Today’s HCR Vote Program
So today is the day, and today is when we get to know whether Nancy Pelosi and President Obama have been able to pull this one out (Intrade futures on this effort have been going up since early this month — you can buy at this writing at 92.1). You can use this as a live blogging thread (if you are glued to CSPAN and not out in this glorious weather).
Open Congress has posted a Guide to the House Health Care Debates and Votes today. I suspect they’ll be live blogging and live twittering today too.
Congress Matters has posted up today’s Floor Schedule from the Office of the Majority Leader. The the fun begins at 1PM today:
FLOOR SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 2010
House Meets At… 1:00 p.m.: Legislative Business
First Vote Predicted… 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Last Vote Predicted… Evening***Members are advised that votes are expected as early as 1:00 p.m.
“One Minutes” (5 per side)
Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendments toH.R. 3590 – Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – and H.R. 4872 – Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Reps. Spratt/Waxman/Levin/George Miller – Budget/Energy and Commerce/Ways and Means/Education and Labor) (Subject to a Rule)
Postponed Suspension Votes (7 Bills):
1. H.R. 4840 – To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1979 Cleveland Avenue in Columbus, Ohio, as the “Clarence D. Lumpkin Post Office” (Rep. Tiberi – Oversight and Government Reform)
2. H.Res. 1174 – Supporting the goals and ideals of National Women’s History Month (Rep. Woolsey – Oversight and Government Reform)
3. H.Res. 1075 – Commending the members of the Agri-business Development Teams of the National Guard for their efforts, together with personnel of the Department of Agriculture and the United States Agency for International Development, to modernize agriculture practices and increase food production in war-torn countries (Rep. Luetkemeyer – Armed Services)
4. H.Res. 1099 – Recognizing the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima (Rep. Braley – Armed Services)
5. H.Res. 925 – Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the meritorious service performed by aviators in the United States Armed Forces who were shot down over, or otherwise forced to land in, hostile territory yet evaded enemy capture or were captured but subsequently escaped (Rep. DeFazio – Armed Services)
6. H.Res. 900 – Supporting the goals and ideals of a Cold War Veterans Recognition Day to honor the sacrifices and contributions made by members of the Armed Forces during the Cold War and encouraging the people of the United States to participate in local and national activities honoring the sacrifices and contributions of those individuals (Rep. Israel – Armed Services)
7. H.Res. 1119 – Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that all people in the United States should participate in a moment of silence to reflect upon the service and sacrifice of members of the United States Armed Forces both at home and abroad (Rep. Peters – Armed Services)* Conference Reports may be brought up at any time.
* Motions to go to Conference should they become available.
* Possible Motions to Instruct Conferees.
Be sure to read David Waldman’s complete post on this — he takes a look at the rules for voting today and gets in some final pot shots at the faux outrage directed against a self-executing rule. You can follow David on Twitter during today’s events — highly recommended since I don’t think that there is anyone blogging out there who gets the ins and outs of the rules Congress operates by better than he does.
Ezra Klein notes that he will be live-blogging the debate today too. He has put together a Twitter list of people he is following during today’s debate.
CSPAN is live streaming and will start their coverage now.
And in case you want a little diversion from today’s events, this article from Politico (yes I know) credits Nancy Pelosi with pulling this all back from January’s brink. No votes have been taken yet, but no matter what happens today, this woman is a hero.
BONUS MIKE CASTLE WATCHING: He is already on record as intending to vote no on this legislation. So there will be no excitement there. However, you can use Castle’s behavior today as a preview on how he would do his job as a Senator of Delaware — voting for the interests of his party, rather than the interests of the people of Delaware.
Tags: Health Care Reform, US Congress
Stupid Stupak says,”we are close to a deal”? The Deal: The President would submit an executive order stating no abortions would be funded under this bill. This idiot obviously can’t read or comprehend the Hyde Amendment, already law!
National Review Online ^ | March 21, 2010 | Daniel Foster
UPDATE: A senior Republican House staffer e-mails: “I saw your timeline per the Dems. The timing is probably optimistic. I’d say the vote will be much later than 6:15. Definitely after 7.”
I’d say the vote will be much later than 6:15. Definitely after 7.
LOL…
Teabaggers, get busy! Maybe you can delay it all the way to 7:45.
MSNBC is saying that Stupak is a “yes.”
Stupak still a Firm ‘NO’
Washington Examiner ^
Despite reports on MSNBC that pro-life Democrat Bart Stupak, D-Mich., will vote for the bill, he remains a “no” vote. I just talked to Stupak in the basement of the Capitol as he walked passed a throng of protesters calling for members to vote against the bill. “I’m still a no vote. There is no final agreement.” Stupak said.
I’m seeing that the vote will be at 9 PM. It depends on how long the Republicans bloviate. I’m sure they will bloviate for their allotted time so that means 9.
Pelosi is entering the capital with the gavel used by Rep. Dingell’s father for the Medicare vote.
