Pelosi Doesn't Have the Votes to Pass the Senate Bill

The Weekly Standard ^ | January 20, 2010 | JOHN MCCORMACK

[counterpunch]

Well hopefully its over for the big-government Republicans too.
I think the RNC-types are wrong to claim last night was an embrace of the Republican Party, just as Democrats are wrong to claim last night was a rejection of incumbents.

It was a rejection of the Political Class.
But the difference between Republicans and Democrats is the GOP would be stronger without the Political Class. The Democrat Party would be nonexistent without it.

[Lazamataz]

In November, the House passed the health care bill on a 220 to 215 vote. Since that time, Florida's Robert Wexler has retired, and Reps. Bart Stupak, Joseph Cao, and Steve Driehaus have pledged to vote against the bill if it includes the Senate bill's abortion-funding language.

So, Pelosi has at best 216 votes right now--and Stupak should be able to bring along about 10 more of those 216 votes due to the abortion issue.

So Pelosi might have about 206 votes before we account for those who can't stomach the tax on union health care plans.

But then you've got all those Congresscritters who are worried about their seats. Lets call it 50. So Pelosi might have about 156 votes. But then you have to subtract the Blue Dogs, about 66 of those. So Pelosi might have about 90 votes. Then you have to subtract the criminally insane, the clinically-imbecilic, and the adulterers and drug addicts -- 89 by my count -- and you have ONE SINGLE SOLITARY VOTE LEFT.

Pelosi.

[Lazamataz]

I’d hit it.

[La Lydia]

We’ll see whose survival instincts kick in, and how soon. I think she is going to have problems, and the only solution to them will be more Louisiana Purchase, Cornhusker type arrangements. Like I said last summer, this should be hung around BO’s neck like an albatross, but it should be shared with Pelosi and Reid, too.

[ricks_place]

Hell Yeah!

[NeoCaveman]

I’d hit it.

With a baseball bat.

[OrioleFan]

Whenever a vote is this close and you see Democraps voting with Republicans, you have to think: “Did Representative (D) vote against this in order to gain re-election credits.”

I have seen this at the local level where a group of council members who are up for re-election are given permission to vote against an unpopular measure because they have enough votes to pass it. These people usually hold back their votes till the end of the voting period, just in case. They are probably ranked on who is most vulnerable.

I am wary that this is going on in the House, and Pelosi has the votes. The only issue is how far down in the ranking she has to go to cover the defections, due to abortion funding and other provisions, to pass the Senate Bill. If the ranked representatives (D) vote to save their political skins, Pelosi will fail. Therefore, it is imperative to discover who the ranked democRATs are and start pounding on them about the consequences of their vote.

[Allegra]

I’d hit it.

Eewww....make sure you have some antibiotics.

[bert]

........for the sake of Obama.....

She doesn’t give a Rat’s ass about Obama. Her power, her legacy, the legacy of powerful women ..... that’s what she cares about

[Grampa Dave]

Harry, the damn Tea Party people have dropped their tar and feathers. Now they have pitchforks and ropes!

[La Lydia]

I don’t think she believes it, not for a minute. Of course her primary concern is her little ol’ self. But that is one of the arguments she is using to persuade her foot soldiers.

[ari-freedom]

she’s from san francisco. She had a lot of plastic surgery. She could really be a he...