| Tanner aide clarifies ‘vote switch’ reports |
By: Sabrina Bates, Special to The Messenger
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Posted: Thursday, March 4, 2010 9:10 pm
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By SABRINA BATES
Special to The Messenger
Emotions are running high for the two stronghold political parties after an Associated Press story circulated Tuesday which indicated nine House Democrats have the potential to brighten the hopes of the Democratic party in the matter of healthcare legislation.
According to the AP story, nine of 39 House Democrats indicated in an Associated Press survey on Monday they have not ruled out switching their “no” votes to “yes” on the president’s healthcare overhaul.
The Senate approved a version of healthcare overhaul legislation on Christmas Eve 2009. That bill was to be “reconciled” with the previously passed House bill, which passed by a narrow margin of 220-215 late last year, and was sent to President Obama for his signature. An election to fill the seat vacated by the death of Massachusettes Sen. Ted Kennedy, a Democrat and strong supporter of the bill, however, resulted in a Republican victory and the loss of the magic number of votes needed in the Senate to override a promised Republican filibuster to the legislation.
President Obama has since stepped in and offered his own revamped health care bill, based on that original Senate bill, and is urging speedy action on it from both the Senate and the House.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had the 216 votes needed to pass the proposed healthcare legislation last fall and says she still has it. That is, if no one switches their votes to oppose the measure. However, the future of the bill is further complicated by the fact that Blue Dog Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak has announced he and 11 other Democrats in the House are unwilling to support the new bill, which does not include the language prohibiting the use of federal funds to pay for abortion that was in the original House bill.
That announcement has focused attention on the nine previous “no” votes that are now listed as “undecided” Democratic votes in the House.
Political pundits say Pelosi and the White House will now attempt to “woo” those Democrats into helping pass the healthcare bill.
Congressman John Tanner was listed as one of those nine Democrats targeted for persuasion because of his reported “indecision” on the healthcare legislation.
“It isn’t really a question of switching a vote, as the (AP) wire portrays it,” Randy Ford, Tanner’s chief of staff and communications director, commented Wednesday. “We expect a new bill of some sort to come before the House. Until we know what that bill will include, how it will be brought to the floor and what the Congressional Budget Office says regarding its cost, there is no way for Congressman Tanner to declare his support or opposition.”
Tanner’s chief of staff did confirm the congressman has heard the message from his constituents regarding reading legislation before making a decision. That was a message resonating across the country regarding the previously proposed 2,000-page healthcare reform legislation last year.
“One of the things we constantly hear from West and Middle Tennesseans, and rightly so, is that it’s important to read legislation before voting. That is a general rule the congressman tries to follow, that’s how he approaches an issue as large as this one,” Ford said.
Tanner recently announced that he does not plan to seek re-election in November to the seat he has held for 20 years.
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Editor’s note: Sabrina Bates is the news editor for The Weakley County Press.
Messenger Special Features Editor Glenda Caudle contributed to this article.
Published in The Messenger 3.4.10
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