Where's the Outrage?

It isn’t that hard. You simply count who is with you and who isn’t. It was clear from the moment that Speaker John Boehner dreamed up his grand plan that he didn’t have the Republican votes, yet he pretended that all was okay. Alas, now the arm twisting begins.

Vote count by The Hill.

From HuffPo:

House GOP leadership announced abruptly on Thursday evening that they were suspending a vote on Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) debt ceiling proposal, signaling in the process that the GOP lacked the votes to pass the package.

The news came just minutes before party leadership was set to hold a 5:30 p.m. vote on the proposal, which would cut roughly $915 billion in spending over the next ten years but only raise the debt ceiling through the end of the calendar year.

Congressional aides were scrambling to figure out just when the vote would be rescheduled for — the House for now will consider eight smaller measures first — but a spokesman for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said that a vote on Boehner’s proposal would still take place on Thursday night.

Whether that is enough time for the Speaker to convince a few more Republicans to support him is unclear. Informal whip counts had 25 Republicans and the full Democratic caucus opposing the measure, which would put it short of the 216 votes needed for passage. (more…)

Update: Great comment on NYT –

An asteroid is headed toward earth, the Tea Party says it won’t have an impact and we don’t need to do anything. The Democrats and Republicans are arguing over what color to paint the rocket that will be used blow up the asteroid before it hits us. The asteroid is getting closer and closer…

Update II: Watch the Video:

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From WaPo:

Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters shortly before 10:30 p.m. that there would be no vote Thursday night on the bill, which would increase the federal debt limit in two stages in exchange for major spending cuts.

The vote had been scheduled for around 6 p.m. Thursday, but as that hour neared, GOP leaders realized they didn’t have the 217 votes needed to send the measure on to the Senate.

So the House suddenly took up a series of non-controversial measures, leaving befuddled lawmakers debating whether to rename a post office in Hawaii before finally going into recess for an indefinite time. (more…)

So, after all is said and done, we are back where we were last week, two weeks ago, a month ago. After Eric Cantor and John Boehner positioned themselves as the men with the plan, they never had the votes. In my opinion, we are to blame. We, the American people, who voted for some politicians who were long on bluster and short on real ideas to move the country forward, are to blame. We voted in knuckleheads who didn’t understand the difference between campaign rhetoric and truly governing the country. We wanted jobs and instead we got worthless Republican rhetoric. Many Americans thought they were voting to preserve Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, in essence the American safety net, when in fact they were voting for intransigence. It seems to me that the only reasonable response by President Obama is to enact the 14th amendment. For the good of the country he has to personally direct the Secretary of the Treasury to raise the debt limit. For over a month, it was clear to me that this is where we were headed. We have no more time for posturing and rhetoric. It is time to act.

Watch the video:

Tags: Budget, House of Representatives by ecthompson md
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Well no, there seems to be something in the air. It is a craziness that has infected Washington. For some reason, Speaker John Boehner believes that we have a spending problem. The problem isn’t that our tax revenues are ridiculously low. That’s not the problem. The problem is spending, according to Boehner. Watch the video as he stomps off:

It is time for Americans to recognize what we are watching. We are not either watching a negotiation between Democrats and Republicans or we are watching some sort of complicated economic equation between liberals and conservatives. The data is clear. We do not have a spending problem.

We have a revenue problem.

The data is clear.

In 2001, President Bill Clinton and the Democrats handed President George W. Bush and the Republicans a budget surplus. We were paying down the deficit. We started two wars which were not paid for. Not one Republican has stood up and said that this was irresponsible and that we should cut the Pentagon budget in order to make up for the spending. That would make sense, wouldn’t it? The Bush administration then turned around and gave huge tax cuts to the rich. I have no problem with giving tax cuts to the rich. If we have a surplus of money and the tax cuts are not going to cut into the surplus then great. Unfortunately, the tax cuts killed the surplus. They are continuing to do damage today. The Bush administration sold the American people on the fantasy that tax cuts pay for themselves. These tax cuts have not. Finally, the economic downturn has decreased revenue and therefore increased the  deficit.

None of these concepts is all that difficult. I use no fancy math. There were no smoke and mirrors. All of this information is easily obtainable. So, we must recognize that there is something else going on. This is not an argument over spending. This is an argument over whether we will let Republicans kill programs that they hate. It is that simple. WE must recognize what is truly going on.

