Republicans have been talking ad nauseam about how just plain wrong it is for Democrats to consider passing healthcare reform through the reconciliation process.

This may not be quite as ridiculously dishonest as the death panels nonsense, but it’s really not a whole lot better. And it’s much easier to ridicule.

Democrats don’t need to pass healthcare reform in the Senate through reconciliation. For the simple reason that the Senate has already passed a healthcare reform bill. Back in December, just before the Senate recessed on Christmas Eve. Under supermajority rules, despite Republican obstructionism, by a 60-39 margin.

Both the House and Senate have passed healthcare reform bills. All that remains is for the two bills to be reconciled. And Republicans have put themselves in the position of doing a heck of a lot of high-profile whining about Democrats using the reconciliation process to reconcile the bills. And Democrats can’t turn around and make Republicans look ridiculous even for something like this?

They really, really, really suck, don’t they?

*** Update, 8:40 a.m. on February 27 ***

NBC‘s Chuck Todd made exactly this point on Hardball Thursday evening:

Chuck Todd of NBC made a superb point on “Hardball” last night that everyone should pay attention to. He noted that absolutely no one is proposing to pass a health-care bill under the “reconciliation process,” that is, with a majority rather than 60 votes in the Senate.

Does that surprise you? Chuck’s point is that the health care bill already passed the Senate with 60 votes last December. Democrats would use reconciliation only for a series of rather modest amendments to the overall bill. …

I do not expect what I will call the Todd Clarification to stop Republicans from condemning the Democrats if they get a bill through with the reconciliation amendments. But shouldn’t all of us be referring to them just that way — as “amendments” rather than as “a bill”?
[...]
Kudos to Todd for stating a truth that just about all of us have missed.