Did you Spell it as “Demon Pass”? Well, hold on – that might be accurate…
Written by admin on March 17th, 2010 in Government.
Tags: Democrats, etiquette, health care
If you have been listening to the news lately about the health care bill fiasco and the whole voting brouhaha, you may have heard the words “Deem and Pass” bandied about. Except, people tend to slur their English and run their words together, so instead you heard the phrase “Demon Pass.”
First, here’s how the Washington Post describes “Deem and Pass”:
After laying the groundwork for a decisive vote this week on the Senate’s health-care bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Monday that she might attempt to pass the [Senate health care bill] without having members vote on it. Pelosi would rely on a procedural sleight of hand: The House would vote on a more popular package of fixes to the Senate bill; under the House rule for that vote, passage would signify that lawmakers “deem” the health-care bill to be passed. The tactic — known as a “self-executing rule” or a “deem and pass” — has been commonly used, although never to pass legislation as momentous as the $875 billion health-care bill. It is one of three options that Pelosi said she is considering for a late-week House vote, but she added that she prefers it because it would politically protect lawmakers who are reluctant to publicly support the measure.
As Pelosi says:
“It’s more insider and process-oriented than most people want to know, but I like it, because people don’t have to vote on the Senate bill.”
Oh yeah, Pelosi also said: “We have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it”
Hmm, perhaps the words “Demon Pass” are suitable after all.
