Reconciliation

Congress has passed 22 reconciliation bills since the process was established in 1980, most by Republicans of which almost all significantly added to the federal deficit. Many also included meaningful public policy changes, including: welfare reform, changes to Medicare and Medicaid, large tax cuts and changes to existing laws. When Lamar Alexander and John McCain complain about passing health care reform through reconciliation (which requires a majority vote remember) claiming this is "unprecedented" and will have a "cataclysmic effect", the Democrats just need to keep their eyes on the prize and stay the course. The electorate's short attention span, coupled with the fact there will be no recognizable impact by the time of the mid-terms elections, Democrats have nothing to lose, and a lot to gain. Carpe Diem, guys.