The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Pelosi's Pyrrhic Victory?

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House Democrats just narrowly passed their health care legislation, by a margin of 220 to 215, with 39 Democrats voting against it, and just one Republican -- Louisiana's Joseph Cao -- voting in favor. Obviously, this is an historic victory for Democrats as it's the first time that a health care bill of this magnitude has made it this far. Passing it in the House gives it momentum going into the Senate. And also, in a larger sense, Democrats have proven once again that no matter how messy the daily grind may look, they've eventually been able to use their overwhelming majority to keep moving the health care ball down field.

With that said, tonight's victory of a mere five votes, came at a tremendous cost for the House leadership and may eventually help doom the entire effort. In order to get over the top, Democrats had to agree to pass an amendment that would bar taxpayer funding for abortion. The measure is strongly opposed by pro-choicers, and Planned Parenthood has vowed to fight it. While pro-choice Democrats voted for the bill tonight to keep the process moving forward, they did so under the assumption that they could strip it from the bill once the House goes into negotiations with the Senate. If the measure gets stripped, suddenly there's a risk of pro-life Democrats dropping their support of the final bill. And considering that the measure only passed by five votes, Nancy Pelosi cannot afford to shed more than a handful of members. Also keep in mind that because 64 Democrats voted in favor of the Stupak anti-abortion amendment, it means that should it get stripped from the bill, Republicans will be on firm ground arguing that the remaining legislation allows taxpayer funding for abortion. Yet if Pelosi maintains the pro-life language, it's hard to see how staunch pro-choicers support the final bill, and suddenly you could see defections of liberals.

And of course, all of this assumes that some sort of bill passes the Senate. Yet if it was this heavy of a lift in the House -- where it's supposed to be easy for the majority party to ram things through -- it suddenly looks like a daunting task to get to 60 votes in the Senate. So, clearly, this was a step forward for Democrats. But tonight's victory could prove Pyrrhic.

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Adam Smith| 11.8.09 @ 12:08AM

Get ready for the real Great Depression:

New CBO estismates out today:

Senator Gregg: Updated CBO Estimate of House Bill Pulls Back the Curtain on Majority’s Intent to Grow Government by $3 Trillion

Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee today commented on the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) more detailed cost estimate of the manager’s amendment to the House health reform bill.

Senator Gregg stated, “The CBO estimate released last night finally sheds light on the smoke and mirrors game the majority has been playing with the cost of their health care reform proposal. Over the first 10 years, this legislation builds in gross new spending of $1.7 trillion – and most of the new spending doesn’t even start until 2014. Once that spending is fully phased in, the House Democratic bill rings up at more than $3 trillion over ten years.

“Additionally, this bill cuts critical Medicare and Medicaid funding by $628 billion, accounts for nearly $1.2 trillion in tax and fee increases and will explode the scope of government by putting the nation’s health care system in the hands of Washington bureaucrats. The $3 trillion price tag defies common sense – we simply cannot add all this new spending to the government rolls and claim to control the deficit."

Great news! A new 3.25 (including the doctors bribe added back in) trillion scam to unify the Democrat/Big Government/Big Union trifecta.

I listened to Michael Steele mostly get walked over by Geraldo after the vote.

The constitutionality of the bill never came up.

Plenty of race baiting did though. Sad when the African American GOP chair can not make effective points against a race baiting tabloid hack and walking freak show.

Not real pleased tonight with the opposition party.

Cap n Tax & Amnesty will be coming up next.

Where will the GOP be?

Revolution Now| 11.8.09 @ 12:28AM

REPEAT: This is a job for the military. They are out of control, period. It is out of our hands now. We've been CHAVEZED!

Revolution Now| 11.8.09 @ 12:26AM

I'm sorry, historic??? You people amaze me. This is more than just a 'throw the bums out' moment... Why is there not the MILITARY in there arresting these criminals and traitors??? This is a communist coup and not one more penny should go to the IRS from not one more citizen. We are being taken over from within.

I am shocked at how this is being allowed. They have no right to do this, it's unconstitutional and they SHOULD PAY DEARLY for it by being ARRESTED and thrown in JAIL for high crimes and TREASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And why the hell would any Republican vote for the amendment to ban abortions when they knew that would pave the way for blue dogs to vote for the whole bill????????????????

I'm stunned what has happened in our country.
I'm gearing up for the resistance..... who knows what they will do next?

