Nancy Pelosi has assured us that there will be. Of course, the job of House Speaker is much like being a bookie for organized crime… you never take a bet when you don’t know how the game will end. Byron York explains how this is putting a lot of Democrats under the gun.
The House is in the final rush toward passage of a national health care bill, and there’s one thing Speaker Nancy Pelosi absolutely, positively does not want her Democratic lawmakers to do: Go home.
One Democrat who may be having visions of toast these days is Virginia Rep. Tom Perriello, who last year defeated a Republican incumbent by less than one-fifth of one percentage point. In Tuesday’s gubernatorial election, the GOP came roaring back in Perriello’s district, with Republican Bob McDonnell smashing Democrat Creigh Deeds by a 61 to 39 percent margin. The newly energized GOP will definitely be gunning for Perriello next year.
Never mind the fact that Pelosi has gone back on her promise to put any final health care bill up on line for 72 hours before a vote. Given the recent slides in public approval for this plan, combined with the fact that her flock will all be facing the voters’ wrath again next year, there are plenty of nervous nellies in the crowd.
So either they have to face down their constituents or their Speaker. It says something about the power of Congress that a lawmaker fears a party boss more than the people who elected him or her. Somehow, I’m sure that’s not what the founders had in mind for a citizen legislature and the people’s branch of government.
It’s going to be an interesting ride. Either way, stop by Mid Stream Radio tomorrow at 11 a.m. eastern and we’ll be covering the live build-up to either the vote or the lack of one. If there’s one thing worse for Nancy Pelosi than not getting a health bill, it’s calling for a vote and losing.