Health Care

GOP Compiles List Of Democrat 'No' Votes

Christina Bellantoni | November 7, 2009, 3:13PM

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)

Republicans already let the world know they will unanimously oppose the health care bill tonight, but now they are mocking Democratic divisions as more members of the majority party announce they can't support the plan in its current form.

(Watch the debate live here.)

Staffers in Minority Whip Eric Cantor's office are having some fun today, and are sending reporters updates when Democrats announce their plans to vote "No."

Cantor says: "There will be one bipartisan vote today, and that is against Speaker Pelosi's overhaul of health care. There will not be a bipartisan vote for this bill."

Here's the list they compiled of Democrats who won't back the bill, as of 3 p.m.

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Health Care

Obama To House: 'Vote Yes'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 7, 2009, 1:37PM

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), President Barack Obama

President Obama is calling on representatives to pass the sweeping health care reform bill scheduled for a floor vote tonight.

"This is our moment to live up to the trust that the American people have put in us," he said in a public address on the grounds of the White House just now.

"I urge members of Congress to rise to this moment, answer the call of history, and vote 'yes' for health insurance reform for America," Obama said.

Obama made the speech shortly after returning from a closed-door meeting with House Democrats at the Capitol.

The House is expected to vote on the measure late tonight, read our primer here.

Read Obama's full statement here.

Barack Obama

House Dems Chant Obama's 'Fired Up' Campaign Slogan As He Leaves Caucus

Christina Bellantoni | November 7, 2009, 1:29PM

President Barack Obama

President Obama rallied House Democrats this afternoon on the eve of a major vote on health care.

After he was done outlining the historic significance of the vote, some members spontaneously started chanting "Fired Up, Ready to Go" the White House told reporters.

White House spokesman Bill Burton told reporters that Obama told the caucus they had a unique opportunity before them:

"The President made the case that Congress has a historic opportunity today to provide stability and security for those who have insurance, affordable coverage for those who don't and bring down the cost of health care for families, small businesses and the government. He said that we have made more progress on comprehensive reform than any administration and any Congress in the past 70 years - and we should take this historic opportunity to pass health care reform so that he can sign a bill by the end of this year.

The White House also moved up the president's statement by an hour, he's expected to talk in the Rose Garden any moment.

Health Care

GOP House Leader Counting On Bill Passage

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 7, 2009, 12:58PM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)

There's still a chance that tonight's House vote on a health care reform bill may not happen -- or that even if it does, it may not with a victory for Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic leadership.

Apparently, House GOP conference chair Mike Pence knows something journalists and political observers don't about the bill's chances tonight. He just posted this to his official website:

PENCE DENOUNCES HOUSE PASSAGE OF PELOSI HEALTH CARE BILL

(h/t Glenn Thrush)

Health Care

Pelosi: 'We Will Pass Health Care Reform'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 7, 2009, 12:46PM

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democratic leaders just emerged from a closed-door caucus meeting that included a personal appearance by President Obama confident the House will pass a sweeping health care reform bill today.

Addressing reporters outside the caucus meeting room just now, Pelosi looked back briefly before announcing what seemed like a deal to pass reform.

It was three years ago today that Pelosi led Democrats to retake the House after more than a decade of Republican control. She said the date was "appropriate."

"It is appropriate that the promise we made [to voters] ... will be manifest today," she said. "We will pass health care reform."

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Health Care

Health Care Saturday: Obama To Rally Dems Before Historic Vote

Christina Bellantoni | November 7, 2009, 10:22AM

Capital Building and President Barack Obama

Democratic leadership is saying this morning they are confident they have the 218 votes needed to pass the sweeping House health care, public option included.

Just in case, President Obama will make his way to Capitol Hill to speak with the Democratic House caucus at 11:25 this morning. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team will meet the press around noon.

Then things will get exciting as they start debating in a rare weekend session billed as health care Saturday.

If you want to see the sausage being made, tune into C-Span today, and for an explainer, keep reading.

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Barack Obama

Obama Awards Two Purple Hearts To Soldiers During Walter Reed Visit

Christina Bellantoni | November 6, 2009, 6:24PM

President Obama pays his respects to fallen American soldiers.

President Obama spent nearly two hours this afternoon meeting privately with soldiers and their families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

While there, he awarded two Purple Hearts, the White House said.

