More Democrats come out against health care bill [Four from KY, IL, SD and NC]

CNN ^ | March 12, 2010 | Charles Riley and Jeff Simon

[2ndDivisionVet]

As House Democratic leaders advised their members Friday to prepare for a legislative battle over health care that could stretch through next weekend, four additional rank-and-file Democrats have come out against the Obama administration's signature domestic priority.

Reps. Ben Chandler of Kentucky, Luiz Gutierrez of Illinois, Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin of South Dakota and Heath Shuler of North Carolina say they will vote against their party's health care plan, which may be headed to a final vote late next week.

"At this time, I am a 'no' vote on health care," said Gutierrez in a written statement. "It's no secret that I have been critical of proposals that would exclude our nation's hardworking immigrants from the health care exchange, and I would find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to vote for any measure that denies undocumented workers health care purchased with their own dollars."

According to an ongoing CNN survey, 21 House Democrats have now indicated they will vote against the Senate bill when it comes to the floor, though six of those members say they would consider voting for it if it were significantly modified. Opponents of the bill need a total of 38 Democrats to vote against the measure to ensure its defeat, assuming that all Republican members remain unified in their opposition.

Some members made clear that their votes are not negotiable. Josh Taylor, a spokesman for Texas Rep. Chet Edwards, told CNN the congressman "voted 'no' on health care the first time around and will vote 'no' the second."

Proponents of the health care plan need 216 votes in order to pass the Senate plan. As of Friday, no Republicans said they would vote in favor of the bill, which would mean Democratic leaders must rely solely on votes from its own members.(continued)

[Frantzie]

Keep calling and faxing people. Fax free at faxzero.wom - two free faxes a day.

They want us to think this is over.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Ya, that’s a story the MSM isn’t telling, the fact that a number of Democrats voted no and are opposed because the bill doesn’t have the public option, and isn’t liberal enough for them.

[madmominct]

This man is a would-be tyrant, period. He has no understanding or love for this country, and his little Marxist minions are the 60s radicals I went to Berkeley with. I remember them. They will be very sorry. November will be a bloodbath, and hopefully the end of these people for a good long while, until the American people forget (which they will) and try this pathetic statist experiment once again.

[mellow velo]

Not only is Luiz Gutierrez from Obama's 'adopted' state if Illinois, he endorsed Obama in the primaries and was also a Superdelegate who pledged for Obama.

Does anyone *really* think he's not going to vote 'yes" for Obamacare?

He's posturing, plain and simple.

[AmericanInTokyo]

One thing you CAN do is fax to a very liberal Democrat in a very liberal district, who is on record of opposing this form of Obamaare because it is not liberal enough, so then you write to PRAISE THEM to the high heavens, you talk like a dope smoking, Birkenstock lib, Harvard educated child of the 1960s with hippie/liberal emotive code words and you lightly threaten them with removal if they "give in to the right wing" and vote YES that crazy thing rather than doing it correctly and stopping this version dead in its tracks.

There are more than one ways to skin a cat.

Writing to a liberal who is going to vote NO, but writing as a conservative to thank him or to threaten him if he changes his vote to YES is going to fall on deaf ears and may even be counterproductive. If it is couched in the lib way I have suggested above, tactically it will have an effect and we can kill this damned thing EVEN WITH LIB VOTES AGAINST IT. Then it will be too late to brig it up again due to election year. Obama will incur great damage. We need to tactically consider these approaches.

[mwl8787]

Etheridge is a critical undecided. Do everything you can do to push him to NO. This would be a huge blow to the Dem leadership.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Eagles Up. I’m going after that Congressman NOW.

[pctech]

That doesn’t surprise me.

[Battle Axe]

I called my Rep. and one Senator and emailed the other one. They all wanted my name and address. Which I gladly gave.

[caww]

Yes but even so ,and I am aware of this, the process they say they are taking does flip from one thing to another...better to have those bases covered...and known.

[mwl8787]

Beg friends and relatives to call critical undecideds.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Bravo - and Thanks Frantzie. I’m on it.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Good! I'm told

• if they get a few, they read them.
• If they get a lot, they count them.
• And if they get a WHOLE lot, they weigh them.

I like to think of them calculating the tonnage... :o)

[ncalburt]

GO read the guys posts.
its obvious.

[topher]

If the Dems (maybe I should spell it Dims, as in "dim-witted") pass the rule in the House to pass the Senate version of the Bill, could the SCOTUS declare this as unconstitutional.

Michelle Malkin is highlighting how Louise Slaughter and Queen Nancy are butchering the Constitution.

Of course, having Democrats abandon a sinking ship is some good drama too.

[cowtowney]

It’d be beautiful if about 60 of them voted Present

[topher]

See the following on MichelleMalkin.com:

Michelle Malkin Website

[C210N]

the Code Red site is great. Just over there, I counted the switched votes - no to yes at 2, and yes to no at 5. Good direction to be in.

Of course, using the Slaughter-the-Constitution rule, they don't need 216... but makes it harder.

[LS]

177 GOP no. Remember Archie Kao?????

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

You have to remember who Gutierrez is. He plain and simply wants to make every mexican a U.S. citizen so they can start milking the cow.

Gutierrez may be fishing for the promise of an executive order giving healthcare to illegals, among other things.