Real American| 11.8.09 @ 12:41AM

Liberals won't defect on the final bill even with the Stupek amendment still in there. This bill represents liberal utopia: complete control over health care in American, control over hte daily lives of Americans and the ability, every 2 years, to campaign on the promise of giving away more health benefits to the newly addicted slaves of government. They won't give that up just to murder a few babies. Eventually, we'll all be covered under this bankrupt scheme and abortion will find a way to get paid for somehow.

Adjoran| 11.8.09 @ 4:29AM

I only wish it were so simple. It is not.

These Democrats will vote for the conference bill when it comes up, knowing they can point to this amendment vote to confuse and deceive their constituents. Unfortunately, in America there is no requirement that a voter demonstrate any basic competence or knowledge. It shows.

Mere threats and coercion having failed to bring wandering Democrats back into the flock, Pelosi resorted to guile and convinced them they will be able to hide behind the amendment vote. Perhaps they will, perhaps they will not, but the determinant factor is that they apparently now believe her. Opposing her on the reconciliation bill will be almost impossible for them now.

Add to their number the at-risk Democrats representing traditionally Republican districts who understand they risk losing their seats with a pro-Obamacare vote BUT equally feel at risk with an anti-Obamacare vote due to the passions of the left. Most of these were NEVER "blue dogs" at all, at least in the original sense of the term - Democrats who were moderately conservative and insisted on their positions on fiscal discipline and national security. All those old dogs either retired, lost, or came around to the Party Line.

Those who claim the "blue dog" mantle these days are just as liberal as most of their Democratic colleagues, but represent more conservative districts where the mere term "blue dog" helps their image.

Texasbelle| 11.8.09 @ 5:08AM

I like a comment I saw on another site. If the Republicans had passed a bill that most American's opposed in the dead of night on a weekend, right in the middle of the aftermath of an attack on our troops at Ft. Hood, would the media have called it "historic?" I doubt it. Hadn't really thought of that before, but it's true.

Pecos Pete| 11.8.09 @ 6:53AM

The work against "national health care" legislation must now move to the Senate.

What will the House take up next? Gun control? Illegal immigration reform (i.e., amnesty for anyone in the USA illegally)?

What more damage can the House do to us?

bluecollarbytes| 11.8.09 @ 8:01AM

I expect the courts to play cleanup in any Health Care takeover that prohibits abortion funding.

Lazy Jack| 11.8.09 @ 9:24AM

Democrats voted for healthcare collectivization last night, and all that word implies. My reading of the bill sets buying healthcare insurance as a precondition for living in this country. This bill presupposes a citizen has an expense from their date of birth, just for existing. Unlike taxes, which confiscate part of an individuals effort, this bill implies that an individual is indebted to the state just for being born. With taxes you have a choice not to work. With car insurance mandates you can avoid them by not driving. Conceptually the bill, on the anniversary of the Eastern European freedom from the Soviet Era, moves the bondage from east, to west. Sweet land of liberty, indeed.

For reference as to the success of recent U.S. attempts at collectivization, ask this: What was the benefit from the last trillion-dollar debacle, the so called stimulus? Thought so.

As for history, what do you suppose are the lies agreed upon this morning?

One thing is reasonably certain, Phillip Klein is probably too optimistic about the possible long term defeat of this bill. Unless the grass roots efforts get better and polls start showing seats being threatened in both the house and the senate.

Finally, the abortion compromise is laugh out loud funny. Those legislators that actually believe it will make it into the final bill must be either stupid, or -------

http://thanksforthelaughs.word.....ealthcare/

Richard Baker| 11.8.09 @ 10:01AM

Time for the George Washington Tyrant Removal method. Sic Semper Tyrannis.

The American Guardian| 11.8.09 @ 10:57AM

Unemployment is over 10% and Obama is worried about getting tax-payer funded abortions ???

martin j smith| 11.8.09 @ 11:19AM

Tea Parties,organize,get out the vote. Get the message out over and over again and vote again and again and again--that is a joke !!!

Jim Hlavac| 11.8.09 @ 3:42PM

Pretty soon they will pretend to pay us and we will pretend to work. The mathematics are unavoidable: you cannot take $20 from a man, give him back $17, tell him how to spend it, and say that you have helped him. It is a logical absurdity. Vote all, ALL, out, now.