There must be something else to talk about.
And There Was No Doubt About It
Someone needs to photoshop Pelosi in over his right shoulder.
Lanny Frattare fans will understand the title.
Early Morning Open Thread: Thanks, Tim…
As the BJ front-pager whose main contribution to the Great PTDB Push was staying the heck out of everyones’ way, I want to thank Tim F. (and commentors MCC and Moses2317) for so earnestly and effectively keeping us focused and on-target. Tim is the guy who’s been posting about the arcane Congressional travails of H.R. 4872, the Health Care & Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010, keeping us up on the Congresspersons and the numbers involved as circumstances evolved, nagging us to get involved despite all our blogger-introvert instincts and preference for quirky snark over earnest activism. Tim, even if you never posted so much as a one-line Open Thread notice ever again, your work here over the last many weeks has made a place for you in the record books far beyond the borders of Balloon Juice. You have made the world a better place!
*****
In the same celebratory vein, the Boston Globe has a statement from Victoria Reggie Kennedy:
“As Ted Kennedy said, across the decades, in the best and the most discouraging hours, health care was the cause of his life. Tonight that cause becomes more than a dream, it becomes America’s commitment.
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“This landmark moment belongs to President Barack Obama, to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the courageous members of the House, and to the colleagues he cherished in the Senate. Most of all, it belongs to America — and it is one of the rare legislative achievements that belongs to the ages.
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“When Ted stood with Barack Obama in 2008, he said he had new hope that we would break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American — north, south, east, west, young, old — would have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege. And now they do and from now on they will… “
This Was A Triumph
A thousand thanks to every one of you who phoned, faxed and visited your Reps in person. Each of you made a difference. Brian Baird, a conservative Democrat, will retire this year and has nothing to lose. Baird changed his vote to ‘Yes’ today, well in advance of Stupak.
Rep. Brian Baird is switching his vote from opposing health care last fall to voting “yes” today, his office announced. Baird, retiring this year, was a prime target for Democrats to switch. (See everyone in play here.)
Baird (D-WA) said in a statement he’s changed his mind because “the status quo cannot be sustained.” I did a piece earlier this week detailing the stunning number of phone calls that have been flooding switchboards on Capitol Hill and in district offices across the country. Baird’s office told me yesterday that on Friday, Baird’s district office received 3,018 calls. They’d stopped keeping track in the D.C. office because “the phones were constantly ringing,” spokesman Adam Hudson said.
Of the calls coming from voters within the district, 57 percent were for the bill and 43 percent were against. The out of district calls – 52 percent of the total – had 87 percent against health care and 13 percent for the bill.
Particular thanks to mcc, who maintained the B-J whip count for free and personally met with Pelosi’s staff at key points in the process. You are all rock stars.
Take the poll. [Embarrassingly late update] This is a multiple choice poll, so please click every box that applies.
Another Thread For CSPAN Junkies
If only Ewickson ran the GOP (click at your own risk, etc…)
There is still a change [sic], though increasingly slim, that the House GOP will be able to blow up the health care bill on a motion to recommit. There are going to be recriminations after this is over, but I’m going to try not to pile on. I had my say when the Senate GOP botched it. What was done was done.
But whether this legislation actually passes or not, the GOP can now do a couple of things:
1. Pledge immediate repeal in toto of Obamacare should it pass. No nibbling at the edges — the whole thing and we pledge our lives, fortunes, and honor to crushing any member of Republican leadership who refuses to get on the full repeal bandwagon.
Chat.
Heh
John Kline (R-Minn) just declared that calls to his office ran 13-1 against the bill. You know that the ‘yes’ calls must have been blog readers, since most liberals know better than to bother with a stone tool like him. Which of you guys called Kline? Fess up.
***Update***
SuzyKhimm: Tea Partiers now clanging bells at Capitol Hill protest. Pro-HCR guy shouts, “Needs more coooowwwbelllll!”
***Update 2***
CSPAN junkies open thread.
Ezra makes a funny…
To add an exclamation point to John’s earlier post I thought Ezra’s tweet was spot on:
Too bad the size of your protest only counts if it is a Conservative protest. After all, who remembers those anti-war protests from 7 years ago in the weeks leading up to shock and oops.
I love the smell of conservative FAIL in the evening. This should be a good night. Still, I have compassion and find myself wondering what Jane and Grover are drinking as they watch the vote and dine on crow.
Cheers