Quote of the week: “I fear all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a great resolve” – Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto after the attack on Pearl Harbor, as attributed from the movie “Tora, Tora, Tora”.
There is no evidence that the real Admiral Yamamoto actually uttered these words his character says in the movie, although he apparently thought the attack was a mistake. But perhaps President Obama or Speaker Pelosi should be saying this about their socialized medicine bill.
I was in Northern Florida over the weekend at a classic car show that draws about 20,000 attendees. Most people were from the Southeast although there were plenty of people from all over the country. Car racing legends Richard Petty, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, and Carroll Shelby were there and held a seminar on their racing experiences and on winning. Most of the discussion was, naturally, about racing. But about one third of the discussion was about politics. The biggest cheer of the day was not about racing but when Garlits made a comment at how bad “that crowd in Washington today” was. The second biggest was when a picture of Ronald Reagan came on the screen (who was the first sitting president to attend a NASCAR race). Throughout the weekend, I was bombarded with people from all states, all political parties, and all walks of life expressing their disgust for the health care bill and asking how they could help kill it. Over the past few months, and today, as thousands descend on Washington, I have never seen anything to which this bill and this Congress has motivated rank and file Americans to engage against this bill. I think my Democrat colleagues are underestimating the intensity of the opposition out there.
Or maybe they just don’t care.
One of the questions I am frequently asked is who is in “play”? Which members are getting the full force of the Chicago Democratic machine bearing down on them with carrots and sticks to vote for this monstrosity? Well, only the Speaker and Rahm Emanuel know for sure. Remember that none of the 219 Republicans in the House or Senate will vote for it. All the focus now is whether or not Pelosi can get 216 out of 253 Democrats in the House to support it. Below are 3 things. The first is the 37 Democrats who voted “no” on the House version back in November. The second is 22 Democrats who voted “yes” last time, but have a reason to switch to “no” this time. This includes the “Stupak 12” (strongly pro-life Democrats) as well as others. The third list is comprised of several published reports today on Democrats wavering one way or the other.
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37 No Votes
Adler (NJ-03)
Altmire (PA-04) |
22 Yes Votes
Arcuri (NY-24) |
News Articles
Obama’s health care legacy hangs on 216 House votes | McClatchy
Five House Democrats to watch on health care – The Fix – Washington Post
To pass healthcare reform, Democrats look for House ‘swing votes’ – CS Monitor
Blue Dog Dems Under Pressure – Fox News
And finally, below is a video clip of my opening salvo in yesterday’s Budget Committee hearing. The “reconciliation bill” must start in the House in the Budget Committee on which I sit. And, during an 8 hour hearing last night, it started. The final vote found all Republicans and two Democrats voting “no”, but it passed 21-16.
The die is cast. The final battle is engaged. Will freedom, individual liberty and fiscal sanity prevail, or will America sink into socialism, stagnation, and eventual bankruptcy? The first chapter will likely be written in the next 2 weeks.