No press was allowed to witness the visit, but an administration staffer told the pool which accompanies the president when he leaves the White House that Obama "visited with 19 soldiers, three families of soldiers in the ICU, as well as hospital staff."

Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann's Stock On The Rise After Her 'Super Bowl Of Freedom'

Christina Bellantoni | November 6, 2009, 6:05PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Whether you call it a rally, press conference or "House Call," Republicans think Thursday's Capitol Hill Tea Party was a success -- and they are crediting Rep. Michele Bachmann for having the pizazz to increase turnout and press coverage.

"We didn't know what to expect, we didn't know what kind of energy would be there, but this thing took a life of its own," Brendan Buck, spokesman for the Republican Study Committee, told TPMDC.

"It came together better than we ever imagined it would in terms of size and energy," he said.

After chatting with press aides from various Republican offices, here's what we know.

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John Tanner

Blue Dog Rep. Tanner Opposes Health Care Bill

Eric Kleefeld | November 6, 2009, 6:00PM

Rep. John Tanner (D-TN)

Rep. John Tanner (D-TN), a member of the Blue Dogs, has announced his opposition to the current health care bill from the House Democrats:

"After careful review of the current legislation pending in the House and the Congressional Budget Office's analysis, I believe the bill will not help control the long-term costs of health care and puts in place an infrastructure that is not fiscally sustainable over time. I am unable to support this legislation in its present form.

"Most of us realize that serious reforms are needed to fix what is broken in our health care system. Specifically, we should work to reform health insurance; ensure no one can be denied health coverage because of a pre-existing condition; and slow the upward curve of health care costs. I will continue talking with Tennesseans and working with others to achieve these goals, improve our health care system and ensure our reforms help solve, rather than contribute to, our nation's long-term fiscal challenges."

FL-SEN

Club For Growth's New Involvement In Florida Race Spurred By Rubio's Fundraising Success

Eric Kleefeld | November 6, 2009, 5:17PM

Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL) and former state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R)

Yesterday, the Club For Growth launched a new attack ad against Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL), a moderate who is facing a challenge in the GOP primary for Senate from the more conservative former state House Speaker Marco Rubio -- which was, in fact, a change from the Club's previous skepticism about getting involved in this race.

Back in July, when Crist was much further ahead in both polls and fundraising, the Club's executive director David Keating had said the Club was still looking at where it could best spend its money: "We have to look at his race versus all the others we're interested in, and there are going to be a lot of competitive races."

Today, Keating told TPM that Rubio's recent pick-up in fundraising, taking in about $1 million for the previous quarter, was an encouraging sign.

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Filibuster

Reid Continues To Target Republican Obstruction

Brian Beutler | November 6, 2009, 5:12PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is on a kick. Personally frustrated, and under pressure from the left, Reid has decided to take direct aim at Republican obstruction, and he's doing so in angry terms.

"For anybody watching, what's taken place the last three years knows the Republicans have become experts in wasting time, the American taxpayers' time, the American people's time, and yesterday was no exception," Reid said on the Senate floor Wednesday.

Democrats can't pass off all of the blame for the glacial pace of progress in the last several months. With a 60-member caucus, they in theory have sufficient numbers to overcome GOP filibusters of key agenda items, if they could only agree to stay united. But even if they did muscle their agenda through the procedural labyrinth of the Senate, they still wouldn't be able to stop the foot-dragging.

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Tea Party

GOP Could Face More Challenges From Right, After NY-23

Eric Kleefeld | November 6, 2009, 5:06PM

Capitol Hill, Tea-Party Rally

In the wake of the NY-23 right-wing revolt, could the GOP be on the verge of seeing even more challenges from the activist right? Some recent developments suggest that the natives are getting restless.

• NRCC chairman Pete Sessions is being challenged in the Republican primary by David Smith, a corporate financial analyst. Smith told us that the NY-23 mess was not a factor in his decision -- but it should help him in attacking Sessions: "It's nice to have my opponent in the national news for a bad reason at the same time I'm announcing my candidacy."

• Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) is facing a Republican primary challenge from Jason Sager, a currently unemployed audio-visual engineer. Sager specifically cited Brown-Waite's having campaigned for Dede Scozzafava, the moderate Republican nominee in NY-23 who ultimately dropped out of the race and endorsed Democrat Bill Owens, as a reason for his challenge.

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