37 Gone.
Spoke Salena Zito re the undecided Democrats in her beat for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and found a whip count that does not favor Mrs. Pelosi. You will recall that the Hill whip count lists 37 No votes, and Mrs. Pelosi can give only 37 No votes before healthcare fails to reach the 216 majority. Therefore, any No vote from the 70 undecideds is consequential. Zito identified Brad Ellsworth of Indiana 8 as a No vote, or else he can abandon his campaign to win the open Senate seat against Dan Coats. Zito also identified Kathy Dahlkemper of PA-3, from a conservative Catholic district, as a No vote. Also a possible No from Charlie Wilson of Ohio 6, another Catholic conservative district. And a No from Tim Ryan of Ohio 17, more Catholic conservatives. The biggest doubt she registered was for Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania 4, who is faced with a weak opponent for November, but who would ignite opposition if he votes Yes. Zito says that Altmire is undecided, but that if he votes No, he will hold his district "forever."
Speaker Plan B.
Salena Zito confirmed that Mrs. Pelosi has a Plan B, a much smaller healthcare bill, that the Democrats will bring if and when the present giant bill fails. Zito says that Pelosi misses John Murtha, who could have talked tough to the White House and its relentless push for the bill that no one wrote, that was concocted from discarded bits and glued together with pork. I am puzzled at the confidence with which members of the media assert that Mrs. Pelosi can win this vote. There is no margin. The persuasion of any one of the five, Ellsworth, Dahlkemper, Wilson, Ryan and Altmire, is difficult, but garnering all five looks like a miracle. A Yes vote will push them into uphill fights, even in the safe districts. The anger at the deal-making for the bill is greater than the anger about the bill. Mention that POTUS Obama campaigned in Ohio this news cycle in order to bolster his case with the reluctant Wilson and Ryan. Also to insult Leader John Boehner of the GOP, who cooperated with the Blair House gabfest.
"I am puzzled at the confidence that members of the media provide that Mrs. Pelosi can win this vote."
They don't want to see Obama's flagship program fail any more than Pelosi does.
Personally, I think health care will pass in some form. It is becoming increasingly clear that whatever passes will be illegal, illegitimate and unconstitutional. As such, the American people will be under no obligation to adhere to the laws it would invoke. Break one law; you tear the fabric of law in general. The vacuum fills with despotism. It will be a victory for socialism whether or not anything passes. In the end, both the law and representative governance will have been discredited beyond repair.
Picture the President at his next State of the Union saying, “Congress has failed to act responsibly. It has failed the people of this great nation. Congress has failed irrevocably. This leaves me no choice but to dissolve it and declare martial law. No one need be concerned, however. I will continue to do what is right for the people. Allah Akbar!”
http://peterkoelliker.blogspot.com/
Madame Speaker MUST win this vote. Her career is over if the opposite happens. Consider it a vote of confidence.
Happy St. Patrick's day, O'Bama! The An Taoiseach will be visiting, Don't forget the green dye in the water fountain out front! BHO the Most Irish President since JFK (he's 25% Irish on his mother's side) Perhaps he can ask the Taoiseach (bad protocol to him Prime Minister) about all those Mossad assassins with Irish Passports and Swarthy Al Qaeda types pubbing it up in Dublin.
Wisdom
Now they're talking about wrapping it in a "rules" bill that will deem the Senate bill passed once the Senate approves the changes contained in the reconciliation bill. They still will have to vote on the "rules" bill, so that's essentially the same as voting on the actual Senate bill; but I'm wondering if "essentially the same" translates to "exactly the same". In other words, whether it renders this whole elaborate whip counting as irrelevant, or subject to modification at least. If the Dems do this via the rules bill to avoid a direct vote on the Senate bill, it will be as much as admitting that they know a direct YES vote on the Senate bill could be a career-ender for some of these swing district Democrats; if that's the case, that in turn gives the lie to their repeated claims that "this bill will be really popular once it's in place". The bill is toxic; they know it's toxic; and they're trying to pass it anyway. To my way of thinking, wrapping this in a rules bill changes what they're doing from manslaughter to first degree murder.
the jumpers are all on the ledge. the crowd below gasps though some with bullhorns chant for them to jump.
the chilling commonality between fanatics of all stripes is their tunnel vision, the eye on the prize.
where are the grown ups? the guys who say "hold on now. this doesn't seem right. maybe we've gone too far. let's step back and take a deep breath."
oh. I am a dreamer, a fool to ask that, to hope that, to wish that.
Jason Altmire, a key Dem swing vote, just made a statement that the "deem and pass" strategy is "wrong". There's one adult at least.
I am increasingly reminded of Sweeny Todd.