The controversial plan to approve health care reform without a direct vote doesn't even pass the smell test for one of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's own floor whips, according to the Boston Herald.
Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., who helps round up votes for the leadership, told the Herald the plan is "disingenuous" and threatened to vote against it unless he sees changes. Lynch voted for the House health bill last year.
"It would really call into question the credibility of the House," Lynch said, according to the Herald.
He was referring to a plan to use a parliamentary maneuver that would allow the House to simultaneously approve the Senate bill while voting on a package of changes to it. This would "deem" the Senate bill to be passed, without compelling members to vote for it directly.
Democratic leaders are considering the option because many House Democrats don't want to cast a vote in favor of the unaltered Senate bill, which they oppose for numerous reasons. But the House must pass the Senate bill in order to move on to the package of changes intended to correct all the things about it that they don't like.
The esoteric procedure has drawn fierce protest from Republicans, who say Democrats are trying to avoid accountability. But some Democrats argue that the procedure has been used plenty of times before, and that there will be no doubt about where lawmakers stand on health care reform in the end. - FOX News Story
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