Posted on 11/07/2009 4:38:15 PM PST by Sub-Driver
Sources: Pelosi, Dems lock up 218
By PATRICK O'CONNOR & JOHN BRESNAHAN & JONATHAN ALLEN | 11/7/09 7:16 PM EST
POLITICO 44
Hours before an expected vote on a sweeping health care bill, House Democrats believe they've secured the 218 votes they need to approve the bill, several party insiders said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took to the House floor about 6:30 p.m. to say, “Today we will pass the Affordable Health Care for America Act.. . .We will make history. We will also make progress for America's working families."
In response to a question about whether the bill would pass when she brought it up, Pelosi told reporters Saturday night, "That is our expectation."
Thirty-two Democrats have publicly declared their opposition to the bill, giving party leaders the narrowest possible margin to push the bill across the finish line. But numerous sources said Democrats believe they do have the votes after a day of intense lobbying of wavering Democrats.
Votes have a tendency to shift in the final hours before a controversial vote, but party leaders were expressing more genuine confidence as the sun set over the Capitol than they had exhibited all week. Word started spreading around 5 p.m. that leaders had the votes they needed to pass the $1.2 trillion bill.
Pelosi had all-but-predicted passage of a House health reform bill earlier Saturday, following an emotional appeal from President Barack Obama to fellow Democrats urging them to “answer the call of history” and vote yes.
But she and her top lieutenants earlier stopped short of saying they had the 218 votes needed for passage – signaling a day of vote-wrangling and arm-twisting that could stretch into Saturday night.
And Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami declined to comment. “We are not commenting on whip counts,” Elshami said.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Maybe not. The Blue Dogs know there will be hell to pay.
Big wins by the GOP in NJ and VA were a big deal. Thank Newt for the loss in NY-23 along with Dede and the RINO GOP bosses in NY-23.
The dark-eyed senator from ME support it, and people there back her wildly.
PA Dems got their a$$es handed to them in state and local races. They’d better bear that in mind. We haven’t forgotten Mezvinsky.
Great point and thanks for bringing it up. Yup - a lot of local races - the Dems got hammered.
I loved Rush talking about the guy in Westchester County NY who has a XM satellite radio show about Christianity, talks to the local bishop in the radio every week. He was a Repub and beat a BIG local longtime Dem in lib Westchester County. Rush was pretty funny talking about it.
yitbos
Nobody seems to care about their political future which makes me think there are many people receiving cash payments with these votes. There won’t be much of anything to rule over soon anyway.
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