From the Hotline:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s task of securing 216 votes for passage is only getting more difficult. Several members who voted against the legislation when it was first before the House in Nov. told Hotline OnCall yesterday they would vote against the measure again, trimming the number of Dems who might be persuaded to make up the difference.
What’s more troubling for the majority, 2 other members who once voted for the bill have said they’re not interested in repeating their actions. Reps. Mike Arcuri (D-NY) and Jerry McNerney (D-CA) have both said they will vote against the bill, though McNerney left some wiggle room. The momentum, in other words, is on the GOP’s side, as not a single member who once voted no has said he or she will vote for the Senate bill.
The biggest challenge Dem leadership faces is the same thing that got them in trouble before Aug. recess: They have no legislative language to defend, only a nebulous concept of “fixes” and reconciliation. Until they roll out the companion bill that the Senate will pass, Dems are unlikely to win over any new votes, and they risk popular sentiment solidifying against them in the meantime.

NRO spoke with numerous Democratic House staffers yesterday and the takeaway is this: everyone is waiting. Nudges, winks, and concerns are floated, but most of those on the fence are staying mum. Hotline makes a good point — whip counts this week are for what people think is in the bill. We still don’t know what a reconciliation package will look like.

Time is of the essence, but there is not, of course, any real must-pass-by date. Obama wants March 18. Steny Hoyer is saying March 26 is more likely. The thing to remember, staffers say, is that this is not about a date, but about when Democrats have the votes, if ever. While Obama’s campaign-like health-care rallies cheer on the fierce urgency of now, Democratic leaders on the Hill would rather see this process stretched out. Scurrying to rush a final vote to the floor, only to watch it fail, would be a disaster for Pelosi & Co.

Rep. Bart Stupak (D., Mich.) continues to be a thorn in Pelosi’s side. He’s still negotiating with House leadership about the bill’s abortion language. A deal doesn’t seem to be anywhere close. Uncertainty, at least publicly, is the story of the day:

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said on MSNBC on Tuesday he was confident that Stupak and other Democrats would ultimately vote for the health care bill, but he didn’t offer a particular path for success.
And Hoyer on Tuesday morning said he has talked to Stupak about sitting down to discuss the issue. But the House Democratic No. 2 said they have not yet begun discussing substance.

The whispering, and waiting, in Washington continues.