Politics | House of Representatives Obama: Use House More, Senate Less The Senate's not all it's cracked up to be By Kevin Spak Posted Sep 8, 2009 10:06 AM CDT Copied President Barack Obama, right, embraces Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., before speaking during a fundraiser for Democratic House and Senate candidates, Thursday, June 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari) Barack Obama may come to regret using House Democrats as “expendable shock troops” in his battle to pass health care reform, writes David Rogers of Politico. Obama has focused on the Senate as his crucible of compromise, but the House—bolstered by a Rules Committee able to test competing reform options—is a better venue for complex, multi-faceted issues like health care. Besides, the Senate ain’t what it used to be. The Senate’s become “like the House—only a more dysfunctional version,” says Rogers. Nearly half its members are ex-House members, and all are just as embroiled in non-stop campaigning as their lower-chamber counterparts. The House features a bigger, more diverse Democratic caucus, and it would take a truly centrist bill to unite it. If Pelosi abandoned the shock troop mentality, she could call votes on individual proposals like the public option, forging a true consensus. Read These Next A family hike took a tragic turn in Arkansas on Saturday. White House makes Hegseth put his polygraph away. A new book argues the Sacagawea legend is all wrong. US denies visas to Venezuelan team bound for Little League tournament. Report an error