In the face of public outcry and defeat at the ballot box, many Washington Democrats still remain undeterred in their crusade to usher in the largest expansion of government control over our health care system.

While the so-called “public option” appears to be dead, Democrats continue to propose czar-like bureaucracies and federal regulations that will ultimately give politicians in Washington the power to make decisions about your health plan and thus the treatments you receive.

All that remains now is how to make it law --- potentially by a reconciliation vote in the Senate.

Reconciliation was never intended to be used to decide important public policy debates like health care reform. Reform by reconciliation is a partisan distortion of the American legislative process and would unfairly allow Senate Democrats to slip through so-called reforms that Americans have clearly said they don’t want.

Luckily, it appears that a growing number of Democrats agree.

See who’s against using reconciliation for health care reform:

“I don't believe reconciliation was ever intended for the purpose of writing this kind of substantive reform legislation such as health care reform.”
-- Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)

“The reconciliation gambit really would be unprecedented for social legislation of this cost and scale. And as a matter of procedure, it would also be unusual, to say the least.”
-- Wall Street Journal, editorial (2/13/10)

“Reconciliation on healthcare: “An outrage that must be resisted.”
-- Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV)

“The White House has threatened to ram through radical health reform by abusing the budget reconciliation process. That would mean a new chapter on corruption for the history books.”
-- Investor’s Business Daily, editorial (2/22/10)

“Reconciliation is a nonstarter … it doesn’t work. ... it opens itself up to an endless, unstoppable number of amendments…”
-- Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

“Right now, [Democrats] are clinging to [reconciliation] as a back-door way to shove their much-maligned health care plans through Congress.”
-- Chicago Tribune, editorial (2/19/10)

“I will not accept any last-minute efforts to force changes to health insurance reform issues through budget reconciliation, and neither will Arkansans.”
-- Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

“The threat of reconciliation mocks negotiations”
-- George Will, syndicated columnist, 4/30/09

“We shouldn't stretch reconciliation for … health care.”
-- Sen. Bryon Dorgan (D-ND)

“I think it's a real mistake to try to jam through the total health insurance reform, health care reform plan that the public is either opposed to or of very, very passionate mixed minds about.”
-- Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT)

"Reconciliation is going to cause partisan warfare."
-- Sen. Max Baucus, (D-MT)

“Resorting to reconciliation will poison the atmosphere for bipartisanship”
-- New York Times, editorial (4/11/09)

“[Reconciliation] was intended for deficit reduction, and it should not be used for other things.”
-- Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)

“Reconciliation is not the right path”
-- Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH)

“Using reconciliation, and bypassing Senate rules, to pass a piece of policy legislation that overhauls one-sixth of our economy, the Senate would be initiating a precedent for future partisan majorities to eliminate thoughtful debate and pass reckless and partisan legislation "by any means necessary."
-- Heritage Foundation, (9/18/09)

“Very ill-advised.”
-- Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)

“‘Reconciliation tends to be partisan, It's not a good idea.”
-- Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)

"One of the worst grabs for power in the history of the country."
-- Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

“It wasn't appropriate then; It isn't appropriate now.”
-- Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI)

“That would probably be the worst thing we could do right now”
-- Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)

“That is undesirable.”
-- Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA)

“I’m Not Real Wild About Using That Procedure That Way.”
-- Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR)

“[Reconciliation] is a special rule that was never intended to create energy or health care policy for our country - issues so significant that our regular order should prevail."
-- Sen. John Kyl (R-AR)

“Reconciliation is supposed to be for tying up loose ends — for technical, budget-balancing measures. But Democrats want to use it to put a government bureaucrat between patients and their doctors.”
-- San Francisco Examiner, editorial (2/23/10)