[BillF]

How did the Associated Press and various networks, and various "leading" newspapers like the Baltimore Sun and the Washington Post, blow the story so badly?

It's not just a lack of people watching the voting process. The media template says that the House GOP, especially Tom Delay, hammers and coerces its members into voting the party line. Meanwhile, the media says that the Dems "work so hard" to hold the line against the bill.

In the last 40 minutes the CQ Weekly health reporter was on C-SPAN talking about the bill and saying (paraphrase, but quite close):

Nancy Pelosi worked very hard on this and was very, very, very intense in trying to hold her troops together. She got almost all of them united in her struggle against the dominant Republicans.

Something like that. She did say "very, very, very" literally.

[Congressman Billybob]

The CQ guy you reported on is continuing the same spin after the fact. Here's the comparison of the two parties in voting on this bill:

The Republicans had 11% defect on this bill, 24 out of 229. The Democrats had 8% defect, 16 out of 205. You'll note that the R & D numbers add to 434, not 435. The remaining one is Sanders of Vermont, who lists himself as an "independent," is actually a socialist, and who votes with the Democrats.

John / Billybob

[Congressman Billybob]

The CQ guy you reported on is continuing the same spin after the fact. Here's the comparison of the two parties in voting on this bill:

The Republicans had 11% defect on this bill, 24 out of 229. The Democrats had 8% defect, 16 out of 205. You'll note that the R & D numbers add to 434, not 435. The remaining one is Sanders of Vermont, who lists himself as an "independent," is actually a socialist, and who votes with the Democrats.

John / Billybob