Thirteen members of the current Democratic conference voted against the Affordable Care Act. Today, four Democrats voted to proceed to debate on the repeal bill. They were: Dan Boren (Okla.), Larry Kissell and Mike McIntyre (both N.C.), and Mike Ross (Ark.).
The Democrats who voted against the health care bill AND against starting a repeal debate: Jason Altmire (Pa.), John Barrow (Ga.), Ben Chandler (Ky.), Tim Holden (Pa.), Rep. Dan Lipinski (Ill.), Stephen Lynch (Mass.), Jim Matheson (Utah), Collin Peterson (Minn.) , and the man who ran against Pelosi, Rep. Heath Shuler (N.C.).
Remember what Fred Upton said over the weekend to Chris Wallace.
UPTON: We have 242 Republicans. There will be a significant number of Democrats, I think, that will join us. You will remember when that vote passed in the House last March, it only passed by seven votes.
WALLACE: But you’re not going to repeal it? The vote in the House – it’s not going to happen in the Senate.
UPTON: Just wait. If you switched four votes from last March, that bill would have gone down. So we’ll take the Democrats that voted no. We’ll take other Democrats who probably agree with Speaker Pelosi’s statement.
So far they’ve won over four of the thirteen Democrats who voted against “ObamaCare,” which means a veto-proof majority isn’t anywhere close to possible. The kabuki continues into next week; the real fight over health care will be over funding. In the meantime, some endangered Democrats are taking free votes they can run on in 2012.
