I hope they have the spine or their electoral gains will evaporate. The GOP must shut down the Senate starting early next week. Not just on healthcare, but everything. Grind it to a halt. This is from Senate insiders with knowledge of the battle to come in the next couple of weeks. As one strategist emailed me:

…the only viable strategy I can see is for the Republicans to begin the process of shutting down the U.S. Senate until the Democrats agree to MOVE ON — move off healthcare until the 112th Congress convenes.

The Democrats are ready to rip off the band-aid:

The advice went out to freshman and sophomore House Democrats, blunt talk to help them through a tricky vote on health reform.

“At this point, we have to just rip the band-aid off and have a vote — up or down; yes or no?” the memo said. “Things like reconciliation and what the rules committee does is INSIDE BASEBALL.”

As Pelosi is now looking for Senate assurances before the House healthcare vote, it is clear that not only the House but the Senate as well requires our immediate attention:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday said she will need “certain assurances” from Senate Democrats before the House votes on healthcare reform as early as next week.

Pelosi did not say what those assurances would be, but acknowledged that extracting them would be necessary to counter lingering concerns from within her caucus that the Senate will not be able to pass a reconciliation bill.

“With reconciliation, a simple majority, a constitutional majority, I think members are much more comfortable with the fact that this reconciliation will happen,” Pelosi said at her weekly press conference. “Nonetheless, there are certain assurances that they want, and that we will get from [Senate Democrats] before I ask them to take the vote.”

The Democrats have lost the Mandate from Heaven they once enjoyed and are attempting to literally enact a bill that will destroy our healthcare system, raise taxes, stifle economic growth during a deep recession, and nationalize over 1/6 of our economy. We should not take this lying down. Neither should GOP members of Congress. This was never about Stupak or abortion. Any government takeover of healthcare will result in the use of taxpayer dollars at some point in the future to federally fund abortions. A vote to improve ObamaCare with any Stupak-like language is a vote for ObamaCare. But the real reality is at this time it just does not matter. What matters now is derailing this bill.

The Senate GOP should not make us go through a repeat of the embarrassing display of spineless behavior displayed last year. Next week shut down the Senate. We are counting on you.

It’s time to go into campaign mode and draw this out until the Easter recess. No more need to think about parliamentarian tricks. Such worries have no impact whatsoever on the current situation. After the Senate GOP began to obstruct is exactly the time when they began to win over the electorate.

Nobody wants this bill, so I repeat the GOP must stand up and shut down the Senate. Regardless of what the legislation is, shut down the Senate. Don’t wait for healthcare abortion side bills and reconciliation to come barreling down on your heads and then obstruct. Start doing it now and don’t stop until Senator Reid promises to drop ObamaCare until the following Congress. There is no excuse for waiting and the American people are counting on the Senate GOP to stand up for us.

The Democrats lack a mandate on healthcare. This issue must dominate every nook and cranny of network and cable news, in every blog, and in every opinion piece and editorial. Take the healthcare dominance of the news cycle now and increase it exponentially. Make this a referendum on the Democratic party and its contempt for the governed.

Obstruct. Obstruct. Obstruct.

UPDATE: The Daily Caller reports that the House GOP will introduce a privileged resolution calling on the Ethics Committee to investigate Pelosi’s and Hoyer’s handling of the Massa allegations. Specifically, the resolution calls on the committee to find out what the Democratic leadserhip knew about Massa, when they knew it, and what they did - or didn’t do - about it.

Good for the House GOP. This is exactly what Democrats would have done had the roles been reversed. And I think it’s safe to say now that this action officially makes the Massa allegations a scandal and a campaign issue. As they should be.

UPDATE 2: The GOP resolution passed the House on a vote of 402-2. No Democrats voted against the resolution, which means shenanigans are afoot. It is now up to the House GOP to keep Democrats honest on this.

The Eric Massa sideshow just became a full-fledged election year scandal aimed like a dagger directly at the Democrats’ House majority. Numerous press outlets are now reporting that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office was informed in October of last year about the former New York representative’s odd behavior with male subordinates.

