Posted on 03/21/2010 5:06:33 PM PDT by Tirian
Clever.
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) said House leaders are specifically concerned about a Republican motion to recommit that would contain only language on abortion that Stupak originally had wanted to include in the Senate bill.
The concern is based on the fear of GOP attack ads painting Democrats who vote against a motion to recommit that includes Stupak’s favored language on abortion as “flip-floppers” on the issue…
Right now the best defense House leaders have against such a prospect is a colloquy that Stupak will hold on the House floor to publicly reaffirm that the executive order upholds the ban on federal funding of abortion…
Speaking to The Hill after that press conference, Stupak said he won’t necessarily make the argument that Democrats should reject a Republican motion consisting of just his abortion language.
“I don’t know if I’ll make the argument [to vote it down], but we’ll do the colloquy to clarify our intent, the executive order that Hyde applied,” he said.
So that’s why having Stupak speak on the House floor was a key part of the negotiations. They’re worried that pro-lifers will be afraid to vote against the abortion language if the GOP forces the issue, so they’re counting on him to assure the troops that it’s okay to do so because the executive order is just as good (giggle). Why the GOP wouldn’t try this escapes me, but the Hill thinks there’s a chance that they’ll load up the motion with other key Republican ideas — tort reform, etc. — which would be nuts, since it’ll give Stupak et al. a reason beyond abortion to vote no. Exit question: Why would Boehner waste this opportunity with a boring omnibus motion that’ll fail on party lines when he could make the Dems choke on abortion in a last-ditch bid to kill this thing? Presumably the worry is that Democrats will point to a barebones abortion motion later as evidence that Republicans had no objections to the bill by the end except the abortion plank, but there’s not a man or woman alive who believes that. But follow the link and read to the very end. The GOP had a chance to force a tough vote in November too — and passed.
Update: Nothing surprising about this, but even being “well past” 216 won’t save them if the Stupakers bolt over the motion to recommit.
Democrats who claim to be moderate or conservative or pro-life will now be called “stupakers”.
I agree that the omnibus thing should be scrapped. Do the Stupak language. It doesn’t matter how the Democrats “paint this”. Boehner and Ryan will have a “repeal and replace” proposal out there ready for the troops to run on in November.
The American people will have plenty of time to learn what the Republican objections are in full.
could this possibly work?
You’d boot Michele Bachmann from office?
Bull. Stupak was always going to cave. Always. Haven't you been paying attention today?
Good point. We’d have to make a few exceptions. She certainly would qualify as a keeper!
Palin, are you listening?
There is no such thing as conservative democrats? Only political opportunists.
I disagree with you and think throwing out all incumbents, including good republicans, is a bad tactic.
Of course he was. The whole thing was always a scam. And the Republicans, all but one of them, played along with him when it mattered most. Because National Right to Life told them to do so and threatened them.
Not only was it a display of how unprincipled they all are, it was just plain stupid.
Paul Ryan, Mike Pence, Steve King, Jim DeMint...
Yeah but the majority of them have no cajones and will do nothing to stop this monstrosity. It looks like we will have to follow the States’ Attorney Generals instead.
He would have caved then. It would have passed without the abortion wrangling, it would have had an easier time.
With you it’s always that the Republicans didn’t execute some super-secret judo move. You’re the guy in the breakroom who knows exactly what’s wrong with the company and how to fix it in 5 minutes.
I’ll live in the real world and try to make the world a better place rather than bitching about my allies.
Go back to sweeping the floors.
How many of them voted for Medicare Part D? Do you know? (I know for a fact that at least one of them did.)
Until today, that was the biggest increase in entitlements since the ‘60’s. Socialized medicine.
Yeah, right. They’re all so brilliant.
Fact is, the hard Left that is now running the show is a small minority. They could have never gotten to this point if the Republicans were anything but a massive failure.
i tend to agree with his post....
there are always exceptions to the rule....by ang large they should all be booted and tried for treason and if found guilty....HUNG......
The processes are so convoluted I have no clue what is possible and what is desperate hope anymore. One thing for sure, I am for ANYTHING that slows it down, trips it up, or causes those scumbags any kind of grief no matter how small.
The dems like to make it look as though the people want to get all incumbents.
They are wrong.
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