(Thumbnail image: The New York Times)

 
PRESIDENT OBAMA: "We need to find common ground. We need to move past the bickering and game-playing that holds us back, and blocks progress for the American people. I know it's possible to do this." (Weekly Address)

But deeper divides on both sides of the aisle might make it difficult for President Obama to find that common ground. 

Democrats suggest they might move on without overwhelming Congressional support.

MENENDEZ: "We'd really like to get a bipartisan bill. In the absence of that, the American people, I think, have said in the polls that they want to see us move forward on health care reform." (FOX News)

ALEXANDER: "It would be a political kamikaze mission for the Democratic Party if they jam this through after the American people have been saying … 'we don't want this bill.'" (ABC News)
 
Many in the media suggest Senate Democrats will turn to budget reconciliation--a way to pass legislation with a simple 51-vote majority.

PBS explains.

“It’s a provision that was designed to keep spending and taxes within the parameters of the budget, a task made easier by an expedited process that prohibits filibusters—and limits debate to 20 hours.”

Republicans are crying foul at that prospect.

But CNN’s Candy Crowley tells Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell—Republicans might be forgetting something as they protest the possibility of reconciliation.

“Since 1980, there have been 16 times reconciliation was used under a Republican-controlled Senate and there were six times under a Democrat-controlled Senate. So it’s not all that unusual. The minority always hates it because it takes away their filibuster power. But these were not just budget issues. This was welfare reform. These were the Bush tax cuts. These were things like that. And you voted for reconciliation.”

On the Chicago Tribune blog “The Swamp”, Mark Silva argues reconciliation is the only way to make health care reform happen.

“It could be that the only thing nose-diving into the deck of an aircraft carrier this year will be the health care bill itself, if the Democrats don't resort to a method that the GOP has used many times to ‘jam’ the measure through by a majority vote.”

Still—critics say there are other options. Anchors on Fox and Friends offer their suggestions.

MORRIS: “There's two things that they can do -- one of which Dave just talked about -- which is to stiffen the language on the abortion provisions in the bill and also curb costs. I mean, that's another big issue from some of these fiscally conservative blue-dog Democrats.”

CAMEROTA: “They could also scrap it, by the way, which is what so many Americans are hoping at this point.”

President Obama is expected to announce his recommendations on what he calls the “best way forward” this week.

ADDITIONAL SOURCES:

TOM COBURN (R-OK): “Well, I don't know what we'll do. The first thing is there will be a fairly significant amendment process that will have to go through. But I would make a couple of points on reconciliation. Welfare reform happened with reconciliation. Half the Democrats voted for it. The Bush tax cuts happened with reconciliation. Twelve Democratic senators voted for it.

“You didn't have a real partisan issue on those times that it was used. You know, the danger of what's happening right now in terms of using reconciliation is the purpose of the Senate is going to be defeated. And that is to bring consensus to big issues in this country so that we have a reasoned and thoughtful approach and that the American public buys into it.” (CBS “Face The Nation”)

NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): "When we have a bill, which we will in a matter of days, then that is the bill that we can sell." (CNN “State of the Union”)

Nancy-Ann DeParle (Director, White House Office of Health Reform): "Health care reform has already passed both the House and the Senate with not only a majority in the Senate but a supermajority. And we're not talking about changing any rules here. … All the president is talking about is: Do we need to address this problem, and does it make sense to have a simple up-or-down vote on whether or not we want to fix these problems?" (NBC’s “Meet the Press”)

JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ): “And so, what they ended up with is in order to buy votes, they did these unsavory deals. They are unsavory. To say that 800,000 people in Florida will be carved out from any reduction in a Medicare advantage program -- 330,000 of my citizens in Arizona are Medicare Advantage enrollees, to say that you're going to put $100 million in for a hospital in Connecticut?

“Look, these are unsavory deals. They were done behind closed doors, and it has been -- look, I'd have town hall meetings all over the place in my state of Arizona. People object the process as much as they do to the problems.” (NBC’s “Meet the Press”

BOB MENENDEZ (D-NJ): "Once these reforms become law, Republicans who opposed it will have to look voters in the eye and pledge to repeal historic reforms which will have afforded coverage to hundreds of thousands constituents, brought down costs for families and small businesses, ended appalling insurance practices, and lowered the deficit." (FOX News Sunday)

 Writer: Ben Stewart/Newsy Staff

 Producer: Newsy Staff