Joe Racalto, Massa’s chief of staff, was uneasy that Massa, 50, was living with several young, unmarried male staffers and using sexually explicit language with them, one source said. But what finally prompted him to call Pelosi’s director of member services, the source said, was a lunch date that Massa made with a congressional aide in his 20s who worked in the office of Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.).

According to a person briefed on the call, Racalto was concerned that the lunch followed a pattern by Massa — who is married and has two children — of trying to spend time alone with young gay men with no ostensible work purpose. Racalto, according to this person, also alerted Frank’s chief of staff. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the political sensitivity of the matter.

Last week, Pelosi said the she first heard of concerns about Massa’s behavior in early March. Pelosi said her staff did not inform her of every rumor about members of Congress. But that explanation is no longer operative, since this was not a rumor that her staff picked up. It was a plea for intervention by none other than the member’s chief of staff, his highest ranking aide.

Pelosi’s “hear no evil” act is now about as believable as her pledge to run the “most ethical Congress in history.” She knew, and chose to do nothing.

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UPDATE at the end of this post!

In a scheme which is designed to give House Democrats the ability to vote for health care while telling their constituents they did not vote for health care, House Rules Chairwomen Louise Slaughter is preparing a rules change to push through the Senate bill WITHOUT a floor vote specifically on the bill.

Pro-Life Democrats appear ready to stop the Health Care Takeover, according to Fox News:

The health care reform bill passed by the Senate on Christmas Eve appears to be dead on arrival in the House, as seven anti-abortion Democrats intend to join the ranks of lawmakers who plan to vote against the legislation, Fox News has confirmed.

Seven new no votes would be enough to kill the Senate bill, and several more fence-sitting lawmakers are under pressure from both sides of the aisle.

Foremost among the seven new no votes is Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., whose anti-abortion amendment to the House version of the legislation got the bill passed in that chamber last year.

The House bill passed last year by a 220-215 vote.  With four House seats vacant, the new majority level is 216.  Losing seven to twelve “Yes” votes for the bill effectively kills the legislation as it stands.

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The following is from the Social Security Institute. If Republicans refuse to vote strategically as indicated in the referenced post, say goodbye to electoral gains for the GOP in November. Those wishing to stem the tide of third party challenges and the resulting repercussions to both local and state elections, as well as ushering in the end of any budding alliance between Tea Parties and the GOP better pay close attention. In short, lean and lean hard on the GOP to think carefully about any vote that expedites the passage of ObamaCare. Any vote for strengthening anti-abortion language in the healthcare bill is a vote FOR ObamaCare. To the point, anything that assists in the passage of ObamaCare is a tacit approval of ObamaCare. Excuses will not extricate the GOP from a blatant strategical failure and the subsequent loss of any goodwill by the electorate. There are many of us who will not rest until the public is completely aware of any betrayal by the GOP. Obstruction and strategic voting is the only way to ensure the GOP maintains electoral gains. From Dr. Hunter:

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has telegraphed the strategy House Democrats are considering to shove ObamaCare down the throat of a resistant American public:

• Both Houses pass separate legislation that can be portrayed as sufficiently “anti-abortion” to satisfy Congressman Bart Stupak and his supporters; which will
• Mousetrap Republican Members of Congress and pro-life groups into supporting the bills; which in turn will make it possible to
• Pass the Senate Bill in the House; with the promise that
• The Senate Bill’s abortion language will be struck from the bill in a reconciliation package and justified as reducing federal outlays.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops already has instant messaged their willingness not just to acquiesce in such shenanigans but also to actually mobilize the faithful to oppose any point of order in the Senate in order to lubricate passage of ObamaCare through the Senate:

The Roman Catholic bishops signaled Thursday that if agreement is reached with House leaders on anti-abortion language, the church would work to get the votes needed to protect the provisions in the Senate — and thereby advance the shared goal with Democrats of health care reform.

