New and Improved ObamaCare - The Teeny-Tiny Waterloo or a Slightly Less Stinky Pile of Poo, You Decide

Put on your neck braces  and prepare for the release of ObamaCare version 3.976574.  It's the teeny-tiny version, or if you prefer, the version that stinks slightly less than the others.  Still, it is expected to be, "'big enough' to put the country on a 'path' toward health care reform."  That may make it big enough to still do plenty of damage if there is, in fact, a new teenie-tiny version in the works.  

The New Republic's Jonathan Cohn seems to have a report contradicting news a smaller version will be introduced:

I checked with Pelosi's office, though, and that interpretation seems to be wrong. Via e-mail, spokesperson Brendan Daly says

The Speaker was referring to the compromise between the House and the Senate that the President unveiled last week--not a new smaller bill. As she has said repeatedly, she is committed to passing comprehensive health insurance reform.

This is consistent with the message Pelosi and her lieutenants sent over the weekend in a series of television interviews.

If somebody is going to back away from comprehensive reform, it won't be Pelosi.

Well, shame on us for interpreting Pelosi's statement to mean a new smaller version would be released.  I suppose Major Garrett at Fox News got this statement all wrong then:

"In a matter of days, we will have a proposal," Pelosi said, pointing to Obama's forthcoming bill. "It will be a much smaller proposal than we had in the House bill, because that's where we can gain consensus. But it will be big enough to put us on a path of affordable, quality health care for all Americans that holds insurance companies accountable."

Cutting through the semantics and political doublespeak, it seems we are about to see a version of ObamaCare that incorporates two ideas presented by Republicans at the health care summit on Thursday.   The plan is likely to include some versions of medical malpractice reform and an allowance for insurers to sell across state lines.    This isn't likely to make for a smaller bill, but in Nancy Pelosi's world this will make it bipartisan even if it fails to win a single Republican vote.  Allahpundit sums this up perfectly:

And if it has Republican ideas, why shouldn’t it be rammed through with reconciliation, right? Voila — Plan C, the first “bipartisan” bill in history aimed at a party-line vote.

Perhaps they cut 50 pages somewhere and this constitutes "smaller" in Democratic spin.

Pelosi's Broom Still in the Shop?

While Congress currently enjoys a 14% approval rating according to Rasmussen, some in Congress are re-thinking the whole "hey kids let's buy some luxury jets" decision I mentioned the other day. There seems to be bi-partisan squeamishness about the purchase emerging from the House and Senate as reported in The Wall Street Journal How squeamish are they exactly:

"The whole thing kind of makes me sick to my stomach," said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) in an interview Sunday. "It is evidence that some of the cynicism about Washington is well placed -- that people get out of touch and they spend money like it's Monopoly money."

That sounds mighty squeamish to me. Of course not all in Congress share the same anxiety people might see them drunken sailors or something, especially while millions are unemployed. The lawmakers in favor of the luxury jet purchase employ the "Joe Biden" rationale for increased spending arguing new planes will be cheaper to operate and will save money down the road. Somehow I doubt Congress will develop a sudden conscience and save us a few hundred million.