Republican Party

Stupak’s a Yea?

By Jay Newton-Small | @JNSmall | March 21, 2010 | +

MSNBC and C-SPAN are reporting that Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak will vote for the bill, bringing along at least half a dozen votes with him. Apparently, an executive order on abortion that the White House had been negotiating with Stupak is what pushed him over the edge. Stupak, a pro-life Democrat, nearly derailed the passage of health care reform through the House in November when he and more than a dozen pro-life Democrats refused to vote for the bill unless stringent language barring the use of federal funds to subsidize abortions be included. Stupak had said that the Senate’s language did not go far enough to appease him.

Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson of Connecticut said this morning that Dems now have the 216 votes to pass health care reform this evening. The House convenes at 1pm. The Speaker’s office is saying that final passage probably won’t occur until 9:30pm tonight. That could potentially stretch later as Minority Leader John Boehner has threatened to use leadership floor privileges — which grant him unlimited time to talk (during the global warming debate he worried Dems that he might filibuster when he launched into an hour-long speech against the bill) — to read the entire 2,300-page bill. If that happens Dems say they’ll reconvene tomorrow to pass the bill rather than stretching the session too late into the night.

Meanwhile, large crowds remained gathered outside the House — both supporters and detractors of the bill (though the detractors are much louder, their chants of “Kill the Bill” could be heard from the Senate side). These crowds got really ugly yesterday shouting the N-word at Civil Rights legend John Lewis as he walked by and “Faggot” at Rep. Barney Frank, one of only a handful of openly gay members of Congress. Also today on the mall in front of Congress thousands of pro-immigration protesters are gathering, adding extra headaches for the Capitol Police. But, as one officer cheerfully noted to me on my way into the building, at least the weather’s nice. Indeed, it’s 80 degrees and gloriously sunny. Too bad I’ll be spending the whole afternoon in the chilly marble corridors of the House (yes, I expect enormous crocodile tears of pity). More to come as the afternoon unfolds.

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Related Topics: abortion, bart stupak, executive order, health care reform, Congress, Democratic Party, Health Care, Nancy Pelosi, Republican Party

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  • trifecta55

    Stupak told Dana Bash he is still a no. He is trying to get a “sweetener” from the White House legal office. I think he is trying to get a vote on repealing women’s right to vote. Not sure though.

  • allthingsinaname

    Let Boehner speak and hold the vote tonight. They need to close this down, dragging it on and on will not do them any good.

  • kevin

    How long can Boehner go without a cigarette? Let’s find out.

  • Ivy_B

    Thank goodness Stupak isn’t an ardent Jehovah’s Witness or he would be fighting to forbid government funds to pay for blood transfusions. Of course, then he wouldn’t be granted the audiences and concessions he is now.

    Will have to watch his ardent support for aid for women and dependent children – surely his deep concerns for life doesn’t stop at the delivery room?

  • Ivy_B

    Of course the annoying thing is that he wouldn’t be the one having to read the bill. As we said last time the Repubs pulled that delaying tactic, they should change the rules to require that any member who wanted an entire bill read had to read it personally.
    .
    OTOH, they could just substitute Alan Greyson’s Medicare for all – that’s only four pages.

  • stuartzechman

    Jay Newton-Small:
    .
    An executive order? On abortion?
    .
    It’s amazing what adherence to principles can accomplish in negotiations.
    .
    What executive order did the Progressive Caucus get for their support?

  • kevin

    If the Progressive Caucus wants an executive order that accomplishes absolutely nothing but reaffirming the status quo, they’re welcome to ask for it.
    .
    Maybe they can get an executive order outlawing child labor, or establishing a minimum wage?
    .
    Sorry, this EO is political cover for Stupak and nothing more.

  • stuartzechman

    Sorry, this EO is political cover for Stupak and nothing more.
    .
    First of all, there’s nothing to apologize for.
    .
    Second of all, you’re suggesting that Stupak got nothing:

    House Democrats are working with the White House to craft an executive order that would clarify President Obama’s intention to maintain a long-standing ban on federal funding of abortion, congressional Democrats said.

    I’d take an executive order “clarifying” the President’s intention to keep means-testing out of Social Security and Medicare.
    .
    At this point, a guarantee on the status quo of those programs would be a concession to liberals.

  • kevin

    Fair enough. I’d take that EO as well.

  • stuartzechman

    I would too, but the Progressive Caucus is too stupid to demand it, and the DLC’ers in the White House wouldn’t give it, since that’s where they’re going just as soon as they can.

  • bobell

    There’s already some — not a lot, but some — means testing in SS and Medicare. If your other taxable income exceeds a certain threshold, you pay some income tax on your SS benefits. Also, as your income rises, the amount you pay for Medicare Part B increases. Since most people have their Part B payments taken out of their SS checks, this is another reduction in SS payments as income increases.
    .
    When I was a lot younger than I am now, I could never manage to explain to old folks drawing SS and benefiting from Medicare that they were being subsidized by us younger folks. Their view was that they had paid in, and by God their benefits were just reimbursement for those earlier payments. Of course, by any sane actuarial calculation they were getting back on average three and four times what they had paid in. As I recall, most of the folks I talked to (mostly relatives) seemed unable even to grasp the notion. The rest invoked inflation, even though the data I had seen were inflation-adjusted.
    .
    Now that I draw SS and use Medicare, I try to remember those arguments of three and four decades ago. I also continue to work full-time, and this costs me roughly 20 percent of the SS payment I would receive were it not for the existing means-testing, such as it is. Not to mention that SS and Medicare payroll taxes still come out of my salary (which, to be sure, has a slight positive effect annually on how much SS I get.) I don’t complain about any of this. It’s not unfair, in my view, and I have a good income, and I don’t want to be hypocritical if I can help myself.
    .
    How do I feel about even more means testing? Ambivalent. Along about the time it cut my SS benefits to zero, I think I’d dislike it. Maybe even well before that.

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