Much as I dislike anything that wins votes for the Democratic
health care bill, I agree with Bill McGurn's
take on how Republicans needed to react to the Stupak
amendment:
Now, some believe Republicans should have voted "present" on
the Stupak amendment, on the grounds that the worse they could
make the bill, the harder for Speaker Pelosi to get the magic
218 votes. That's pretty short-sighted, for several reasons.
For one thing, in September all but a few Republican House
members signed a letter to Speaker Pelosi demanding such a
vote. Had Republicans defeated a pro-life amendment they had
asked for, they would have paid a dear price for their
cynicism.
For another, it's not even clear it would have worked. The
Stupak alliance of Democrats was a broad one, from liberals
like Minnesota's Jim Oberstar to conservatives like
Mississippi's Gene Taylor. The danger of the cynical GOP
strategy is that it could easily have backfired, freeing up
Democrats to give Mrs. Pelosi her victory-and putting
Republicans in the awkward position of being unable to press
for funding restrictions they had explicitly defeated.
I don't, however, agree that the "Planned Parenthood wing" of the
Democratic Party is too weak to impose its will on the health
care bill at some point. But that points to another reason it was
correct for Republicans to vote for the amendment: it might have
made short-term passage more likely, but it will complicate the
bill's long-term prospects.
As much as it pains me to say this, I don't think any tactics
pertaining to the abortion issue will slow this train down. This
is the big enchilada for the left and Pelosi knows it. If I was
in her shoes, I would get every left wing, pro-abortion group in
my office and tell them to calm down and remind them exactly what
the bill is really about, total control. Once government run
healthcare weaves its way into everyone's lives, liberal
democrats will start winning more seats in Congress. When
critical mass is achieved, the anti-abortion language is stricken
and everyone will be happy (except of course for the unborn).
tonypal| 11.10.09 @ 4:56PM
As much as it pains me to say this, I don't think any tactics pertaining to the abortion issue will slow this train down. This is the big enchilada for the left and Pelosi knows it. If I was in her shoes, I would get every left wing, pro-abortion group in my office and tell them to calm down and remind them exactly what the bill is really about, total control. Once government run healthcare weaves its way into everyone's lives, liberal democrats will start winning more seats in Congress. When critical mass is achieved, the anti-abortion language is stricken and everyone will be happy (except of course for the unborn).