memeorandum: Pelosi done playing ‘Deal or No Deal’ (The Politico)

1:40 PM ET, March 16, 2010

Top Items:

House may try to pass Senate health-care bill without voting on it — After laying the groundwork for a decisive vote this week on the Senate's health-care bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Monday that she might attempt to pass the measure without having members vote on it.

Mark Tapscott / Washington Examiner:

Pelosi, Slaughter went to court against GOP's self-executing rule in 2005 — You've been hearing a lot this week about the Slaughter Solution, the rule devised by House Rules Committee Chairman Louise Slaughter of New York whereby the House would pass an Obamacare reconcilliation bill via a rule that …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Ezra Klein, Hot Air, Confederate Yankee, NO QUARTER and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Wall Street Journal:

Slaughter House Rules — How Democrats may ‘deem’ ObamaCare into law, without voting. — We're not sure American schools teach civics any more, but once upon a time they taught that under the U.S. Constitution a bill had to pass both the House and Senate to become law.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, The Corner on National …, JOSHUAPUNDIT, The Foundry, Daily Kos, protein wisdom, Fausta's Blog, Sense of Events, Media Matters for America, Commentary, Pundit & Pundette and Washington Monthly

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

THE IOKIYAR RULE, PROCEDURAL EDITION.... For a while, Republicans were awfully worked up about using the reconciliation process to pass a health-care related budget fix, despite the GOP's repeated use of the same procedure. Now Republicans are headed for the fainting couch over use of the self-executing rule …

Discussion: TPMDC, Democratic Strategist and iOwnTheWorld.com

Thetruth / Richmond Times-Dispatch:
Hinkle: Left and Right Strive to Prove Santayana Right

Discussion: Hit & Run

Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Pelosi: ‘Once we kick through this door,’ more reform will follow

Discussion: JustOneMinute, protein wisdom, DownWithTyranny!, The Confluence, Health Beat, Betsy's Page, Gateway Pundit, Liberal Values and Weasel Zippers

Andy McCarthy / The Corner on National Review Online:
Slaughtering the Constitution — By: Andy McCarthy

Discussion: Washington Times, Power Line, Hot Air, Betsy's Page and Sister Toldjah

Michelle Malkin:
House Republicans to force vote on Pelosi's Slaughter House solution …

Discussion: The Hill, The Hill, Riehl World View, Washington Examiner and And So it Goes in Shreveport

The Huffington Post:
Pelosi: ‘Get The Bill. Go For It.’

Discussion: RedState, Left Coast Rebel, gopleader.gov, Real Clear Politics, Campaign For Liberty Blog, The Huffington Post and Weasel Zippers

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Dodd: Preferable to pass health bill in straightforward manner

Discussion: Mediaite

David Lightman / McClatchy Washington Bureau: House plan to pass health care raises constitutional questions

Washington Post:
Health-reform vote deserves a reasonable process

Discussion: The Politico and Michelle Malkin

The Politico:
Pelosi done playing ‘Deal or No Deal’

Discussion: The Faster Times, The Corner on National …, Los Angeles Times, Swampland, Wonk Room, Washington Post and Pundits Blog

Ezra Klein:

Everything David Brooks says about reconciliation is wrong — Jon Chait did a very funny job taking apart David Brooks's column on reconciliation. I want to do a serious job on it. The factual statements Brooks uses in his argument are wrong. Not arguable, or questionable, or suspicious.

Discussion: Grasping Reality …, Hullabaloo, The Corner on National … and Lawyers, Guns & Money

David Brooks / New York Times:

The Spirit of Sympathy — Human beings, the philosophers tell us, are social animals. We emerge into the world ready to connect with mom and dad. We go through life jibbering and jabbering with each other, grouping and regrouping. When you get a crowd of people in a room …

Discussion: Think Progress, Washington Monthly, Taibblog, Newsweek Blogs and A plain blog about politics

Jonathan Chait / The New Republic:

David Brooks At His David Brooksiest — Today David Brooks has written the platonic ideal of a David Brooks column. It is in some sense the template for nearly every David Brooks column, but it captured the major elements so perfectly that it almost feels as if every previous David Brooks column has been an homage to this one.

