House Democrat official: 'We've got the votes' on health care

House Democrat official: 'We've got the votes' on health care

www.cnn.com

Washington (CNN) -- Democrats have the 216 votes needed to pass health care reform legislation in the House on Sunday, the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus told CNN.

"This is a historic day and we are happy warriors," Rep. John Larson, D- Connecticut, told CNN's "State of the Union." He added, "We've got the votes."

But the chief deputy whip in the House, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida, cautioned, "We don't have a hard 216 right now." Schultz made the statement to "Fox News Sunday" just as Larson was speaking to CNN.

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Got the votes eh?

I truly wonder, could they pass this bill today? This will make or break Obama's Presidency and will surely kill any sort of Democratic Majority in the elections next year.

I don't like the bill as it is. Progress however is progress.

This bill doesn't go into effect until when, like 2014?

Wouln't that leave ample time for them to amend or make changes in the years to follow?

What are your thoughts ATS?

~Keeper

www.cnn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

This bill is nothing but BS. As much as I wouldn't mind the Dems comitting political suicide, I don't want to see this passed.

Does it even matter if they have the votes?

I'm pretty sure that the laws passed under W give the president the power to do whatever he wants by executive order.

Face it folks, we are already a socialist country, with a decider calling the shots.

Somehow, i cannot trust someone with a name like LARSON along with this fabricated bill. Sounds to me to get the votes they needed, theyve been pushing those digital voting buttons when the cameras were offline*

Yep, typical BS.
There's been a lot of pimping and prostituting going on in Washington lately, but in the end we will be the ones that will get screwed.

According to a couple of beltway stratgegists are now saying that the Dems are only trying to get to a 216 count, and are gonna allow "embattled" Dems to actually vote thier districts. Wow, what a novel idea. So 216 Dems are to tow the line and ignore the people that put them there but the ones who are having early re-election problems are allowed to do the job they were elected for. Fills me with warm, fuzzy , jelly bean laden confidence about this when I hear that.

We wouldnt even really need this health care bull, if cigarrettes were not available. Ive lost 2 parents to lung cancer. Yet its ok to keep cancer causing artificial sweeteners around, all those chemcals used in shampoo, soap, ranging from dioxane, to dioxin, PEG, propelyne glycol..all known carrcingoens and cancer formers* gee, if it wasnt for gillette and pantene shmapoo, wee wouldnt need obamacare!

I think this is what you are going to see happen in 2010:
If this bill passes, then the first thing that will happen is look to the state level, where alot of states are passing through legislation that would ban the federal government from doing this. There is in the works already prepared lawsuits to take the federal government, the president and the congress to court over this issue.
For those who voted against it, means that till the November elections, there is a good chance that the extra monies that they hope to gain will no longer be avaible for them. There will be alot more civil discourse in the general population. I would not be surprised to hear about rioting, and more attacks against the IRS. I think and believe that this will also be worse if they use the Slaughter rule and simply bypass an up or down vote, sending it to reconciliation, then look for an explosion from the public.
If it is a no, then they will go back to the drawing board and probably break it down into different segments. Unfortunately President Obama's back is up against the wall, and he is in a no win situation. Reminds me of when the country was first debating breaking away from England, they got all of the northern colonies, but lost the south. If this passes, then what the President will loose is all of the independants, and half of the country cause they are going to be upset. If it does not pass, he looses the very people that voted and put him into office. (And some of these people are terrorist, they have a history.)
The time to look at is November, cause that is when the American people will speak. If the people do not like it, then they will vote out the encumbents and vote in the canidates who are going to vote to repeal it.
If the people do like and want such, then they will vote to keep the encumbents in office and not to repeal it.
In either case it is going to be a very rough ride politically for the country.

I was just flipping through the news channels and saw one reporter talking about how strictly the dem Party was going to hold congressmen accountable, i.e. forcing them to vote yes or giving the a "pass" because their congressional districts were against HC.

Did I miss something? When did the democratic Party rather than the people elect congressmen? What authority does the Party have to ALLOW congressmen to vote in lines with the desires of the people they represent?

Can they get 216 votes? probably eventuallyt, maybe even today. Does that mean the people want it? given these tactics and the blatant tyranny of the two praty system, absolutely not.

Looks like the loss of that Kennedy seat didn't send the message many people on here thought it would. I don't have a dog in this fight but it's interesting to watch it unfold.

This operatic event shows how diabolical and hideous is the true face of the Democratic Party machine. I am left wondering what is actually transpiring that they are covering over with this spectacle.

As an observer from north of the border, I believe this matter could destroy the USA. A fundamental crisis is at hand with the Democrats following on W's work to create a State that has no relationship to the Constitution that supposedly gives the government its legitimacy.

W's part of the Republican Party are incredible hypocrites with all of their yowling over this legislation. Only the Ron Paul/Libertarian inclined Republicans have a consistent position derived from the Constitution.

I feel very saddened for the people of the USA. Their nation has been stolen from them by assassination and coup and dynastic families controlling the federal government like marionette masters. For the sake of all the good USAmericans I know (including some of my children and grandchildren) I pray that this horrendously written piece of legislation is sent back to the drawing board. The idea behind it may be very right and appropriate for the USA at this time, but one cannot get to a consideration of the basic issues because this legislation and the process by which it has been brought to a vote is a lesson in bribery extortion, prostitution...corruption by any other name would smell as foul.

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
This bill doesn't go into effect until when, like 2014?

Many good provisions go into effect immediately. Top 14 Provisions Effective Immediately

And yes, they now have the votes. Even Stupak is voting for it.

Obama Order on Abortion Locks in Health Care Vote

"We're well past 216" votes, a majority, said Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan, swinging behind the bill after leading the holdouts in a rebellion that had left the outcome in doubt.

Democratic aides confirmed his vote count.