Pelosi faces biggest test on U.S. healthcare vote
* House speaker needs 216 votes to pass final bill
* Vote may influence November congressional election
WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - The leader of the U.S. House of Representatives -- a persuasive arm-twister and deal maker -- faces her toughest challenge yet in the coming weeks: getting 216 votes to pass final legislation revamping the U.S. healthcare system.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is scrambling to hit that number and will likely have to rely solely on fellow Democrats, many of them undecided. All Republicans appear lined up against it.
If all Democrats voted as they did last year on an earlier version of the bill, Pelosi would reach 216. But many may switch from yes to no -- or no to yes.
"This is her toughest political and legislative battle since becoming speaker" in 2007," said Ethan Siegal of The Washington Exchange, a private firm that tracks Congress for institutional investors.
"She doesn't have the votes yet, but nobody is counting her out," Siegal said. "She's proven that she knows how to get them."
If Pelosi prevails, President Barack Obama will be a big step closer toward signing into law an overhaul of the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare system.
But if Pelosi falls short of 216, a simple majority, public anger about the often-gridlocked Congress may mount, making it more difficult for Democrats to retain control of the House in the November election. If Republicans take over, Pelosi's reign as the chamber first woman speaker would end. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Take a Look on U.S. healthcare reform [ID:nHEALTH] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Last year, Pelosi won House approval of virtually every item on Obama's agenda, including a $787 billion economic stimulus package, regulatory reform, pay equity for women and an earlier version of healthcare reform.
Another top priority, legislation to curb global warming, appeared to be in trouble in June. But Pelosi lobbied members, one by one, until she got the votes to pass it.
Though much of the House-passed legislation got stalled in the Senate by Republicans and some energy-state Democrats, Pelosi's long list of successes won her praise from outside congressional experts and got her a runner-up spot in Time magazine's annual "person of the year."
"Pelosi has been as effective as any speaker in modern times," said Norman Ornstein, a congressional scholar at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute.
"A lot of people don't like Pelosi," Ornstein said. "She gets a lot of flak from her left. But she constantly pushes ahead to make the House do things,"
DON'T CROSS PELOSI
Chris Krueger, a congressional analyst at Concept Capitol, said Pelosi is able to effectively work with House Democrats, liberals, conservatives and moderates.
"She also raises money like a rock star (for them), commands loyalty and she is tough," Krueger said. "People are afraid to cross her."
A Democratic leadership aide said, "Pelosi knows members' concerns, she visits their districts, her door is always open to them and she works hard. It's contagious."
Pelosi has a blunt message for Democrats: It will take political "courage" to vote for the healthcare legislation, but the American people need it.
Polls show that the legislation, denounced by Republicans as a government takeover, is unpopular. But surveys also find that most Americans favor what it seeks to accomplish -- reduced costs, federal regulation of the industry and coverage of tens of millions of uninsured Americans.
House and Senate Democrats passed healthcare bills last year. But efforts to merge the measures and send a final version to Obama collapsed in January when Democrats lost their 60th Senate seat in a special election in Massachusetts that ended their ability to clear Republican procedural roadblocks.
So Democrats regrouped.
They now aim to get the House to approve the Senate version by the end of this month, and then, with a simple majority vote, have the Senate agree to changes to meet House concerns with that bill.
Pelosi voices confidence that Democrats can pass the Senate-approved healthcare bill even though about a dozen abortion rights opponents -- including some who voted for a House bill in November -- say they will oppose it.
"Every legislative vote is a heavy lift around here. You assume nothing," Pelosi said. "We will pass a bill."
(Editing by David Alexander and Cynthia Osterman)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoE1R-xH5To
Now I understand how the Jews felt when their train opened it’s doors at Auschwitz.
I say expectations high for Democrats, period.
America is subjected to a moron cowboy and a warmonger zealot for 8 years and now we have the patience for no one. We have especially little patience for a black man who managed somehow to be the leader of the free world, who makes a REAL easy target.
Conservatives complain that they end up paying high taxes for “free-loaders,” and then they get upset when the President tells the kids who need it most to stay in school, work hard, and get good jobs.
Conservatives complain that this president is piling up the debt, but choose to ignore that he inherited one of the greatest economic disasters in the last 100 years. The Bush administration and Republican controlled congress enacted a 1 Trillion Medicare prescription benefit over 10 years – without raising or saving a penny for it.
The Bush administration cut taxes on the wealthy to the tune of 1.7 trillion over 10 years – all while spending more than any administration in history racking up the debt from a Clinton surplus.
The Obama administration is proposing 1 trillion for health care reform – with a path to paying for it – and conservatives flip their lids and cry “socialism.” What planet do you all live on?
If you prefer a government that governs the least that’s exactly what you are going to get. I don’t believe there can be a intelligent debate with toe tapping Republican propagandists hacks. Hacks don’t want to talk, they just want to be mad about something and government is an easy target. During the Bush days, the hacks were mad at Saddam, for the wrong reasons but it didn’t stop them from supporting a two trillion dollar tax payer funded unjust war did it? Republican leaders said, “hey be mad at this”, now they are saying, “hey be mad at this”.
The fatalistic elderly of our nation fall in line. Real intelligent.
The republicans have used reconciliation on health care before plenty of times – heck they created the whole CHIP program – via reconciliation. Dear lord stop swallowing the kool-aid – this isn’t a sporting event my side versus your side (do you think the status quo might be aware of the concept of divide and conquer – don’t be such dupes)
People, people, people – this is about getting our dollars back from the richest 1% that hoard them at the top (there is no such thing as trickle down) or For Profit insurance wouldn’t be killing the middle class, driving people with health insurance into bankruptcy, and tying a dead weight around small business and even the bigger national corporations – this has to get done – our politicians are playing games to get elected….
They are not “governing” but manipulating voter sentiment to whip up turn out to try and win elections – not based on any specific philosophy of governing but for plain old self interest.
Actual governing takes a huge back seat to “will I get re-elected” – the easiest way to solve the health care debacle of for profit health care is simple – but handing a success to the other party – isn’t how the political “game” is played.
Unfortunately our lives are caught in the cross fire of their STUPID GAME. And because of game playing we deregulated everything and created the global financial meltdown – ooppps – maybe proper management would have prevented that – but politics has never been about properly managing our resources – its about GETTING RE-ELECTED.
Healthcare is easy – here’s how –
“Use Senate reconciliation and expand Medicare via the Senate’s buy-in provisions. The CBO has already signed off on this as a means of saving money.
More importantly, if more Americans can do a buy-in with Medicare, it creates more cost control (because there’s a genuine competitor to for-profit healthcare).
It also helps to solve the problems of pre-existing conditions, because Medicare does not deny coverage on this basis.
Allowing a Medicare buy-in to Americans under 65 would give people a genuine alternative to private insurance and thereby render the pre-existing question moot.
It would also lower Medicare costs by expanding the risk pool of patients (the great bulk of medical expenses are accounted for by a small number of people, mostly the elderly, requiring very expensive treatment).
And it would substantially enhance the global competitiveness of American corporations. After all, in what other country in the world is health care a marginal cost of production for business?” – Roosevelt Institute Marshall Auerback
Now get out there tell your neighbors, your friends, pick up the phone and email your representatives – because whether you like it or not we are all in this together – and it’s us versus the politicians – not each other.
Paul Burke
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Democracy For America
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