Republicans protest as Democrats try to pass Obamacare without actually voting on it - a clear sign the votes aren’t there for an up or down vote.  Dems defend the rule saying it’s been used many times by Republican majorities.  New Jersey tea partiers get the green light to continue effort to recall Sen. Bob Menendez and the Lockerbie bomber (who was supposed to be dead four months ago) may live another five years.

 

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A final vote (if there is a vote) may not happen for days or even weeks, but Democrats are about to set the stage for an extremely controversial showdown.  The Budget Committee has approved reconciliation language for the package to fix the flawed Senate bill.  What happened in that hearing and what does it tell us about the next stages in this debate?  We ask Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, a member of the Budget Committee.  He discusses what would happen on abortion, the public option and whether avoiding a direct vote would protect and members of Congress from the potential wrath of voters.

 

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Clifford May of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies discusses the strained relations between Israel and the Obama administration.  Are new settlements the heart of the issue or just a symptom of a bigger problem?  What is the truth on the new settlements?  What might be a bigger issue?  How does the Iranian nuclear threat factor into all of this?  And is there any reason to think peace progress is possible?

 

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As Democrats struggle to pass health care legislation and consider extraordinary measures to push the bill over the finish line, Republicans can do very little to impact the outcome.  But the American people can.  So says South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson.  He says public opposition stopped passage of the bill for months and massive public opposition is the key to killing the bill once and for all.

 

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House Democrats are still struggling to cobble together the 216 votes needed to pass the Senate health bill.  So Speaker Nancy Pelosi is considering a tactic that would approve the plan without ever voting on it.  It’s called ‘deem and pass’.  How can Congress pass a bill without a debate or a vote?  Has this ever been done before?  On a bill of this significance?  How will something like this get worked out in the House Rules Committee?  We ask California Rep. David Dreier, ranking Republican and former chairman of the House Rules Committee.

 

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President Obama gave his closing argument for the Democratic health plan by saying support for the bill is an act of courage.  Dems still don’t have the votes, but are optimistic.  Sen. Dodd unveils plan to give government more power to regulate Wall Street.  Actor Peter Graves is dead at 83.

 

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President Obama says he wants to overhaul No Child Left Behind, the landmark education plan approved under President Bush.  The changes include new standards, new classifications for schools and new remedies for those that are lagging behind.  Are these good changes?  And what has been the track record of the original Bush plan?  We ask Lindsey Burke of the Heritage Foundation.

 

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As President Obama and Democratic leaders try to twist enough Democratic arms to pass the health care bill, Grace-Marie Turner of the Galen Institute explains what will determine the votes of the final, undecided House Democrats and whether more special deals will be added to put the Dems over the top.  She also gives a vote count update and explains why House Democrats don’t trust their Senate counterparts to make the changes they want.

 

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Georgia Rep. Tom Price - also a practicing physician - sounds off on the latest developments in the health care debate.  How does he analyze Nancy Pelosi’s decision to give up trying to win back as many as 12 pro-life Democrats?  What about yet another awkward rule strategy to get the bill passed?

 

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Georgia Rep. Tom Price says Republicans are not just critical of Democrats for piling on the pork barrel spending but are willing to show their commitment to open and thrifty government by not adding a single earmark to this year’s appropriations process.  Why now?  Is this principled, political or both?  Will this be just about the transparency issue or will the GOP also look to drastically reduce spending?  Can Republicans convince voters they are the party of fiscal discipline just four years after losing the majority in part because of excessive spending?

 

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