House Democrats vote to increase Republican gains in 2010

08 Nov, 2009 by B. Daniel Blatt

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The good news about the House vote yesterday to approve PelosiCare is that the city where I was born, Cincinnati, Ohio will, come January 2001, once again have a Republican Congressman. Now that Steve Driehaus, who currently represents the Queen City, voted in favor of HR 3962, he has all but guaranteed that Steve Chabot, the man he ousted in 2008 by clinging to Obama’s coattails, will win his old seat back. And Chabot won’t be the only Republican ousting a Democratic incumbent next fall.

Just scanning the list of Democrats who voted for increased government control over our health care, I see Republican pickups elsewhere in Ohio as well as in New Hampshire, New York, Virginia, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Florida and Tennessee. And even though yesterday’s vote does not guarantee enactment of this multi-hundred billion dollar bureaucratic boondoggle, it does guarantee Republican pickups in next fall’s elections. And some of those Democrats who voted “Nay” may be swept up in the rising tide against their party.

I wonder how many of the 220 representatives who voted for the bill actually read the whole (or even significant parts of the) bill. The backlash against those who voted in favor is surely already beginning, but will increase as citizens find particularly offensive or onerous provisions in the legislation which many Congressman did not know they had voted for. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may not have posted the bill online in time for all those voting on it to read it, but it is online now.

While our representatives did not have had time to read the bill before they voted on it, citizens will have a chance to read it before we vote on them. A “Yea” vote for many will mean a “Nay” vote from their constituents.

The narrow passage of HR 3962 makes Saturday, November 7 a sad day for freedom, but the battle is far from over. The Senate has yet to vote. And the House will have to revisit the issue. Will those 64 Democrats who voted for the Stupak Amendment barring “any federal funding of abortions or any use of the new health care provisions for abortion” should the provision be excised from the final bill. If just three Democrats flip, Pelosi loses her majority.

Of course, that’s presuming the Senate first gets all 60 votes it needs for cloture. And as we see a backlash against this bill, a number of Democrats are going to get cold feet, particularly those who face reelection in 2010 in strong McCain states like Arkansas and North Dakota, weak Obama states like Indiana and even more comfortably Obama states including Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin.

Crossposted at GayPatriot.