NPR says... "The Democrats have 216!"

[aaaaaa5a]

NPR is reporting that the Democrats are claiming they have the 216 votes needed to pass HCR.



Excerpts...

After a tumultuous day of deal-making and a rousing speech by President Obama, House Democrats say they are confident they have the 216 votes they need to pass a history-making health overhaul package on Sunday.

"Clearly, we believe we have the votes," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland told reporters Saturday just before the president's speech to the entire House Democratic Caucus

________________________________________________________________________

Probably the most public indication that House Democratic leaders really do have the 216 votes for the bill lined up is the fact that they cut off negotiations with a small group of anti-abortion Democratic lawmakers who have been holding out for stronger abortion restrictions than those already in the Senate-passed bill.

_______________________________________________________________________

House Democrats also got assurances from the Senate that the upper chamber would act to make the changes negotiators want. "We need a simple majority to make that good law even better," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told the House caucus meeting just before Obama spoke. "So I am happy to announce I have the commitment of a significant majority of the U.S. Senate to make that good law even better





Tomorrow is going to be both a great and historic day!

Full article:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124960159

[mucifer]

1. haven't the dems been saying that for the last few days?

They have said they have the votes. I think this is all theater.

Why, I'm not sure.

[aaaaaa5a]

2. I agree.

I think some of the "NO" votes that came out today and yesterday, was just Pelosi releasing a few Democrats from voting yes because she already knows she had the votes.



Let's be honest, if they didn't have the votes... wouldn't they still be in negotiations with anti-choice Dems?

[angee_is_mad]

3. I agree

when Degette said they were not going to talk with stupak anymore and there wasn't going to be a separate abortion, it was over then.

Tomorrow is basically showing who ISN'T voting for it and we will take care of their azzes in November.

[rpannier]

14. Pretty much negotiating with anybody

You'd know they didn't have the votes if they had flown in Monty Hall to play 'Let's Make A Deal' with any and all hold outs

[sandnsea]

4. DeFazio got a good Medicare change yesterday

That freed up the 3 Oregon Dem votes. I was peeved at the time, but really felt like those 3 votes would be there in the end. So some of it may have been theater but if it was, it was theater to get things done besides the abortion crap. I really thought Stupak would accept a rider, it's a perfectly reasonable solution.

[Cha]

5. Thanks for the info, sandnsea.

[depakid]

10. Savvy politics...

ep. DeFazio (D-Springfield) released the following statement today about the health care reform legislation Congress is set to vote on this weekend:

“I voted for the original bill for three principal reasons: it had a public option which would get people out from under the thumb of the insurance industry; it had national exchanges which would give people lower rates and better coverage; and, after decades of trying, we finally fixed the Medicare geographic disparities formula which discriminates against Oregon and 16 other states.

The most current version of the health care bill includes none of these provisions and unless we fix the geographic disparities, I cannot vote for this bill. We negotiated this change for months and we finally got an agreement included in the House bill and expected it to be in the final bill, but it has been removed.

The formula has been unfair for 40 years and has only gotten worse in subsequent budget reconciliation bills. It is outdated and currently discriminates against Oregon and 16 other states that provide low cost, high quality care. Studies by MedPAC, the Institute of Medicine and the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy have all found the current formula inequitable and recommended that it be fixed but, it has not happened.

The language in the House bill would have mandated the formula change. It does not cost three times as much to do an appendectomy in Florida as it does in Oregon but currently Medicare spends three times as much annually per an enrollee in Miami as in Eugene. The most calls I get the in my district offices are from seniors who cannot get a doctor because reimbursement rates are so low. This change would improve access to care for nearly 600,000 people in Oregon and millions of seniors across the country. Fixing the Medicare geographic disparities formula is only right and only fair. It is long past time for this to change.”

http://www.defazio.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=568

As long as it doesn't get in the way of corrupt Democrats' sacred cow- the ever popular health insurers, the change would be included if he played hardball.