Update: Erza Klein has a great summary of what’s going on with this debt ceiling impasse.

What it is: The debt ceiling is a legal cap on the amount of money the Treasury can borrow to fund existing government functions. It essentially authorizes the Treasury to borrow the money necessary to pay the bills incurred by the federal government.

Where it came from: Before 1917, Congress authorized the Treasury to issue bonds for specific purposes. But that meant approving every bond separately. To fund World War I, Congress decided to give the Treasury more latitude by instituting caps on how much it could borrow through each type of bond, rather than forcing it to get every new bond approved separately. In 1939, this was changed so that most bonds were bound by the same limit, effectively creating the general debt ceiling we have today. (more…)

Tags: Budget, House of Representatives by ecthompson md
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Tags: House of Representatives, Party Politics by Neil Aquino
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I’m traveling again. Being herded from place to place in an airport makes me want to “moo.”

• Rondo proved once and for all that you need two good arms to play in the NBA. Boston dropped game four. Garnett was completely ineffective on offense. If Boston can’t generate any more offensive power than what we saw on Monday night, this series is over.
• If you break the law you should be punished. If you are convicted of marijuana (which should be legal) possession, you should go to jail. A life sentence is a waste of tax payer money and over the top.
• Pastor lies about being a Navy Seal. Come on.
• As expected, House Majority leader John Boehner is holding the economy hostage. He wants big cuts, again, before he will raise the debt ceiling.
• Newt Gingrich is going to run for president. Yep, that Newt. I guess being wrong on major policy decisions and flip-flopping on major policy issues doesn’t disqualify you.
• New Florida election law is a great way to exclude voters. This law should be unconstitutional.
• Microsoft to buy Skype. I think that I can outbid Microsoft. Hey, can I borrow $8.6 billion from someone?
• BTW, how hard is it to de-feather a room? After three calls to the front desk and housekeeping, the Sheraton proves that it is impossible. Fail!

What’s up with you?

Tags: Budget, Civil Rights, House of Representatives, Legal, Military by ecthompson md
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• It seems inevitable that a meltdown will happen at the main reactor in Japan. There’s now evidence surfacing that more than 30 years ago three people resigned or were transferred after complaining about the nuclear reactor design.
• As if Japan does not have enough going on. A 6.0 earthquake rocked the country just yesterday.
• The King in Bahrain has declared martial law. Look for Saudi Arabia to have a huge interest in what goes on in Bahrain. The Middle East is really starting to get ugly.
• The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has come up with six simple tests of any corporate tax reform. Seems to be pretty simple and straightforward. This means it will never be adopted.
• Budgets should never be balanced on the backs of state workers.
• Maine’s new governor is trying to pay for tax cuts by asking state workers to contribute more to their pensions. Now, where have we seen this before?
• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Egypt. I’m not exactly sure what she’s doing in Egypt besides giving the reformers a pep talk. Look for more on this soon.
• Representative Dennis Kucinich continues to try to see Bradley Manning. He’s being blocked by the Department of Defense. I’m not sure how the Department of Defense has the legal authority to block a member of Congress from seeing a prisoner. Doesn’t sound kosher.
• NFL Players are considering a boycott of the draft. This is getting very ugly. $9 Billion to split between players and owners… and they can’t figure it out. Don’t look for football this September.

Any thoughts? What’s on your mind?

Tags: Energy, Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, Saudi Arabia, Taxes by ecthompson md
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• News from Japan continues to worsen. The news is sketchy but it seems that a meltdown is inevitable.
• There will be a ripple effect throughout Japan’s economy. As we found out, just two years ago, the world economy is not insulated from a major player like Japan.
• I’m working on a post describing why I love Governor Scott Walker. He is exposed the underbelly of the GOP. He is shown the world the Republicans, not just Scott Walker, want to enrich their friends at the expense of everyone else. Republicans of use platitudes about family values and being in the mainstream for years.
• Somebody needs to answer over the treatment of Bradley Manning.
• To get elected to a major office in United States you don’t necessarily need people to like you. I know this is counterintuitive but this is a fact. Think about Richard Nixon. He was never the most likable president. He split the electorate. Therefore, it is possible to win the White House even if you’re not the most likable guy in the field. The key is, you can’t be the most hated guy. You cannot have highly unfavorable ratings. Unfavorable ratings are hard to change. These are people who will come out and campaign against you because they dislike you so much. So, when you’re looking at polls, you really need to look at candidates on favorability ratings. The higher the on favorability, the less likely that candidate can get any traction. This brings me to Newt Gingrich. I just look at his on favorability ratings and smile. (Sarah Palin is in much better.)

