By John Shaw

WASHINGTON (MNI) - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday that he hopes Democratic leaders abandon their health care legislation after the election of Republican Scott Brown for the Massachusetts Senate seat.

At a briefing, McConnell said he views the election as a statement that the people of Massachusetts and the U.S. would "like to see Congress go in a different direction."

Asked if the Democrats health care legislation is dead, McConnell said "I sure hope so."

McConnell said he is "convinced no gamesmanship will be played" to delay the swearing in of Brown so Democrats can ram through health care legislation while they still have 60 votes in the Senate.

McConnell said that he doesn't know if House Democrats are prepared to take up, and pass, the health care legislation that the Senate passed on Christmas Eve.

"That's an internal Democratic matter," he said.

McConnell said Republicans want to work with Democrats in passing legislation for the rest of the year.

"We would like to be partners in the process," he said. "We're prepared to meet them in the middle."

Democratic leaders have said that Republicans have made a political decision to avoid working with Democrats on health care legislation and other critical matters.

Congressional Democrats are trying to reassemble their legislative agenda after the victory of Brown and the loss of their 60th seat in the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Wednesday on the Senate floor that Congress has a full agenda ahead, including health care reform.

"We have a lot more to do," he said, but added that Republicans have been "far too little interested" in working on bipartisan legislation.

Democratic leaders now must develop a new plan to pass health care legislation.

The simplest scenario for Democrats remains having the House vote on the health care bill the Senate approved on Christmas Eve after clearing a number of procedural roadblocks with their 60 votes.

On another matter, Sen. Judd Gregg, the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, said he is unimpressed with the emerging White House plan to create a deficit reduction panel by executive order.

He called the idea a "car without an engine" because there is no process to require congressional votes on any plan that is developed.

"It's a nothingburger," Gregg said.

** Market News International Washington Bureau: (202) 371-2121 **

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