Just Wondering . . .

Carol Platt Liebau | February 26, 2010 3:58 PM

If the Democrats can use reconciliation to pass health care "reform" that the public hates, does that mean that a Republican Congress and President would someday be free to use reconciliation to achieve legislative goals like reducing the unionization of the federal workforce, diminishing the power of trial lawyers (through tort reform) and passing social security reform using the same procedural device?

No one, of course, is claiming that Republicans would do those things (nor should they, if public opposition to them were as vehement and as consistent as the opposition to ObamaCare. One party, at least, should still care about ruling with the consent of the governed). But that's not the issue. The issue is: Would the Democrats have a problem with a brave new world where the Senate filibuster is essentially set aside at the whim of the majority party?

And does President Obama care to comment? After all, a precedent for the future will bind everyone . . . and Democrats will have him to thank for it.