Discussion: The Other McCain, Grasping Reality … and No More Mister Nice Blog

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:

Silly Process Objections — Truly the last refuge of the damned is to complain about the nature of the congressional procedure that the majority is using to pass its agenda. Everyone knows that 100 percent of the people who like the underlying health care bill will approve of the use …

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Democrats begin to criticize Obama on Israel — Pro-Israel Democrats have begun to criticize the Obama administration's stern stance toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. — Congressional Democrats, with the lone exception of Nevada's Shelley Berkley, held their tongues over the weekend …

Discussion: The Politico, The Hill and Commentary

Washington Post:

The U.S. quarrel with Israel — PRESIDENT OBAMA'S Middle East diplomacy failed in his first year in part because he chose to engage in an unnecessary and unwinnable public confrontation with Israel over Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Over the past six months …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Associated Press, Commentary, New York Times, Taylor Marsh, Firedoglake and The Politico

Roger Cohen / New York Times:
The Biden Effect — NEW YORK — I'm tempted to see Vice …

Discussion: Democracy in America

Jennifer Rubin / Commentary:
Sens. John McCain and Joe Lieberman on Israel

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Israel Matzav, Laura Rozen's Blog and TBogg

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

THIS IS CNN?.... If I didn't get independent confirmation of this, I honestly would have assumed the announcement was some elaborate practical joke. Alas, it's true. … This is easily the worst decision CNN has ever made. That the network probably reviewed Erickson's work before hiring him …

Discussion: Sadly, No!, Liberal Values and TBogg

Erick Erickson / RedState:
Here's My News: Erick Erickson Joins CNN's Roster of Political Contributors

Discussion: NewsBusters.org

CNN: Erickson joins the Best Political Team

Ezra Klein:

You don't win elections by failing to govern — Republicans have been very generous recently in offering House Democrats strategic advice in advance of the 2010 election. But Norm Ornstein and Thomas Mann, who were around in 1994, remember what happened last time Democrats took the GOP's advice …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, The New Republic and A plain blog about politics

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Desperate — “All liquored up on sake” ... “a suicide run” …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, TPM LiveWire and The Hill

Cincinnati.com:
Arrogant approach to health care

Discussion: Maggie's Farm

Jeffrey Young / The Hill:

Dem leader: We have the votes for healthcare — House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson (Conn.) has taken the lead in the optimism sweepstakes when it comes to healthcare reform, telling reporters Monday night that leaders have the votes they need in hand.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Wonk Room, Washington Monthly, The Plum Line, The Political Carnival and McClatchy Washington Bureau

Michelle Malkin:
Making their voices heard: Protesting Demcare on Capitol Hill

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, The Hill, Talking Points Memo, The Corner on National …, The Other McCain, Nice Deb and And So it Goes in Shreveport

Bob Cusack / The Hill:
Stupak: House Dem leaders at least 16 votes short on healthcare reform

Discussion: Pundit & Pundette and Wizbang

John Byrne / The Raw Story:

Obama agencies invoking secrecy provision more often than under Bush — One day after being sworn into office, President Barack Obama instructed federal agencies to ensure government transparency by complying with the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act law.

Discussion: RedState

Sharon Theimer / Associated Press:
PROMISES, PROMISES: Is gov't more open with Obama?

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, YID With LID and The Daily Caller

CBS News:

Andrew Young Fires Back at Rielle Hunter — Former John Edwards Aide Doubts Former Politician and Ex-Mistress are Still in Love — (CBS/ AP) A former aide to John Edwards fired back at Rielle Hunter, the former mistress of the ex-Senator and vice presidential candidate, a day after her tell-all interview was published.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and PostPartisan

Peggy Ackermann / New Jersey Online:

Court rules Tea Party can proceed with effort to recall Sen. Robert Menendez … A state appellate panel today ruled New Jersey's secretary of state must accept a petition a citizens group filed to recall U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez. — The court stayed its decision to allow Menendez (D-N.J.) to appeal its ruling.

Discussion: DISSENTING JUSTICE, Washington Post and TPMDC

Roxana Tiron / The Hill:

Petraeus offers first public support for change to don't ask law — Gen. David Petraeus, the head of U.S. Central Command, said Tuesday the time has come to consider changing the controversial law banning openly gay people serving in the U.S. military. — It was the general's most direct answer to date on the issue.

Discussion: Politics Daily