| My News Feeds Election News Political News Election Weblogs Political Weblogs | Welcome to the Atlas News Aggregator - Latest News Boehner Warns Republicans Over Behavior House Minority Leader John Boehner (R) told his conference to "behave like grown-ups" if the health care bill is passed by the House later today, according to The Hill. "According to several lawmakers who attended the 15 minute meeting, Boehner said 'we will behave like grown-ups,' and not engage in taunting the vulnerable Democrats who support the controversial measure." Democrats Who Opposed the ?Rule? on Health Bill?s Debate In a procedural vote that was a key test for whether the health-care bill will pass, the House voted 224-206 to approve the “rule” on the health-care bill’s debate. The following 28 Democrats opposed the rule. Adler (NJ) Arcuri Barrow Boren Boucher Bright Chandler Childers Davis (AL) Davis (TN) Edwards (TX) Herseth Sandlin Holden Kratovil Lipinski Lynch Melancon McIntyre Marshall Matheson Minnick Mitchell Nye Ross Shuler Skelton Space Taylor GOP: Abortion Deal Won’t Trump the Law By Shayndi Raice House Republicans said an agreement on abortion between antiabortion Democrats and the White House had no legal weight to prohibit the federal funding of abortion. “This is a disappointing moment for millions of Americans who cherish the sanctity of human life,” said Rep. Mike Pence (R., Ind.). Rep. Chris Smith (R., N.J.) said President Barack Obama’s plan to sign an executive order was a “trick,” adding that “unborn children and mothers will be killed in larger numbers as a result of this law.” The White House and a group of antiabortion Democrats reached an agreement Sunday aimed at ensuring the current restrictions on abortion funding apply to the health-care overhaul. The deal paved the way for landmark health-care legislation to pass the House tonight, and a vote setting rules for debate showed that the abortion deal did the trick in securing sufficient votes for passage. The 224-206 vote on the procedural measure –28 Democrats joined all 178 Republicans– indicated that Democratic leaders would clear the 216-vote hurdle needed to pass the final legislation later tonight. House Republicans said the executive order cannot trump the law. They argued that if passed, the health care bill would destroy a truce between antiabortion and abortion-rights activists that prohibited the federal funding of abortions for the last 34 years. The group urged their Democratic colleagues to reconsider their vote. “This is a career-defining vote,” said Rep. Joe Pitts (R., Pa.). “Any member who votes for this bill can never claim they stood for the most basic human rights.” Rep. Bart Stupak (D., Mich.), who led a group of antiabortion Democrats in negotiating the deal on the executive order, said the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops did not endorse the agreement because they wanted the restrictions to be part of a bill, rather than an executive order. But Stupak said it would have been impossible to get that through the Senate. “I agree with the bishops that we ought to have a statute,” Stupak said. “The reality is that we can’t pass it in the Senate.” John Murphy on ?Nadering Kucinich? Independent candidate for Congress in 2008 and former Green Party member John Murphy writes in Dissident Voice,
NOW Accuses Obama of Selling Out By Rob Wells The White House abortion deal with antiabortion House members drew an angry rebuke Sunday from the National Organization of Women. NOW President Terry O’Neill accused President Barack Obama of selling out women’s health issues to win the health care vote. In a statement, she said that NOW “is incensed” that Obama agreed to issue an executive order “designed to appease a handful of anti-choice Democrats who have held up health care reform in an effort to restrict women’s access to abortion.” Obama, she continued, “campaigned as a pro-choice president, but his actions today suggest that his commitment to reproductive health care is shaky at best.” Her final jab: “The message we have received today is that it is acceptable to negotiate health care on the backs of women, and we couldn’t disagree more.” Waterloo for Republicans Former Bush speechwriter David Frum says Republicans bet that the health care reform bill would be President Obama's Waterloo -- "just as health care was Clinton's in 1994." "Only, the hardliners overlooked a few key facts: Obama was elected with 53% of the vote, not Clinton's 42%. The liberal block within the Democratic congressional caucus is bigger and stronger than it was in 1993-94. And of course the Democrats also remember their history, and also remember the consequences of their 1994 failure." "This time, when we went for all the marbles, we ended with none... We followed the most radical voices in the party and the movement, and they led us to abject and irreversible defeat." Obama Approval Jumps Back President Obama's job approval is back up to 50% with 43% disapproving, according to the Gallup daily tracking poll. Last year, former President Clinton told Political Wire that "the minute health care reform passed, President Obama's approval ratings would go up 10 points." Schwarzenegger is Most Unpopular in California History A new Field Poll shows more Californians disapprove of the job performance of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) "than any governor in modern state history including Gray Davis, who was ousted by Schwarzenegger in a popular uprising." "Seventy-one percent of California voters surveyed said they disapprove of Schwarzenegger's handling of the job, while 23 percent approve. The low ratings are shared across all demographics including party affiliation, region of the state, age and race or ethnicity." Sensing Victory, Obama Schedules Address to Nation Tonight Sensing victory, President Barack Obama is planning to make a statement to the nation Sunday night after the House takes its final vote on health care legislation. The White House announced late Sunday afternoon that Mr. Obama would speak from the East Room in the evening, with the timing to be determined. The announcement was another signal that Obama was confident that Democrats have the votes to pass the legislation at the center of his domestic agenda. The announcement came after Mr. Obama and Democratic House leaders resolved a dispute over abortion Sunday, securing crucial support from a handful of lawmakers. –Associated Press Democrats Reach Deal with Stupak Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), along with his supporters, have reached a deal with the White House on an executive order on abortion that looks like it gives House Democrats the necessary votes to pass the health care bill. Stupak announced their deal at a 4 p.m. press conference, noting he thought House leaders had already lined up the 216 votes they needed even before this deal. |
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