrants (and their laws) must be destroyed.

The request for citizens to report “fishy” stories about the HCR plan to flag@whitehouse.gov.

I thought I’d mention it since I had a blast joining in on the campaign to send in anything and everything that was “fishy”, like pictures of fishermen, Shamoo, sharks, and other worderful forms of sea life. Hey, they asked for it, so they got it.

http://www.redstate.com/gamecock/2010/03/12/road-to-serfdom-slaughtered-road-to-anarchy-deemed-paved-by-march/

“Republicans were obstructing with the blessing of their constituents”

OK, so Jeff pointed out the technical correction. It’s still true that Republicans were saying “no” with the blessing of their constituents. That fact should be part of every answer when ‘obstructionism’ is brought up.

Well-said. Part of me hopes they try this, just for the total crash-and-burn that will happen as a result. I get the impression though that they’ll pull back just before plunging into the abyss.

If the Dems use the Slaughter Rule they will be led to a slaughter.
Unfortunately I´m in Perú and I´ll have to get a plane ticket to join in on the fun.

I do believe there will be violence but it shouldn’t and probably won’t come from the right. The union thugs, ACORN fascists, enviro-wackos, and anarchist types will come spilling out of the woodwork to beat on demonstrators. That will definitely happen.

I also think that a whole lotta Democrat officials are going to find themselves persona non grata in public. Nothing discomforts a collectivist more than public approbation of their actions. They will be especially defensive and probably more radical. I think this really will cleave the country.

It’s going to get ugly.

If the Dems use the Slaughter Rule to pass Obamacare, you’re right: it will be tossed out by the SC. I’m not sure it would go straight to the SC, but it would eventually wind up there – and Obamacare will be gone.

The Dems will raise hell, but they won’t have anywhere near the votes to pass either of the current bills. It will be back to the drawing board or (more likely) nothing at all.

A few other points seem to be exaggerated. For example, I don’t think we will see violence on the streets. But the Dems WILL lose both houses of Congress in November, and Obama will be all but toast for 2012.

Remember how the libs loved to say Bush was the “worst president ever?” Seems sort of ironic, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that Obama has sole claim to that title. Jimmy Carter must be smiling.

… I think you’ve outlined what is probably going to happen if the Democrats circumvent the Constitution with the Slaughter rule.

I hope someone comes to their senses before they try it, though. For the good of the country.

scheme of things, they will have achieved a major victory in increasing the size of government, shattered personal liberties into tiny bits of dust, and strengthened the “collective”.

Let’s be honest here – I clearly see the pendulum swings in the political landscape. What I also see is that the center of gravity has been slowly shifting left for years. This just resets it even further from the center and is a fantastic (I use tat word in horror by the way) position for all the little socialists we are educating in our public school systems.

I want to believe otherwise, but the socialists in Democrat disguise have been far more effective over time than us conservatives – and that pisses me off.

Former US Circuit Judge Michael McConnell has now weighed in about the “Slaughter Solution.” Here’s a link:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704416904575121532877077328.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEFTTopOpinion

If you cannot access the full thing, just search for it on Google News, and you’ll get the full text that way.

If the liberals try this, they they’ll reinvent a Kerryism:

“I ‘voted’ for it before I voted before I ‘voted’ for it.”

An article on American Thinker today quotes the words of a Stanford Constitutional Law Professor, Michael McConnell-

“As the Supreme Court wrote in Clinton v. City of New York (1998) a bill containing the “exact text” must be approved by one house; the other house must approve “precisely the same text.”

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/03/post_193.html

Also, from the Supreme Court media website, a summary of Clinton v. City of New York-

http://www.oyez.org/cases/1990-1999/1997/1997_97_1374/

We all know that the Slaughter Rule is unconstitutional. It is just nice to see the opinion of a Constitutional Law Professor. It is also nice to see a previous SC case where the justices ruled in favor of the Constitution. It gives me hope that they will do so again, even with a different makeup of justices.

We are engaged, and in total agreement which is going some, with the diversity of ideas and opinions here at Redstate.

I don’t see the SCOTUS getting involved at all. I don’t see any violence or states opposing. This is similar to the predictions of dozens of states rejecting the stimulus when in reality all the states took some of the money and the vast majority, even red states, took all of it. I don’t see any violence either because conservatives are not supportive of civil unrest. That is a radical notion and conservatism is about social order. We aren’t hippies.

And as for Republicans making the case against reconciliation and the skirting of the constitution, I think it is a political loser. For one thing I’ve never seen any use of this type of reconciliation cost any politician in an election. Never. People voting in a district or in a state want to know what the politician plans to do to implement a party platform.. I don’t see many quibbling about how they do it. Maybe you do, but when Vice President Dick Cheney voted to break the 50-50 tie on reconciliation I never saw one person mention it later in the 2004 election. No one cares about this inside baseball stuff.

I read the diaries here about it and I get confused about what exactly is happening with it. I am not a Mensa member, but I consider myself a bit intelligent and I glaze over with some of this procedural stuff. I don’t think it will matter to most people and most people won’t understand it. What matters is policy. We can beat the Democrats on policy and should concentrate on that. You aren’t going to get riots against reconciliation. You aren’t going to get a sweeping electoral change based on a legislative processes.

I still blame the GOP. Bunning alone has managed to hold things up for days at a time.

And remember when Stupak’s amendment was voted upon? It was pointed out by several onlookers that had Republicans simply voted ‘present’ it wouldn’t have passed and a whole block of Democrats wouldn’t have supported the bill.

Then again, that was about 6 1/2 versions ago.

But the point is Republicans made this about kickbacks and abortion, rather than the true betrayal that the bill is fundamentally. It’s for that reason that I’m not sure how much we should trust a GOP majority under Obama with legislation concerning immigration or cap-and-trade.

how there can be Congressmen dumb enough or with so little loyalty to the Constitution that they would vote yes on a Slaughter vote but no on the bill itself. They can’t really believe their constituents won’t get it.

Maybe I’m naive (no cheap shots, please), but I think the whole Slaughter thing is a red herring to divert attention and debate from the horrible features of the bill.

Put me in the camp of those who believe the Supremes will rule against it so fast, that it will have Nancy seeking an exorcist. Maybe one of the many lawyers here can opine on whether this is a case for which SCOTUS has original jurisdiction constitutionally.

# They sent their SIEU and ACORN thugs to intimidate ordinary outraged Americans.
# FAIL – People took their beatings. And brought video cameras.

It isn’t often mentioned and didn’t get the attention it deserved at the time.

When the time line is all laid out to look down it one step at a time ,it really makes you think how far the left will go and will use anything necessary to get their way. Kinda scary but exciting to watch the push back.

Comforting to know the states are not just standing by watching but are ready to act as well
.http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g0LSHNfmnWDnZ_JylqiFxeT5GKEQD9EGLNDO0