Dems plan 'pain' for GOP if they drag out health debate

Democrats plan "pain" for Republicans who seek to slow or block passage of healthcare legislation, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said Wednesday night.

Brown said that if Republicans try to offer amendments and use parliamentary maneuvers to grind out the legislative process, Democrats would retaliate with all-night sessions and other methods of fighting back.

"I think they're going to try to do amendments, as many as they can get away with," Brown said Wednesday evening during an appearance on MSNBC. "I think we keep them here all night -- tonight, the next night, the next night, the next night."

"If they're going to try to filibuster in the traditional sense or the more modern sense that they do, they're going to have pain, too," Brown added. 

Democrats are hoping to move forward soon with healthcare legislation, though Republicans like Sen. John Thune (S.D.) have said the GOP is drawing up a number of plays to try to slow down or halt passage of the healthcare bill.

The Senate is expected to take up a series of fixes to its original healthcare bill under the budget reconciliation rules, which sidesteps the 60-vote threshold needed to end a filibuster and allows the majority to pass an item with a simple majority.

By proceeding with those rules, Republicans' ability to slow down orblog the legislation would be limited.

Still, Brown said that Democrats planned their own hardball tactics if the GOP were to try to force a prolonged debate on the final stages of health reform.

"They're going to have to stay, too," he said. "We're going to have to have quorum calls, and we're going to do whatever we need to do to get this passed within Senate rules and within fair play."