[johnaries]

16. No, they were saying that they "will" have the votes. They are

now saying that prediction has come true and they currently have the votes. A big difference.

[denimgirly]

6. Assuming both bills pass...when does the Senate vote on the Recon. Bill?

I doubt the sneate will hold a vote on it today but here's hoping. Would be nice to see it all signed and a done deal all in one day....i assume Obama will do a quiet signing of the passed senate bill today but wait for the senate to pass reconcil. bill before making it a media event.

[DFLforever]

8. The GOp will mount an amendment attack on the

reconciliation bill in the Senate. They won't succeed but it will delay the final vote. I've read the Senate expects to get it done by Easter.

[rufus dog]

12. What I heard is that it will take the rest of the week

Repubs can "minibuster" the recon bill, it was either 20 or 40 hours, but that is it.

I really hope Reid makes them stay all night if they want to waste the hours.

[Fed Up]

7. Before we picked up 7 votes on Friday

.....I heard we were 10 votes short.

After we picked up the 7, I heard we were 10 votes short.

This number doesn't seem to move. Few hours ago I saw something that had 203 votes yes, 206 no. so I dunno what is going on.

Steny sounded confident.

Frankly I was stunned that last November's vote was so tight. You got 257 seats (In Nov.) and you're fighting tooth and nail to scrape out 218 votes? Thats the only thing that worries me about this.

What if some members told Steny that they're voting yes, just to get him off their backs. Then they turn around and vote no or have a change of heart.

There's a lot of gears in this Rube Goldberg contraption that could go wrong and mess it all up.

[DFLforever]

9. They wouldn't be very smart to tell Steny one

thing, and do another. It could be a career ending decision.

[quiller4]

23. The vote was tight in the fall because leadership released some

members from their promise to vote "yes" if needed when they picked up the other votes without them. Leadership wants to give members in R+3 or greater districts a pass if and when they can.

[vaberella]

11. They've been having it. I said this days ago. Everything since has been show.

To keep the Repubs semi happy and think they have some sort of advantage.

[RedSpartan]

20. I think you're right.

I think it was the NYT that made the point that what is going on here in recent days is figuring out which Dems can get "absolution" for voting no, i.e., they have the votes, and want to give some Blue Dogs or Stupakers a chance to vote no if it will help them in the fall.

[truedelphi]

13. And not only do they have all those votes, they have all that gravy from

The lobbysists.

Life is pretty groovy when you sell out your countrymen and women.

[ericinne]

15. They have probably had it a while.

I'm betting they had the votes well over a week ago, and I wouldn't be shocked at all to maybe even see a Republican jump over vote or 2 that might surprise us.. If so, it will come from a quiet member or 2 that aren't media whore's.

[DFW]

17. On one hand, it's good if we have the 216 votes

On the other hand, it's discouraging that with our big majority in the House, that we have to scramble for that number.

One thing I need to get straight--if the House has 435 members, then a majority is 218, not 216. I have obviously
missed something. Was there a news article that 3 House members will definitely be abstaining?

[sweetloukillbot]

19. There are a few empty seats right now...

Massa and Murtha are the only two I can think of right now, though...

[DCBob]

18. Watching Pelosi, Hoyer, Reid and Obama yesterday it was clear they were already in victoryy mode..

This is a done deal... at least concerning the votes.

[aaaaaa5a]

21. AP now reporting Democrats have the votes!!!!

Excerpt..


The chairman of the Democratic caucus in the House says his party has the 216 votes needed to pass President Barack Obama's historic health care bill.

Speaking Sunday on ABC's "This Week," Connecticut Rep. John Larson said, in his words, "We have the votes now -- as we speak."



Full article.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20100321/us-health-care-overhaul/

[Orsino]

22. Now somebody tell me how a more progressive bill could have been passed...

...through the goat's digestive tract we call this Congress.