Stupak has been reported as both no and yes. I could give a flying rip about Stupak.
I agree with you 100%, JK. He’s been wrong about this the whole time, and I don’t expect his IQ to shoot up today.
Delaware gets represented on C-SPAN, and it’s not good:
You know I heard that woman and she was specifically asked — you are opposing this government reform of healthcare but you are on medicare now? And she sputtered abit, but she was clear about *her* entitlement to health care and health insurance but the 30M others could go to hell. Or something like that. It was really bad, but really the perfect symbol of the teabagger side of this debate.
The WH releases the Executive Order (this goes to Oliver Willis’ place) and apparently Stupak is saying he will vote yes.
I think we may be looking at a done deal here.
pd. Intrade futures up to 96.9 on passing.
mcjoan over at the GOS says pretty much all you need to know about this Executive Order:
Here’s some happy music to play during the vote. Crap, I just got rid of that earworm a few years ago anyway.
Could we have avoided all this Stupak drama with this Executive Order in the first place?
Hey, it worked for Lieberman… I guess Stupak figured it was worth a try.
Except now it has the feel of letting Stupak and Co an opportunity to save some face. I’ve read the WH announcement a couple of time, and it looks like an Executive Order to reiterate the Hyde Amendment. Stupak’s press conf was filled with proclamations of their moral principle, which looks like a fig leaf at this point.
I guess in this Congress, every conservative Democrat will get to be President for a day.
It’s still good day though.
Health care reform: $940 billion.
Look on Republican faces when it passes: Priceless.
Yes, Cassandra, the Executive Order will essentially say, “The law has to follow the law.”
Nancy Pelosi and John Lewis marching to the Congress this afternoon:
“So today is the day, and today is when we get to know whether Nancy Pelosi and President Obama have been able to pull this one out…”
Out of where? Interesting choice of words (and imagery). Who knows? Perhaps, for once, our President’s ass will be able to actually sign the check his mouth wrote.
I’ll be holding my breath, and waiting for the check to bounce.
The Hyde amendment is crap. Instead of having a President who stands up for repeal of the Hyde amendment, Obomba throws his support behind it and sells out women’s right to choose.
Out of the grave. When Brown won, health care reform was declared dead by many.
The first of 3 votes, a vote on the rules just passed 224-206. 2 more votes to go! The next one is the vote on the Senate bill (after 2-hr debate). The final vote is on the reconciliation package.
Out of the grave, indeed. If they can do this thing, we can spend the rest of the year asking Scott who?
When Brown won, health care reform was declared dead by many.
Health care reform died when the public option was stripped. What we have now is a malformed embryo that we might be able to repair some day. Even the Administration recognizes it is HIR not HCR.
I must admit I am enjoying the political win though.
Exactly, anon. Exactly.
HCR 2010 = WMD 2002. Once again, the liars have won.
Meanwhile, people here ignore the fact that Obomba has issued an executive order to continue the Hyde amendment policy of forced pregnancies.
Real reform efforts died the day the public option was watered down in the House. Not that you’d get that — you are only looking for something marked “Public Option”. But watching the policy detail is not what you do.
In the meantime, The Orange Man has told his caucus to act like adults tonite if the bill gets passed.
I’m betting that they don’t have any adult genes, frankly.
Real reform died when Obomba lied, totally reneged on his campaign promises, and cut back room deals with the corporate interests to prevent real health care reform. Now he throws the reproductive rights of millions of women under the bus, but you just keep cheerleading for him.
By the way, since you’re part of the “fix it later” crowd, it would have been a lot easier to expand and fix a public option already in-place than it would (will) be to get one enacted to begin with. “But watching the policy detail is not what you do”
Since anonone is strictly minor league, I’m getting my enjoice watching Fox News. It’s like watching Red Sox fans as Mookie rounds third. Right now, Pat Caddell [once McGovern’s boy wonder pollster] is telling Hannity that the Democratic Party is drinking Kool-Aid.
Pelosi is magnificent.
Back on MSNBC, Fineman throws it back: “Like the long distance runners of Kenya, Obama is getting it across the finish line.”
Kipchoge!
A1 can’t quite reach the minor leagues — especially since he still can’t manage to comprehend how votes get counted. But JM is more gracious than I can manage.
Fineman really is useless, but I imagine teabaggers everywhere will add this to their crazy conspiracy theory.
David Frum throws in the towel early, but makes a number of serious points.
Fineman was issuing a compliment, to conclude a 30-second bouquet to Obama’s triumph. There’s no greater compliment than being compared to a Kenyan distance runner, and that’s how Fineman intended it, irony and all.
Henry Rono!
Vote has started — 15 minutes!
I’m having a drink. And when I finish it, I’m having another one for Ted Kennedy.
WE WIN!
Castle voted against, of course.
Champagne all around!
Not only is the bill passed, but the world has not come to an end…
Man, you can smell the flop sweat on these guys — the more desperate they get, the more outrageously they lie.