Now is the time for opponents of ObamaCare to focus, focus, focus on preventing Hoyer from maneuvering them into this corner. The only way for opponents of a government takeover of healthcare to prevent getting mouse trapped by a Separate Stupak is to recognize that the Stupak language and all Stupak lookalikes are a snare and a delusion.

NO legislative language will prevent ObamaCare once enacted into law from transforming very quickly into a federal abortion mill that provides abortion on demand. Given the obscure language inserted into the Senate Bill by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), which is being totally ignored by anti-abortion groups, even the strongest Stupak-like language will fail to stem a tide of transformative interpretations of bureaucrats and judges, which are sure to produce federally subsidized abortion on demand.

The Mikulski language gives plenary authority to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to require every public and private healthcare plan in the nation to include “preventative services,” which is defined to include “abortion care.” Even without the Mikulski provision, both the House and Senate bills are shot through with provisions that will lead inevitably to federally subsidized abortion on demand.

There is simply no way cleanse the final bill of this authority without starting over. Hence, what anti-abortion Members of Congress and the pro-life groups must understand is that the only route to protecting the unborn from the effects of this bill is to defeat the entire bill. As long as Members of Congress and pro-life groups labor under the delusion that they can make ObamaCare safe for the unborn, they will actually serve as the President’s useful idiots and facilitate federal abortion on demand.

The political problem is there are many libertarians and moderate Republicans who oppose anti-abortion laws. This fact unnerves many Republican Members of Congress who therefore attempt to straddle the abortion issue so as not to offend moderate Republicans who agree with their libertarian constituents on abortion.

Stupak is a perfect straddle, which has the unfortunate by product of removing the last remaining block preventing enactment of ObamaCare into law. Unless Republicans refuse to take a pass on Stupak-like language, i.e., vote present on any Stupak vehicle however it is presented to them in the parliamentary chaos likely to ensue once the legislative bum’s rush begins—they will actually set the stage for enactment of ObamaCare into law.

The reluctance of Republican Members of Congress to help defeat Stupak language on strategic grounds is a huge political miscalculation. This miscalculation results from failing to comprehend the coincidence of interests on ObamaCare among libertarians/moderate Republicans and anti-abortion conservatives. Because of this blind spot, Senate Republicans are poised to make the same fatal mistake they made the first time around when they failed to comprehend the necessity of strategic voting on abortion language.

The vast majority of libertarians and moderate Republicans who oppose anti-abortion laws also oppose laws that force taxpayers to subsidize abortion. Consequently, where it comes to ObamaCare, there is a coincidence of interests between the so-called “social conservatives” who want to outlaw abortion and libertarians and moderate Republicans who want to outlaw forcing those who oppose abortion as a matter of conscience from being forced to subsidize it.

Given the fact that there is no practical way to prevent forced taxpayer subsidization of abortion once the government takeover of healthcare is a reality, the only way to satisfy the interests of all three groups is to prevent a government takeover of healthcare in the first place. And, the only way to prevent President Obama and congressional Democrats from succeeding with a government takeover of healthcare is to prevent a cosmetic “fix” to the abortion problem, i.e., Stupak, which would give sufficient political cover to Stupak Democrats to vote for the Senate Bill. As long as Republican Members of Congress fail to grasp this fact, they will be unable to oppose or at least walk away from any cosmetic “fix” to the abortion problem such as a Separate Stupak would offer. In other words, by voting for a Separate Stupak, Republicans would actually grease the skids for ObamaCare to be enacted into law.

Therefore, the common ground among social conservatives, libertarians and moderate Republicans is to oppose any legislative provision, including a Separate Stupak, that requires or ultimately leads to government subsidization of abortion.

It may sound harsh but the truth often is harsh: If ObamaCare passes into law it will be the fault of Republicans and the pro-life groups who have the power, without even breaking a sweat, to stop this monstrosity in its tracks.

No Separate Stupak, Stupid.

Don’t throw the baby out with the bath-water, folks.  The negotiations taking place in the Senate right now are still vital to what the House eventually does.  Yes, if the bill passes the House, that’s it.  It’s over.  However, the House won’t pass the Senate bill unless they have a reasonable prospect of seeing reconciliation pass.