Update:

• Looks like Japan is bracing for a nuclear meltdown. This is terrible.
• The death toll in Japan continues to rise. Now, there are over 3300 confirmed dead.
• Eric Cantor tries to justify continued cuts in foreign aid.
• Wisconsin Democrats are back in Madison but you know that the Republicans aren’t going to let that stand. The Democrats tried to stand up for principle. You can’t let something like this go. So the Republicans have found the Democrats in contempt of the Senate and as such they aren’t going to be allowed to vote on anything. Beautiful. What jerks.

Any thoughts?

Tags: Domestic Issues, Energy, House of Representatives by ecthompson md
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For years now I’ve had to put up with conservatives telling me that former House #2 Republican leader, Tom DeLay, had done nothing wrong. Well, a jury in Texas seems to disagree. I know that many people are rejoicing right now. I wish they wouldn’t. I will not rejoice at another man’s downfall. It seemed to me that Tom DeLay knew where the boundaries were and stepped all over those boundaries. (Look for conservatives to attack the jury. Soon we will know how many Republicans and how many Democrats were on the jury. There will be cries about how “liberal” the jury was. Let’s get one thing straight, (and this is from someone, me, who has lived in Texas most of his life), there is no such thing as a liberal jury in Texas.)

From the Austin Stateman:

Tom DeLay, the former U.S. House majority leader whose name became synonymous with the Republicans’ controversial rise to power in the Texas House, was found guilty this evening of laundering money in connection with the 2002 elections.

Jurors sent a note on yellow legal paper that a verdict had been reached to the judge at 4:46 p.m. They had deliberated for nearly 19 hours, since Monday afternoon.

The unanimous verdict on two criminal charges was read to a hushed courtroom three minutes later. DeLay, who moments earlier had been smiling, appeared shocked as the 12 jurors — six men and six women — reported their decision one by one.

DeLay, at one time one of the most powerful men in Washington, was charged with money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He faces a possible sentence of five to 99 years in prison and a maximum $10,000 fine on the money laundering charge, and two to 20 years in prison and a possible $10,000 fine on the conspiracy charge. (more…)

Tags: Domestic Issues, House of Representatives by ecthompson md
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Tags: Books, Congress, Elections, House of Representatives by Neil Aquino
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• The Department of Justice has gone back to the US District Court to ask for a stay in the court’s injunction preventing embryonic stem cell research.
• Although the mainstream press has tried to paint Glenn Beck as a changed man, I’m not sure that I saw much change. I know that he is not responsible for the actions of every single individual at his rallies but there was plenty of ugliness at his rally. Oh, by the way, was Glenn Beck’s rally much like a 12 step program?
• I’m not sure what it says about your preparation when you freeze during your opening statement. Governor Jan Brewer did just that. The governor has gone to greater and greater lengths to explain why she has to take such a harsh stance against illegal immigration. Back in July she stated that, “our law enforcement agencies have found bodies in the desert, either buried or just lying out there, that have been beheaded.” No news or law enforcement agency is able to verify this shocking claim. Reporters ask her about this discrepancy (below)

• While we are struggling through the worst recession since the Great Depression, it appears that many CEOs, especially those who’ve laid off the most workers, are doing just fine.
• We know that tax cuts for the rich work… this is just intuitive. We don’t need any data. We know this just like we know breathing is good and not breathing is bad. At least that’s what Representative Mike Pence would have us believe.
• House Democrats are saying no to Social Security cuts.
• Federal income taxes on the middle class are at historically low levels. I wonder if McCain were in office if we would hear all of this about tax cuts.
• I know that the Dallas Cowboys beat the Miami Dolphins in the final preseason game of the yea. I’m not sure that the Dallas Cowboys have given us, the fans, much to look forward to. Our offensive line has been simply awful. As far as I know, it is really hard to pass or run without an effective offensive line. I will not pretend to know what’s wrong. I will only say that, in the simplest of terms, the offensive line is about blocking someone on the defensive line for a couple of seconds. We don’t seem to be able to do this. (By the way, do you have your fantasy football team lined up?)

