by Mark Silva
Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio will have something to say for himself in the morning -- the liberal Democrat, who voted against the House's healthcare legislation last fall, has not said how he will vote on the final package.
Kucinich, who campaigned for his party's presidential nomination in 2008 and traveled with President Barack Obama aboard Air Force One to Ohio this week on the president's trip to pitch his healthcare plan, has scheduled a 10 am EDT news conference in Washington on Wednesday.
Should he switch, he would become the first no vote on the first round to declare that he will vote yes on the second, and final round.
At ABC News, they have run the math on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's precarious caculus for passage of healthcare. If every sitting House Democrat who voted for the health care bill in November votes for it again this weekend, she will have the 216 votes she needs. But with resistance to the Senate-passed bill that the House must embrace before getting to a reconciliation of the two chambers, and with several Democrats who are holding out for anti-abortion language, it's uncertain that every yea will stay a yea.
"There is no margin for error,'' ABC's David Chalian notes.
Among roughly 15 Democrats who voted yes on the first vote, leaders are concerned about losing a handful on the second vote, nine of those abortion-related, two "nervous vulnerable'' Democrats, two on immigration or the public option and two others. Pelosi probably cannot afford to lose more than seven of them.
These six "are of most concern to the Democratic leadership and most likely to bolt:''. Reps. Stupak (leader of the anti-abortion bloc), Carney, Rahall, Berry, Driehausm and Arcuri. The others are Reps. Dahlkemper, Pomeroy, Ellsworth, Hill, Grijalva, Gutierrez, Owens, Cardoza and Costa.
Among the 37 currently seated Democrats who voted no on the first round, there is a "highly targeted group'' of 16 who are publicly undecided and whom Pelosi hopes to flip to yes votes:
These nine are aong the "top-tier'' targets for the speaker's office: Reps. Baird, Gordon, Altmire, Boccieri, Kosmas, Murphy, Markey, Teague and Kucinich.
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The others: Reps. Tanner, Boyd, Matheson, Nye, Barrow, Childers and Davis of Tennesee.
Pelosi needs 216 ayes.
So a lot of eyes will be on Kucinich in the morning.
Comments
A Mishmash of Quotable Quickies
Eight Stories to Mull Over on a Dreary Day:
Is There a Doctor in the House? According to a New England Journal of Medicine survey, there may not be after we get Obamacare. Almost a third of 1200 responding doctors said they would quit or retire if Obamacare is passed, almost 50% said they would quit or retire if a public option is included: ( http://bit.ly/aH3sOA)
Innercity School Sends 100% of Its Graduates on to College. Chicago’s Urban Prep Academy for Young Men not only graduated every young man in their school but every one of them is going to college next semester. All 107 seniors in Urban Prep will be attending one of 72 American colleges. Kudos to the grads and to their excellent school! (http://bit.ly/bJrKDO)
People Who Tempt Mother Nature Should Pay the Piper: Hamptonites who built homes on the Atlantic are all in a tizzy after being flooded out by last weekend’s nor’easter which brought 17 foot waves and 70 mph winds to their front doors: http://bit.ly/d3VOhr. Taxpayer-subsidized flood insurance will help them rebuild but won’t do much for their eroded private beaches.
A Kiss Is But a Kiss, Except in Dubai: An amorous British couple in Dubai faces a month in jail . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1566)
Posted by: Berlet98 | March 17, 2010 12:48 AM
Dennis, and various other Dem. bad boys:
It is time to come to Jesus.
St. Barack will guide you through the darkness and comfort you
Trust me on that.
Posted by: ornery | March 17, 2010 1:12 AM
Ahem, genius liberals how are you going to lower health care costs and let alone provide care when, 46% of doctors say that they will quit if you pass your piece of crap? Hmmmm?
Posted by: Free to Watch Liberals Meltdown | March 17, 2010 5:06 AM
Women pay taxes too. Abortion is legal. No one including congress, should tell a taxpaying woman what to spend her money on based on THEIR religion when it comes to her health.
Posted by: lochnessmonster | March 17, 2010 6:49 AM
I guess a plane is better arm twisting atmosphere than naked Rahm in the shower demanding your vote. I wonder what Obama said to him? No more free plane rides like this if you vote no?
Posted by: wingnut master | March 17, 2010 9:30 AM
When every thing is said and done, President Obama and Vice-President Biden and most of the Democrats in our Congress can walk away from this engagement knowing they didn't lie, mislead, scare or intimidate their way to victory, if it turns out that way. If it doesn't, they can still face the American nation honestly and forth-rightly, no small consolation, in my eyes. A laughable mindset to most of those who did lie, mislead, intimidate or scare the more vulnerable among us, but that is their lack of conscience. It is their lack of compassion that allows them to vilify the right-minded, right-hearted politicians that were in this effort to do right by the American people, all of the American people. If they succeed in killing this reform effort, that is not all that they will have killed, there is the matter of the 40,000 American, who, due to no or insufficient healthcare, will die this year. I am sure the families of those Healthcare Insurer's victims/clients will be grateful to all of you for your lies, distortions and of course, your unquestioning patriotism. Remember. America First, citizens second !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, IL | March 17, 2010 10:03 AM
Will the democrats, with all their promised transparency, annouce all the bribes and payoffs agreed to in all the closed door sessions and backroom deals to buy votes?
I tuned into CSPAN, but like most of obama's promises, it seems obama lied when he promised transparency and showing the process on CSPAN. Obama lied!
I remember not long ago when democrats couldn't stop accusing someone of telling lies, yet are mute when their boy spews lies daily.
Posted by: worsethanbefore | March 17, 2010 10:22 AM
This whole process of vote buying, needs to be thoroughly investigated
by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Everyone in America knows full well that what is going on in Washington since NObama took office is beyond
the pale. Impeachment proceeding should take place, the sooner the better.
Posted by: Paul | March 17, 2010 10:46 AM
If you got the votes do it already you loony liberals are dragging this out way too long. The majority of the voters want healthcare reform but not this bill. What is so hard to understand about that. What is even worse is that the liberal goons in Congress are going to use a procedure that has never been used on this scale before. Go a head and do your sleazy unethical maneuver and watch the citizens rise to smite you this November. And you loony liberals that say it will not happen this November, you were saying the same thing about Massachusetts and New Jersey and we know how well that turned out for you.
Posted by: Crooks_In_DC | March 17, 2010 10:49 AM