Even if it isn’t the endgame, reconciliation is still a major piece of this puzzle, because House Democrats are factoring it into their vote.  If reconciliation looks like a non-starter, then the House Democrats are not likely to pass this monster.  If 50 Democrats come out in support of the bill “fixes,” then the tide turns and Pelosi will be able to marshal the troops.

That’s why this whip-count from OpenLeft is worrisome.

The Democrats are close.  We must keep a keen eye on Harry Reid and the reconciliation negotiations.  Keep pressuring your Senators to come out against the reconciliation process.  Public opposition by Democrat Senators will deter Democrat House members from voting yes.

Control the narrative on Senate reconciliation and leveraged pressure against wavering House members is yours. Public knowledge of Byrd’s strong feelings against using reconciliation for healthcare as outlined here and here. This knowledge alone kills the meme that reconciliation is a harmless little fuzzy bunny that has been used before by Republicans and therefore it is perfectly acceptable to use it to overhaul 1/6 of the U.S. economy.

Ubiquitous public awareness the architect of Senate reconciliation is against using the procedural tactic to pass ObamaCare will cause vulnerable House members to reach for the Maalox and lose trust in both the process and the end result in terms of the blowback by their constituents and the unceremonious end of said Representative’s political career. Pelosi would find it even harder to garner support for ObamaCare; nobody is willing to fall on a sword for the queen of contempt. In short, House members will be tainted by the Senate procedure.

To state it another way, the Senate procedural maneuver will effectively scare away votes in the House. This will work if the GOP starts talking - and talking a great deal. Wide exposure on Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, talk radio, and in the blogosphere will only aid our cause and the goal to kill ObamaCare for good. There will be an argument that reconciliation will only be used to pass “fixes” to the bill. However, if the bill will not pass without reconciliation, then it is clear that reconciliation is the means by which the entire healthcare system will be overhauled. The argument falls apart and reconciliation is once again front-and-center as the means by which ObamaCare will be passed.

I don’t believe Pelosi will ever have the votes, but this beast of a bill won’t die, which requires an extraordinary effort on ObamaCare opponents to kill the bill for good. Right now the Democrats are controlling the reconciliation PR messaging within some of their ranks and it’s the fence sitters that worry me. The public knows something is wrong with using reconciliation to subvert the will of the electorate, but let them know the architect of the process is against it and watch public opinion push the Democratic fence sitters into the correct field of opinion. We need to control the narrative about the process and make it very painful for any Senator, Representative, or the President to even bring up the subject.

We need the birth of a new meme, one so powerful that it cannot be countered by anyone advocating quashing of minority rights in the Senate while concurrently ignoring the will of a majority of the electorate without looking ridiculous, partisan, contemptuous, and thoroughly out of touch.

Words have meaning and memes can carry far and wide. Tie in Senator Byrd’s statement’s on reconciliation with the idea of rule by tyranny. The GOP talking heads should be screaming Byrd’s views from the mountaintops and I have yet to hear a single reference to Byrd’s feelings on the matter of using reconciliation to shove healthcare down our throats.

His words are powerful. The fact that they come from him is PR gold.

As the Democratic Party-run press continues to work and create divisions on the right, the real battle continues within their own party.  Fissures between the ‘Tea Party’ and the traditional GOP, conservative litmus tests, and challenges to established Republican legislators are all written with glee, hoping against hope the right will implode and therefore protect the vulnerable liberals.  The left has a message that makes the public cringe, a president that doesn’t know what he’s doing, and a leadership with nothing but contempt for the voters.  Evan Bayh’s exit from the Senate isn’t just bad news, it’s a declaration of war against his own far left comrades.

While there are conflicts between traditional Republicans, conservatives, and Tea Party adherents, they are talking.  For example, a relationship isn’t dead because the husband and wife argue, it’s dead when the silence is deafening.  On the right, people are disagreeing, but they agree on the most important parts.  They are conversing and considering what is best for the nation.