Tags: Economy, House of Representatives, Sports, Stem Cell by ecthompson md
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Sometimes, it’s hard to believe how fast the day goes by.

• I’m not sure what’s going on in the United Arab Emirates. I’m not sure why they think it’s a great idea to limit e-mail access on BlackBerrys. Would the UAE be the definition of a police state?
• A huge sum of money was pulled out of mutual funds over the last year. $1.1 trillion to be precise. It is unclear exactly what Americans did with that money. Pay bills? Try to prevent foreclosure?
• One of the biggest examples of our failure in Iraq has been our inability to turn the lights on and keep them on. Electricity is still spotty at best. Could we have completely rebuilt their electricity grid three times over during the last eight years?
• Another Democrat is in trouble with the House ethics committee. Longtime California Democrat Maxine Waters appears to have asked for federal aid for a California bank in which her husband served on the board and owns stock. She, of course, has admitted no wrongdoing. From a Democratic standpoint, this is more than problematic. Two long-serving congressman are embroiled in ethics scandals. This simply isn’t good. Personally, I am saddened by even questionable ethical practices. Both Representative Waters and Representative Rangel understand they are under scrutiny at all times. They have to have their acts together. They can’t do anything that’s even a little bit shady — unfortunately, it looks like they forgot this basic lesson.
• Politicians are rolling in campaign cash.
• How does 4.9 million barrels of oil look to you? It looks like the worst spill of all time to me.
• There are a number of reasons why the Bush tax cut needs to be allowed to expire. Robert Reich has a few reasons.
• I don’t understand the recent push to try to repeal the 14th amendment. If you’re born in the United States, you should be a United States citizen. If your parents got here illegally, that’s not your fault. Why should you be penalized?
• Countrywide has agreed to pay $600 million to settle lawsuits.
• Al Jarreau is out of the hospital.

Tags: Business, Corporate Wrongs, Economy, Ethics, House of Representatives, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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From TPM:

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) went to the House floor Thursday night, to warn of a diabolical terrorist plot — with a 20-30 year timeline.

The plot involves arranging for a child to be born in the United States — then training them in an isolated environment abroad, ready to dispatch them back here to commit violence after a quick two or three decades.

“I talked to a retired FBI agent who said that one of the things they were looking at were terrorist cells overseas who had figured out how to game our system. And it appeared they would have young women, who became pregnant, would get them into the United States to have a baby,” said Gohmert. “They wouldn’t even have to pay anything for the baby. And then they would turn back where they could be raised and coddled as future terrorists. And then one day, twenty, thirty years down the road, they can be sent in to help destroy our way of life. ‘Cause they figured out how stupid we are being in this country to allow our enemies to game our system, hurt our economy, get set up in a position to destroy our way of life.”

Now, I know that Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations have the “long view” of things but this is a plot right out of NCIS. BTW, in NCIS, we win.

Tags: House of Representatives, Party Politics, Terrorism by ecthompson md
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Conservatives are going to stomp and hold their breath until Sir Paul McCartney apologizes.

From C&L:
…little moments like these remind us of the puckish rebel of his youth:

McCartney ended the evening taking a baseless cheap shot at former President George W. Bush.

“After the last eight years, it’s great to have a President who knows what a library is,” McCartney quipped.

Republicans seem to have forgotten that The Beatles always had a way of poking fun at conservatives — and they never were compelled to hold their tongues, either.

Which is why John Boehner immediately put up a big whine:

“Like millions of other Americans, I have always had a good impression of Paul McCartney and thought of him as a classy guy, but I was surprised and disappointed by the lack of grace and respect he displayed at the White House,” Boehner told HUMAN EVENTS. “I hope he’ll apologize to the American people for his conduct which demeaned him, the White House and President Obama.”

Ed. note: Why would John Boehner think that he needed to comment on something that Paul McCartney said? Who cares? Seriously, why comment? His comment just makes him sound more moronic.

Tags: Fun, House of Representatives, Obama administration, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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By a vote of 219-212, the House of Representatives has passed health-care reform. This brings almost universal coverage to the United States. President Obama praised Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer, along with many others, for getting this bill through.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Representative John Boehner could not help himself. He was the one who earlier called for decorum. Of course, he was the one who breached it. In a last-ditch effort, he tried to stir up the passion of doubt and those wavering Democrats. I think you’re being more than disingenuous when he suggested there were backroom deals in a bill that has been available on the Internet for months. He couldn’t resist bringing up publicly funded abortions. Who is surprised?

