The Thursday edition of the Morning Jolt looks at the Panda Pander, Steve Cohen’s words that heal, and the repeal vote:
Oh, sure, it’s only step one. But it’s a step that Obama and his allies did everything possible to prevent in 2010, and they fell short. The Hill reports, “The House voted on Wednesday to repeal the sweeping healthcare law enacted last year, as Republicans made good on a central campaign pledge and laid down the first major policy marker of their new majority. The party-line vote was 245-189, as three Democrats joined all 242 Republicans in supporting repeal.” Hey, Hill, if three Democrats joined the Republicans, it’s not really a party-line vote, is it?
B. Daniel Blatt is mildly disappointed that only a trio of Democrats backed repeal: “Well, fewer Democrats voted for repeal than I had anticipated. Gotta give theunpopular Minority Leader credit for holding her caucus together. Still, the Republican leadership did a lot better holding their caucus together for the repeal vote than their Democratic counterparts did with their caucus in the previous Congress: all 242 Republicans backed repeal.”
At the American Spectator, Phil Klein observes, “The House of Representatives voted 245 to 189 to repeal the national health care law. The legislation attracted more votes in the House than the initial passage of the law itself, which received 219. Just three Democrats, however, joined Republicans in voting for repeal — Dan Boren, Mike Ross and Mike McIntyre.”
Robert Stacy McCain looks closer at the final vote: “We’re waiting for Steve Cohen to denounce these Democrats as Nazi stooges. Maybe DailyKos can target them in next year’s primaries. Strangely enough, 10 Democrats who voted “no” on passage in 2009 also voted against repeal, which gives the GOP ammunition against them in the next election cycle: If you wouldn’t vote to pass it, why won’t you vote to repeal it?”
The dare tactic mentioned in yesterday’s Jolt is repeated: “’The American people deserve to see a vote in the Senate, and it ought not to be a place where legislation goes into a dead end,’ House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said. Cantor noted that Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) had said the debate over repeal of healthcare would be a ‘political win’ for Democrats. ‘If so, let’s see the votes,’ Cantor said.” It will be amusing to see Senate Democrats insisting that public opinion is overwhelmingly on their side and insist that the legislation must not ever come to the Senate floor.
NRO’s Andrew Stiles offers late word of a pledge from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell: “I hope the Senate will soon follow suit with a vote of its own. The Democratic leadership in the Senate doesn’t want to vote on this bill. But I assure you, we will. We should repeal this law and focus on common sense steps that actually lower costs and encourage private sector job creation. That’s what Americans want. It’s the right thing to do.”