A story from me today about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s whip style as we head into the final sprint on health care.
Nancy Pelosi
“This City is the City of the Perishable”
Those are Nancy Pelosi’s words today on why she wants to get health reform done as quickly as possible.
But even among Hill reporters, there’s some confusion over what procedurally will happen this week. Democratic leaders, including Pelosi, are keeping quiet about their precise parliamentary strategy for three reasons. One, if they …
Bye Bye Public Option Dreamers
At a press conference today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared the public option dead. Here’s what she said:
I’m quite sad that a public option isn’t in there. But it isn’t a case of it’s not in there because the Senate is whipping against it. It’s not in there because they don’t have the votes to have it in there…We had
…
Wake Up, Health Care Spectators – It’s About to Get Interesting
There has been a lot of intrigue on the Hill today about what’s happening in the health reform saga. For those of you dozing off, perk up. Next week is shaping up to be a big one.
* Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid officially informed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, via letter, that Senate Democrats intend to use …
House Votes to Investigate Dem Leaders
Taking a page from Nancy Pelosi’s own playbook, House Republican leaders today introduced a privileged resolution demanding that the Ethics Committee investigate what the Democratic leaders knew about former Rep. Eric Massa’s alleged groping of males interns and staff and when they found out. The resolution was almost identically worded …
Health Reform: A Prisoner’s Dilemma
Just about anyone who has ever taken an economics course has probably heard of a game theory exercise known as “Prisoner’s Dilemma.” It’s worth thinking about as we look at the agonizing decision that wavering House members are about to make on health care reform–which may well be the most treacherous vote that many of them will have to …
The Process! The Process!
It’s not a good sign that, less than an hour into this health care summit, they are already arguing about process–and, specifically, the use of reconciliation to pass this bill on a majority vote in the Senate, rather than the 60 votes that it would take to stop a filibuster.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered what, for my money, is the …
Bipartisan or Bi-posturing? Obama Convenes A Rectangular Table
The meeting has begun, between Republicans Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, Democrats Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer, and the senior White House staff, including President Obama.
This is the first of what Obama has promised to be monthly gatherings between Republicans and Democrats, and basically nobody has much hope that …
Jack Murtha, 77, Dies
Pennsylvania Rep. John C. Murtha, died today of complications relating to a gallbladder surgery. He was 77.
A decorated Vietnam War hero, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi credited Murtha — who was her first choice for majority leader — with helping to turn public opinion against the war in Iraq after he announced his opposition to the war …
Today’s Health Care Checkup
Here’s the latest on the prospects of health care reform:
Do Health Care Reform Supporters Have New Reason to Hope?
It’s nearly impossible to say, of course, but it looks like there is some momentum building. Ben Nelson, who apparently planned to filibuster the conference report, is asking Republicans to help him stop reconciliation. Nancy Pelosi says her members will pole-vault their way to a final bill. President Obama, in Tampa today to talk …
Pelosi: We Don’t Have The Votes For The Senate Bill
Is there a Plan B?
The big news today is that the Speaker has come pretty close to closing the door on the idea that the House pass the Senate version of the health care bill. Our colleague Sophia Yan was at her news conference, and reports:
House Passes Health Care Reform
The House of Representatives tonight passed 220-215 sweeping $1.2 trillion health care reform legislation. The bill garnered the support of just one Republican, Joe Cao of Louisiana; 39 Democrats voted against it.
The vote, which looked uncertain even going into the House Rules Committee last night, came after the adoption 240-194 of …