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“Momentum”



Mar 17, 2010 3 Comments ›› Pat Dollard

Congress Jobs Bill

The Hill:

Momentum seemed to be building Wednesday for Democrats on healthcare, though they still appeared short of the necessary votes.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s (D-Ohio) decision on Wednesday to shift his position and support the Senate healthcare bill provided a huge boost to Democrats’ whipping efforts, but it wasn’t their only piece of good news.

Four other Democrats — Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (Ariz.), Gabrielle Giffords (Ariz.), Dan Maffei (N.Y.) and Raul Grijalva (Ariz.) — also have signaled in the last 24 hours that they will or are likely to support the measure.

A fifth Democrat, Rep. James Oberstar (Minn.), also confirmed he’d vote for the bill.

Democrats need 216 of their members to support the healthcare package to prevail, given the expected unified opposition of the chamber’s Republicans. They can afford to lose 37 of their members.

According to The Hill’s running whip count, 36 Democrats are now firm or likely “no” votes or are leaning against the measure. Another 50 Democrats are undecided. Democratic leaders and President Barack Obama are lobbying members furiously.

Kucinich suggested Obama’s visit to his district made a difference; he said it underlined “the urgency of the moment” during a press conference announcing his change of position.

House leaders hope to clear healthcare reform through their chamber by Saturday, and then send a package of final changes to the far-reaching legislation to the Senate.

One member of the House leadership team on Monday hinted that optimism is growing.

Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), who just two days ago said a vote might be postponed until after Easter, voiced confidence Wednesday that the vote would be held by the weekend.

“I think it will happen by this weekend,” Clyburn said during an appearance on MSNBC.

Clyburn and other Democratic leaders were huddled in a meeting Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll showed more people want Congress to approve the healthcare package than to defeat it, though by only a percentage point. Forty-six percent of those responding favored passing the measure, compared to 45 percent who do not.


  • Jeff

    Bring it on children, cause we need blood in the streets just like Iran. Until the streets are red
    this people will never be free

  • CPLViper

    They need 218 members to vote … Stretch face gets 216, I say all the others just refuse to vote and walk the fuck out … Stalemate.

  • BradW (the Infidel)

    Kucinich, otherwise known as the evil elf, spoke with his wife before announcing his decision.

    Now Patriots, we are talking about a so-called “man” that is so repulsive he had to import a wife. Okay so he was able to get one from Britain, instead of the normal mail order bride countries. Big deal, he gets a wife that is a fan of the socialist health care of the UK, which stories show is getting worse all the time.

    A recent story from the UK, a man died from dehydration in the UK from neglect. He went days on end with no medicatino, and nothing to drink, IN A FRIGGING HOSPITAL NO LESS!!!.

    That is the health care system that the evil elf’s wife told him to support?

    If only we had recall in Ohio. I am a registered democrat, I have been voting since 1984. Corrigna is the Man that is running against kucinish this fall. He is a Republican. He has my support, my vote, that of my wife, and many others in Cleveland. Kucinich came along like Obama’s lap dog (I can only shudder at WHAT he was lapping up on Air Force One, or maybe it was Barry doing the lapping)this past Monday to be another liberal puppet.

    Because he does not have the spine to show up in Northeast Ohio, HIS DISTRICT, unless he has the protection of the Secret Service surrounding the crook in chief.

    Kucinich’s office workers have stated they do not have to expalin anything to the contituents here, they feel they are above us, and do not answer to we, they people.

    I am against making my wife a widow, and leaving my son without a father, but this crap is getting closer to someone taking a stand against the self proclaimed dictators in office, and it wil lbe a snwball effect from there.

    At least I can leave enough behind that my wife and son will have everything paid for, and enough left to get by on for life.

    Dennis’s signs for re-elction all the time are yellow, and for good reason.