On the left, the Progressive/Socialist wing has taken over.  When meeting with the president, his ’sit down, we won’ comment was directed as much at the regular Democratic members as it was the Republicans.  When they were ironing out the House bill, the less radical members were excluded.  These people have egos.  They have pride and a sense of duty to do the best they can.  Being excluded and marginalized as not radical enough is a trial for them.  Bayh’s exit is an example of the frustration many of those mere liberals feel who are not Regressive/Marxists. 

The two wings are not speaking, at all.  All seems right with the world because there is no demonstrable antipathy.  However, the frustration, as expressed by Bayh and the retiring ‘centrists,’ show a serious problem for the Democrats.  You see, it is not just candidates who are feeling excluded and ignored.  It is also segments of the Democratic coalition.  They will not act out right now.  Their radical brethern have seen to it they keep quiet.  Bubbling under the surface is more disappointment and discontent.  If the Democrats keep losing, in the polls and in the field,  their sane base will rebel and rebel hard. 

The coming eruption will be within the Democratic Party and not the Republican.  As long as we keep a dialogue open and an engaging process working, the right can work it out.  But the silence and suppression within the left will explode.  Someone will have to lead the party back should November go especially bad, and Bayh will be in just that sort of golden position.  Anyone who believes the Indiana senator does not want to be president is very naive.  He is positioning himself as the savior of the party.  The internals are looking really bad for the Democrats.  Their outcome in November may even be worse than the most optimistic Republicans are predicting.  If the far left is annoyed, and the near left dispirited, the turnout will be disasterous for them.  It would lead to a wave that makes Massachusetts look like a ripple.  Should the left continue to founder, a 2010 loss of 100 seats in the House could be very possible.  Should the rift open up, it is likely probable.

As I write this, the Republican primary to select the challenger to Bill Foster has now finally narrowed to two individuals - Ethan Hastert and Randy Hultgren. Skepticalmi put together a great overview of the background of this race here, be sure to check it out. As mentioned by acat in the comments, the election of Bill Foster to former Speaker Hastert’s seat was the result of a perfect storm of Illinois GOP incompetence, general disillusionment with the GOP by the public, and a personal intervention by the One.

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We in the conservative movement are not shy to criticize members of Republican leadership – and by implication (or occasionally, directly) their staff. But those of us who have worked on Capitol Hill know precisely how hard it is to find good staff, how hard those good staff members work, and how important they can be – not just to the members – but to the conservative cause.

We lost one of the best of those staff members this weekend – our friend, Paula Nowakowski. Paula was a long time adviser to Leader Boehner, having started with him back in 1995, and was most recently his Chief of Staff.

This loss is personal to Boehner, and he issued a statement, saying in part:

“We will remember Paula as she would want to be remembered — as a tireless worker, faithful friend, rabid Detroit sports fan, whip-smart strategist, warrior for freedom and devoted Catholic who counted President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II among her greatest heroes. She will never be replaced or forgotten,” Boehner said.

In addition, former Speaker New Gingrich said “Paula brought a passion for freedom, a warrior’s courage, a seasoned professional intellect and an enormous devotion both as a Catholic and as a Republican activist.”

Indeed, Paula was “of the revolution” and never lost her fervor for the battle. She was a friend to conservatives and did her best in the face of the Washington Republican establishment to keep the Republican Conference on the right track.

I had the pleasure of working with Paula and she was as delightful as she was smart and hard-working. She will be missed – and our hearts and well wishes go out to her family and friends.

I noticed when I looked for some updates online that one of the typically classy loony left posted a posthumous rant about Paula – which I know she would take as a badge of honor. I won’t link to it, but it read, in part, “…she pushed the most stringent anti-abortion crap along the political highway, and for years, she has been the chief of staff of one J. Boehner… This woman has been pushing Reagan and newt’s ultra-conservatism for decades…”

Yep. And I suspect the conversation with St. Pete is going quite well.

God Bless you, Paula. We’ll miss you.

RIP.