Career decisions for Democrats on health care vote
Chet Edwards did his dance with the vote and ultimately voted against it in hopes of saving his seat in the Bryan-College Station area. Of course that does not negate his vote for Pelosi who putht his monstrosity together and gave him a pass when she had other votes to replace his. Those vulnerable Democrats who put their career on the line did so for Edwards too.Within minutes of Saturday’s historic House vote on health care reform, Republicans pronounced the political death of Rep. Thomas Perriello (D-Va.), pointing to the vulnerable freshman congressman’s vote in favor of the bill.
And in the aftermath of the politically charged vote, Perriello wasn’t the only Democratic congressman whose fortunes were being reassessed. The GOP, which voted nearly in lock step against the measure, began crowing about the demise of various other vulnerable members and seized on the moment as a milestone in the path back to a House majority.
Other than Perriello — who was the target of 12 consecutive postvote GOP e-mails accusing him of breaking his promises — a handful of members immediately stood out for casting especially tough votes.
Three of them are junior legislators from highly competitive Ohio districts: first-term Reps. Mary Jo Kilroy and Steve Driehaus, and Rep. Zack Space, a second-term Democrat from a district that backed GOP presidential candidate John McCain in 2008.
Kilroy, who is facing a 2010 rematch against the Republican she narrowly defeated by 2,300 votes last year, took to the House floor Saturday morning to declare her support for the bill.
“This is a moral issue,” Kilroy said, in a speech that noted her own trials with multiple sclerosis.
Driehaus, like Kilroy a freshman Democrat who is facing a rematch with his 2008 opponent, former GOP Rep. Steve Chabot, voted for the health care bill only after it was stripped of funding for abortion.
“This isn’t about politics,” Driehaus told POLITICO before stepping into the chamber to cast his vote. “It’s about doing what’s right for the American people. I haven’t thought a minute politically what this might mean. This is about doing the right thing.”
For Perriello, Kilroy, Driehaus and Space, the health care bill represented their second exceptionally tough vote this year — the other was on the cap-and-trade bill — meaning they’ve essentially doubled down on the ambitious national Democratic agenda.
New York Democratic Rep. Bill Owens, who was sworn into office earlier this week after winning a closely watched special election, may also find that he sinks or swims with the national party next year.
Winning narrowly in what was originally a three-way contest, Owens voted for Saturday’s bill after holding an ambiguous position regarding a public option. It didn’t take the National Republican Congressional Committee long to pounce, saying his vote “could be the quickest broken promise in the history of Congress.”
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Edwards has always been a wily politician and he proved that again this time. This is the same guy who was ducking a confrontation with opponents of the health care bill during August. If he really opposed it, why was he afraid to hold a Town Hall meeting and meet witht he opponents until he was pushed on the issue?
My biases up front: I loathe Periello. I really liked Virgil Goode, his predecessor. Virgil went from being a Democrat -> Independent -> Republican. He was always a conservative.
ReplyDeleteThe very blue town of Charlottesville and environs loathed Goode. In 2008, they finally got rid of him by using student enthusiasm for Obama to get out the vote. Some students voted twice: in their home district and at school.
Periello only won by 700+ votes. After he suppported Cap'n Tax I told him that though I'd never actively campaigned before when 2010 came around, I be out supporting whomever was running against him, even if it was Daffy Duck.
For the next Congressional election, Obama won't be around to gin up feckless student enthusiasm. Urban blacks won't bother, either. Periello's just one more white dude.
There are campaign signs already with messages like "Tom is Toast"...
Thing is, this guy cannot get it thru his head thatthe word "conservative" is not a synonym for Republican, no matter how often it is explained to him.
I'm disabled and not often able to get out. But I'm going to campain against Periello and so are a great many other people in the 5th District of VA. We can't afford him.
Unfortunately, Virgil Goode retired permanently. He doesn't like what politics has become. However, there are some young eager beaver conservative types who are willing to bring Periello down. I look forward to campaigning for them.
The Republicans recently won all the major state-wide offices, but it was the conservatives who voted them in and the pols know that.
My favorite campaign promise? Our new governor is going to sell the state-owned liquor stores. I don't know the details but it's a good move. Not only will it provide needed money but having booze in the private sector will also increase the tax revenue...or, as my son said, "if we're going to have private liquor sales in the Old Dominion, who needs Maryland?"