Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), who sits on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, is at odds with some of his liberal colleagues. Unlike Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Harkin thinks it may be hard to keep the 60 members of the Democratic caucus united against Republican filibusters–and that means the party may pass health care reform through the budget reconciliation process.
“I think Democrats being Democrats — like Will Rogers once said, ‘I’m a member of no organized political party: I’m a Democrat’ — I think that holds true today,” Harkin told the Iowa Gazette.
Under those circumstances–and with Republicans largely united against all of President Obama’s agenda items–how will Democrats possibly pass a major initiative like health care reform? In a budget reconciliation bill, it seems, which can’t be filibustered. Harkin called that a “distinct possibility.”
Democrats in both chambers are hoping to pass a health care bill through regular order by the beginning of August, and have it ready for the president to sign by October, ahead of the budget reconciliation bill–but time is running out.
