Harry Reid is said to be planning to force the health care bill through the Senate using the “nuclear option” of Reconciliation.

The Nevada Democrat, who has issued similar threats before, spoke as the Senate Finance Committee began debate over Chairman Max Baucus’ reform plan. Reid threatened to use a budgetary tool called reconciliation — also known as the “nuclear option” — that would allow Democrats to pass key parts of the legislation with a simple majority, as opposed to the 60 votes needed to avoid a Republican filibuster.  “If we can’t work this out to do something within the committee structure, then we’ll be forced to do the reconciliation,” Reid said, adding that he views that as a “last resort.”

Newt points out that the original purpose of the US Senate was to force a slower deliberative process to occur that dampened a majority controlled House Of Representatives:

The Founding Fathers designed the Constitution and our government to guard against political power grabs by slowing down the process of making laws…. They insisted that the Senate had to be a deliberative body to slow down the passions of the House and stop mob rule from destroying freedom…. In a famous conversation between the two presidents, Thomas Jefferson is said to have asked George Washington why the Framers had agreed to a second chamber in Congress at the 1787 Constitutional Convention. “Why did you pour that coffee into your saucer?” Washington asked him. “To cool it,” said Jefferson. “Even so,” said Washington, “we pour legislation into the senatorial saucer to cool it.“

Newt also points out that Democrat Senator Robert Byrd helped craft the rules allowing for Reconciliation to avoid stalemates in the budgetary process – but not for issues like health care and has strongly urged his colleagues to refrain from using reconciliation to force health care legislation through the Senate:

“Using the budget reconciliation process to pass health reform and climate change legislation…would violate the intent and spirit of the budget process, and do serious injury to the constitutional role of the Senate.”

Once this nuclear option is unleashed, there is no taking it back.  The Democrats better consolidate power into their dream dictatorship because if they ever lose control of both houses again, the collateral damage from the explosion they set off now could be truly be frightening. We predict that the new role of the Senate as dispenser of vengeance on the opposition party will be terrible to behold.