Senator Conrad (D-ND), the Budget Committee chair shared with the CBS’ Face the Nation audience that reconciliation wasn’t designed for this purpose, nor is it appropriate for such sweeping legislation:

“…reconciliation cannot be used to pass comprehensive health care reform. It won’t work. It won’t work because it was never designed for that kind of significant legislation. It was designed for deficit reduction… The major package of health care reform cannot move through the reconciliation process. It will not work… It will not work because of the Byrd rule which says anything that doesn’t score for budget purposes has to be eliminated. That would eliminate all the delivery system reform, all the insurance market reform, all of those things the experts tell us are really the most important parts of this bill. The only possible role that I can see for reconciliation would be make modest changes in the major package to improve affordability, to deal with what share of Medicaid expansion the federal government pays, those kinds of issues, which is the traditional role for reconciliation in health care.”

Thank goodness at least one Democrat is using common sense and sound political judgment, unlike Nancy Pelosi who’s wanting fellow Democrats to sacrifice their political careers to pass a very unpopular health care bill.

House Speaker Pelosi says lawmakers aren’t in Washington for job security but ‘to do the job for the American people.’

I think she meant “to do a job on the American people.”

UPDATE: Here is an update to Senator Conrad’s comments:

With Democrats pledging to move ahead on their health care plans following Thursday’s bipartisan health care summit, much of the talk has focused on whether they will use a procedural method known as “reconciliation” to pass a final measure through he Senate.

Reconciliation would allow Democrats to pass the bill with 51 votes rather than have to overcome a Republican filibuster with 60 votes. Since Republicans now hold 41 votes in the 100-seat chamber following Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts last month, reconciliation appears to be on the radar for many Democrats. But the prospect has drawn fierce debate among Democrats and Republicans, as was evident during on Sunday’s “Face the Nation.”

Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad (N.D.), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, defended the possible use of reconciliation by saying that the procedure would only be used for “minor” issues with the bill.

“Defended” it only in general terms, of course; Conrad ruled out the use of reconciliation for the purposes foreseen by Harry Reid. Be sure to read it all the way through.

Via Breitbart.tv and Hot Air

Related posts:

1. Senator Harkin Says Democrats Will Use Reconciliation!
2. White House Courting Kucinich Vote on Health Care
3. Democrats Don’t Have Votes For Health Care Suicide Pact
4. Scott Brown Blasts Reconciliation for Health Care (Video)
5. Pelosi: House Has Votes for Health Care Bill If Vote Were Held “Today”