Kent Conrad: For The House, It’s The Senate Bill Or No Bill At All

Kent Conrad says there isn’t any room for the Senate to compromise with the House on the health care bill.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad said Sunday that it’s the Senate bill, or nothing at all, when it comes to health care reform.
“It is very clear that the final bill that passed in the United States Senate is going have to be very close to the bill that is being negotiated here,” the North Dakota Democrat said on “Fox News Sunday.” “Otherwise you will not get 60 votes in the United States Senate.”

If this is true, and certainly that 60 vote majority is pretty fragile, it’s going to prove problematic in the House.
Over the weekend I did some math, and assuming that all the politicians keep their various promises on voting against this bill over its lack of acceptable anti-abortion language or its lack of a “public option” Pelosi will have to swing 71 votes from the ranks of Republicans and Democrats who previously voted against the bill to get a pass.
Even allowing a lot of fudge room for politicians who will go back on their promises, that’s a big obstacle.