So, after the Senate passes this legislation, which is not a done deal, what can the American people expect? Unfortunately, the answer is not clear. No matter how great legislation is, it is the implementation of that legislation that will determine the impact on Americans. It is up to the Department of Health and Human services. Overall, I think that this is going to be an excellent piece of legislation for all Americans.

Tags: Healthcare, House of Representatives, Obama administration by ecthompson md
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He is trying to stop all abortions with his bill; at least abortions that aren’t paid for in cash.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

From C&L:

The Rachel Maddow Show did some digging and it appears that Bart Stupak may not actually have all the votes he’s claiming he has to stop the health care bill from being passed in the House. As Rachel also notes, since Stupak’s requests for changes to the bill are either impossible to get passed under reconciliation or just based on lies about what’s even in the bill, it’s pretty obvious that he’s just doing his best to get himself on the television for some face time so he can demagogue the abortion issue and it has nothing to do with the health care debate.

Bart Stupak might come to regret that if Rachel doesn’t let up on the reporting she has done on the C-Street House and The Family. And as Susie noted, he’s now got himself a primary challenger.

You can Send The Democrats A Message They Can Understand and make a donation at Blue America to help Bart Stupak’s challenger Connie Saltonstall among others.

Tags: Healthcare, House of Representatives, Rachel Maddow Show by ecthompson md
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I first read about the blogger Jon Swift dying from the update below.  Jon, which wasn’t his real name, was one of the first major bloggers to answer one of my e-mails. He put my little blog on his blog roll. He engaged me in conversation. After a while, I was able to engage just about all of the major bloggers except for Jane, Huffington and Digby (they have never answered any of my e-mails). Jon was the rarest of conservatives, he was thoughtful, open, humorous and engaging. I know that the world would be a better place if there were more people like him around.

From Political Animal:

• Iraq: “Three powerful suicide bombings killed at least 33 people and wounded more than 50 Wednesday in the restive Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, authorities said. Most of those killed and wounded were Iraqi police officers charged with securing the province’s capital city ahead of elections Sunday. “
• Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) announced a “leave of absence” from his powerful post as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee today. Whether he’ll ever get his gavel back remains unclear.
• Marriage equality reaches the nation’s capital. Western civilization remains unaffected.
• Matters get slightly worse for New York Gov. David Paterson (D).
• Greece tried to alleviate creditors’ fears today with a new $6.5 billion austerity plan.
• Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) is blaming Harry Reid for Bunning’s five-day hostage standoff over unemployment benefits.
• On a related note, Kevin Drum explains, “Bunning is a moron.”
• Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, is threatening to vote with far-right Republicans to kill health care reform. This isn’t the first time Grijalva has talked like this.
• I was very sorry to hear that the blogger known as “Jon Swift” has died.
• Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) is not above trying to connect his hatred for gays to his opposition to federal wage requirements.
• As part of our ongoing coverage of SUNY Binghamton’s troubling transition to Division I athletics, the school announced this week that its basketball team will not be participating in the America East tournament this year.
• Leave Grant’s picture on the $50 alone.
• And finally, Rod Blagojevich was — in all seriousness — the “guest of honor at a Northwestern University panel on ethics in politics last night.” The disgraced former governor reportedly “elicited laughs from the audience — and not necessarily intentionally.”

Tags: Civil Rights, Economy, House of Representatives, Senate by ecthompson md
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Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) — one of the most conservative members of Congress, according to a new National Journal ranking — decried the strained state of political discourse in an interview today with blogger-activist Mike Stark. While defending hate radio host Rush Limbaugh, Franks said bipartisanship and “true tolerance” is about “being halfway decent to each other in spite of the differences.” But when the conversation turned to abortion, Franks made a clearly indecent comment, claiming that African-Americans were probably better off under slavery than they are today:

FRANK: In this country, we had slavery for God knows how long. And now we look back on it and we say “How brave were they? What was the matter with them? You know, I can’t believe, you know, four million slaves. This is incredible.” And we’re right, we’re right. We should look back on that with criticism. It is a crushing mark on America’s soul. And yet today, half of all black children are aborted. Half of all black children are aborted.Far more of the African-American community is being devastated by the policies of today than were being devastated by policies of slavery. And I think, What does it take to get us to wake up?

