Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
—Kate explains the latest CBO score and where health reform stands as of now on the Hill. She hears Speaker Pelosi is “feeling ultra bullish.”
–Whip Clyburn sounds confident as well.
–The final vote will likely take place sometime after 2 pm Sunday.
–The San Francisco Chronicle sums it up pretty well: “This is Nancy Pelosi’s moment.”
–A little background: The Washington Post on how Pelosi learned the game.
–The vote count is changing fast as the undecideds declare one by one. Politico lists them in four categories.
–Don’t be fooled by leaners; Reps. Lynch and Adler sound very much like nos, but they are leaving themselves just a hint of wiggle room.
–Rep. Stupak still says he has the deciding votes in his anti-abortion bloc and the negotiations continue. I’m not entirely sure what the leadership can credibly offer him — abortion language can’t be changed in reconciliation and a stand-alone bill would be a heavy lift to say the least. He says he wants “a firm commitment from the Senate,” which is a bit like asking for a firm handshake from a fish.
–The Chicago Tribune looks at the White House’s one-two political punch.
–I’ll re-post the story Karen highlighted on Arizona dropping its Children’s Health Insurance Program. It illustrates the depth of fiscal crisis at the state level and is a timely reminder that policy is much more than mere horsetrading.
—Jon Ralston writes Senator Ensign’s resignation is “no longer a question of ‘if’ but of ‘when…'”
–On the whole, Obama isn’t so unpopular in Israel.
What did I miss?