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Daschle: Leave Whiny GOP in the Dust if Necessary

Democrats may need to use reconciliation

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 3, 2009 9:00 AM CDT

(Newser) – It’s essential that Congress act on health care, and if that means working without bipartisan support, so be it, writes Tom Daschle in the Wall Street Journal. If we fail, 60 million people will be uninsured in 10 years, and typical families will have to pay $25,000 a year in health insurance by 2025, argues the former senate majority leader. Bipartisanship is ideal—but “should Republican intransigence continue, Democrats cannot simply stop.”

“The choice between complete legislative failure and majority rule should not pose a dilemma for any Democratic senator,” Daschle notes. They must “use the Senate rules of budget reconciliation to allow a health care bill move with majority support.” And if Republicans complain, “they have only themselves to blame”: they’ve had plenty of opportunities for bipartisanship—and they themselves have used reconciliation “an ample number” of times over the past 10 years.

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In this Jan. 8, 2009, file photo, then-Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Tom Daschle, right, smiles as he prepares to testify on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

In this March 24, 2009, file photo, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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Beyond the caustic and confrontational town-hall meetings, millions of Americans are now coming to realize that the status quo is not acceptable. - Tom Daschle

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Daschle: Leave Whiny GOP in the Dust if Necessary