Eric Massa has taken to local mail and media to explain his vote against the healthcare bill. The online Corning Leader has a story about Massa's plan to send letters to 40,000 constituents in the 29th. The Messenger-Post has a summary of Massa's reasons for voting against the bill.
The motion of the ocean aside, here's a quick guide to some Democratic House members that Republicans believe are genuinely vulnerable in a year when President Obama isn't on the ballot. (Note: isn't it interesting how this formulation admits that, were Obama to be on the ballot, some of these folks wouldn't be as vulnerable?) Even though the NRCC hasn't recruited challengers in all of these districts,...
The votes had barely been cast when the fundraising letters started flying. I'm mostly on the lists of progressives so the e-mails I got were celebratory. Yesterday we looked at the e-mails explaining the only two "no" votes from progressives -- Dennis Kucinich and Eric Massa-- who felt the bill didn't go far enough towards their goals: single payer. This morning's CQPolitics tried to answer...
“I’ve always been focusing on making the right decisions for the people of my district, whether or not it will cost me my political future.” - Freshman Democratic Rep. John Adler (N.J.) — Freshman Democratic Rep. John Boccieri (Ohio) — Freshman Democratic Rep. Bobby Bright (Ala.) — Freshman Democratic Rep. Parker Griffith (Ala.) — Freshman Democratic Rep. Larry...
……….unlike the rest of the progressive caucus who voted in favor of this (piece of crap) bill. The progressives blinked. Only two, Reps. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) and Eric Massa (D-N.Y.), lived up to the July pledge signed by roughly 60 liberals in which they vowed to vote against the bill if it did not contain [...] Related posts: Kucinich wants his amendment back, Massa signs...
The Affordable Health Care for America Act was approved by the U.S. House with overwhelming support from progressive Democrats and of a president who was nominated and elected with progressive support. But that does not mean that informed and engaged progressives are enthusiastic about the measure. Key interest groups, such as the National Organization for Women, and key congressmen who have been...
Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine (Free subscription) | 11/09/2009
There would be no clapping from five New York congressmen. Over the weekend, while you were out enjoying the fall foliage, your representatives in Congress were working overtime to pass a historic health-care-reform bill. Well, a bare majority of them were, anyway. After some painful compromise (hope you're not planning on having any unplanned pregnancies ), peer pressure from one very persuasive...
Two different progressive approaches I got a lovely personalized e-mail from MoveOn.org yesterday thanking me for having a little something to do with the health care victory Saturday night. (My congressmember, Diane Watson-- who I love for her prefect voting record and wonderful leadership role among progressives, but who has never responded to a phone call from me-- voted for the bill. If not her,...
On Saturday morning, hours before the health care reform bill was to hit the House floor, there were five Democratic holdouts in the New York congressional delegation. By the time the roll call vote was over, only three remained. Two - Mike Arcuri and Dan Maffei - were among the 219 Democrats and one Republican to vote "yes" for the measure, helping provide its slim margin of victory after...
DownWithTyranny!: Senate Prepares To Back Another Obama War Supplemental For Afghanistan Escalation The context is that the Senate is about to sink another few BILLION dollars and thousands of American troops into the "graveyard of empires." A lot of experts think that Afghanistan is ungovernable and unwinnable. We need an exit plan to avoid being stuck there until we can no longer afford...
The Republican tally for House votes in favor of health care reform: one. That one affirmative voter is Representative Anh "Joseph" Cao (left) of Louisiana. Explaining his vote, Cao said : “I read the versions of the House bill. I listened to the countless stories of Orleans and Jefferson Parish citizens whose health care costs are exploding — if they are able to obtain health...
How they voted on health care bill? American people finding who voted for The Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962). There are 220 voted for Health Care Bill. Now, The bill passed the House of Representatives at 11.19 PM EST on November 7, 2009 by a vote of 220-215. The Health Care Bill passed with support of 219 Democrats and 1 Republican (Joseph Cao - LA). The most of Democratic Nay...
First, there was Anh "Joseph" Cao of Louisiana. A month ago, we thought he might be the most endangered member of the House. This might be a game changer for him: One unprincipled Republican, Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA), now know as Joseph "Mao," voted for the bill. For all the turncoat "Democrats" who voted against: think what it means if an endangered Republican is re-elected...