(Ed. I will clean up this video later.)

Starks interviewing Rep. Franks [ 0:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: House of Representatives, Party Politics, Race by ecthompson md
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Murtha was the first hawk to stand up and say that we needed to bring our troops home.

From TPM:

Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) has died at the age of 77, after serving in Congress for 36 years.

Murtha had been hospitalized in the intensive care unit last week due to complications following a gall bladder surgery.

Murtha’s office released the following statement this afternoon:

Congressman John P. Murtha (PA-12) passed away peacefully this afternoon at 1:18 p.m. at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, VA. At his bedside was his family.Murtha, 77, was Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in February of 1974, Murtha dedicated his life to serving his country both in the military and in the halls of Congress. A former Marine, he became the first Vietnam War combat Veteran elected to the U.S. Congress.

This past Saturday, February 6, 2010, Murtha became Pennsylvania’s longest serving Member of Congress.

A complete biography is available on his website.

Murtha, who was influential on defense matters, led the House movement against the Iraq War. In 2005, he publicly called for withdrawal. (more…)

This is John Murtha on the floor of the House back in 2006.

Tags: House of Representatives, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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Tags: 9-11, Domestic Spying, House of Representatives, NASA by ecthompson md
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I have not really focused on Pete Hoekstra. I know that he is the House Intelligence Committee chair. I also know that every now and then he opens is mouth and gets his foot stuck in it. But who doesn’t. It is okay to do it every so often when you aren’t throwing out classified information.

From Politcal Animal: Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.), the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, confirmed to the Washington Post this week, on the record, that Nidal Malik Hasan had exchanged emails with Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical cleric. As MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow reported Tuesday, it was a problematic revelation — that federal officials had kept secret for a reason.

According to the GOP staff on House Intelligence Committee, they “do not know” if Hoekstra released classified information, but they’re “guessing” his remarks weren’t a problem.

Marc Ambinder followed up today with senior intelligence officials who said “there are concerns” about Hoekstra’s loose lips. The Republican lawmaker, who is routinely briefed on some of the nation’s most sensitive national security secrets, appears to have tipped a radical cleric to surveillance efforts and inadvertently confirmed “a sensitive capability that the N.S.A. regularly employs to collect intelligence.”

A former intelligence official privy to details of the NSA’s programs said that it “would appear to be the case” that Hoekstra divulged too much information.

It wouldn’t be the first time.

I realize that leading members of the Intelligence Committees get a lot of information, and it’s no doubt challenging to recognize the difference between information that can be shared with the public and information that must be kept under wraps for national security purposes. People make honest mistakes sometimes. [Read more →]

Tags: House of Representatives, National Intelligence by ecthompson md
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These guys are depressing me (Larry Kissel is a no vote? I gave money to this man! I thought he was a progressive. Damn it.):

From McJoan: David Dayen has done tremendous work today keeping track of public statements from House members in health care.

These are those he has as definite no votes:

Adler, Baird, Boren, Bright, Childers, A. Davis, L. Davis, Gordon, P.Griffith, Herseth Sandlin, Kissell, Kosmas, Kratovil, Marshall, Massa, Matheson, McMahon, Melancon, Minnick, Peterson, Skelton, Stupak, Tanner, Taylor, Teague

Normally, I don’t recommend calling representatives other than your own. But there’s a big exception on that list for the netroots community. While Larry Kissel wasn’t among the candidates on Daily Kos’s Orange to Blue list last year, but over the last few years, netroots activists donated $485,795 to the Kissel campaign for Congress. If you were among those who donated, I don’t think you’d be out of order in calling and asking for a refund. And if you live in the district of one of those other members, and you don’t agree with their no vote, please call them tonight and tomorrow to let them know.

Particularly Brian Baird, who I have heard might be wavering. Here’s a list of those members that folks on the Hill think are those we need to focus on over the next day.

Arcuri, Baird, Bean, Boyd, Carney, Donnelly, Kaptor, Kucinich, McMahon, Scott Murphy, Nye

Vice President Biden is making phone calls to these guys, maybe you should, too? If one of the above is your representative, Call or e-mail and let him or her know you support H.R. 3962, and you’ll be watching their vote.

Tags: Healthcare, House of Representatives by ecthompson md
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