Democrats insist they are moving on health care, despite setbacks
Are Democrats marching toward a health-care bill behind the scenes, or are they slipping backwards?
On Thursday, disagreement over abortion language appeared more intractable than ever, a key procedural move was ruled out, and votes in the House continued to move the wrong way.
It was not a good day for Democrats or President Obama’s push for a health-care bill.
But Democrats insisted that the day of setbacks did not mean they would be deterred, and sources on the House Budget Committee reported that they were preparing for a mark-up on Monday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the day was “another step taking us closer to voting.”
Yet, the White House backed off its March 18 deadline for a vote in the House, and signaled that the president might even delay his trip to southeast Asia by a day or two.
Adding to the mayhem on Capitol Hill, the Democratic leaders of both the Senate and the House were beset by other troubles.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s wife, Landra, 69, was seriously injured in a car accident. Landra Reid suffered a broken back, neck and nose when a tractor-trailer ran into the car carrying her and her daughter, Lana.
Landra was in serious condition on Thursday evening at Inova Fairfax Hospital.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, meanwhile, came under fire from Republican leaders who brought a motion to the House floor that she be investigated for her handling of information about misconduct by former Rep. Eric Massa.
The Republicans’ case against Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer appears to lack a smoking gun, but the scandal was enough of a distraction to take some of the speaker’s attention away from wrangling votes for health care.
Rep. Bart Stupak, Michigan Democrat, and two other pro-life Democrats, Rep. Daniel Lipinski of Illinois, and Rep. Joe Donnelly, of Indiana, dug in their heels Thursday over their intention to vote against a bill that they believe funds abortions.
“This is a matter of conscience and I’m trying to do the right thing. We want good health care for this country but this language does not provide good health care,” Donnelly said in an interview.
Top House Democrats said they can pass a bill without the support of a dozen pro-life Democrats who voted for the bill the first time.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Maryland Democrat, told Roll Call that he thought Democrats could find votes even if the pro-life Democrats deserted.
“We’re working at it and I think the answer is yes, I think we can,” Hoyer said.
That is a tall order. Pelosi needs 216 votes. She had 220 when the House passed a bill in November, but has lost four of those votes to retirements, resignations, deaths or changes of mind.
Any losses on abortion will have to be made up from the 38 Democrats who voted against the bill.
Complicating this task is that the fact that there are an unknown number of Democrats who voted for the bill who do not want to do so again.
“There are some folks that were yes votes on the House bill last year that, in conversations I’ve had, I know don’t support this process going forward,” said Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin, South Dakota Democrat and a leader of the 54-member Blue Dog coalition of conservative Democrats.
Three Blue Dogs – Reps. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, Sanford Bishop of Georgia and Mike Capuono of Massachusetts – were reported to be moving toward voting against a health-care bill on Thursday.
“So it’s going to be a close vote. It was a close vote last time. And they’re not their yet,” Herseth-Sandlin said in a conference call.
Sen. Judd Gregg, accused Democrats of “hiding the bill,” writing it “in a hidden room, behind a hidden room, behind a hidden door.”
Gregg, a New Hampshire Republican, said Democrats were “buying” votes.
Machinations continued also over how Democrats might pass a bill procedurally to limit defections.
Democrats might use a highly unorthodox procedure, called the “Slaughter Solution,” to pass a reconciliation bill that simply deemed the Senate bill passed, allowing hesitant lawmakers to circumvent actually casting a ballot in favor of a law they don’t like.
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
Both parties are in corporate pockets. The reason we’re going bankrupt is because we do everything half-azzed. One party passes Medicare Part D unfunded, the next has the biggest majority in decades and can’t figure out how to pass real reform. The biggest winner in this “reform” are the anti-trust exempt insurance corporations with 30 million more enrollees paying no competition rates.
Here’s what status quo is getting us:
LA Times- “But brokers who sell these policies say they are fielding numerous calls from customers incensed over premium increases of 30% to 39%, saying they come on the heels of similar jumps last year.”
I wonder if Reaid feels like his wife’s accident happening now was a blessing in disguise, cause he has to know that had we been under the rule of the new health care plan, she would have gotten a pain pill and a slow death.
Pelosi is leading the Dems to Slaughter. Not all the Democrats live in the land of San Franciso elites. I picture Pelosi and Obama standing alone and sinking into their steaming pile of health care “reform” surrounded by Conservative Republicans and Independents repealing its damage and digging us out of this in 2011.
We CANNOT rely on repeal. No way will we ever be able to step this monstrosity back once it is in place. And if anyone thinks we can rely on SCOTUS, see McCain-Feingold.
We have to stop this NOW.
Run liberal lemmings! Run! Oh look, there’s a cliff!