memeorandum: Michael McConnell and the metaphysics of bills (Balkinization)

1:00 PM ET, March 20, 2010

Top Items:

Pro-Choice Caucus livid at talk of deal with Stupak on abortion — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday evening met with a visibly angry Pro-Choice Caucus amid rumors from Democratic aides that the Speaker was working on a last-minute deal with Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) to give his abortion language a separate vote.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Gretawire, Newsweek Blogs, The Daily Caller, American Power, Firedoglake, DownWithTyranny!, Weekly Standard, Taegan Goddard's …, Taylor Marsh, Hullabaloo and The Note

Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:

Stupak Abortion Language to Be Substituted for Senate Language in Deal to Secure Health Care Votes — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made a deal with Rep. Bart Stupak in order to secure his vote and that of other anti-choice Democrats for the health care bill, which is scheduled to be voted on this Sunday.

Discussion: The Politico, TPMDC, Wake up America, Left Coast Rebel, Emptywheel, Prescriptions, The Corner on National …, culturekitchen, Gateway Pundit, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Another Black Conservative, Hot Air, Townhall.com, Riehl World View, Michelle Malkin and The Hill

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Dingell says he'll work to defeat Stupak's abortion efforts — Veteran Democratic Rep. John Dingell vowed Saturday to work to defeat fellow Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak (D) on abortion in the healthcare bill. — Dingell, the longest-serving member of the House whose career …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Taylor Marsh, The Huffington Post and Hullabaloo

Robert Costa / The Corner on National Review Online:

Stupak is ‘Finished with Pelosi’ — By: Robert Costa — Two pro-life GOP members close to Stupak tell NRO that any Stupak deals are off. They just spoke with him and they said he's finished with Pelosi. They rejected his enrollment corrections proposal.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Weekly Standard, The Plum Line and The DC Trawler

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:

Stupak Postpones Key Press Conference—But Why? — In somewhat dramatic fashion, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI)—a leader of pro-life House Democrat—has indefinitely postponed a press conference that had been scheduled for 11 this morning, as House leadership seeks a solution to a dilemma …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Daily Kos

David Dayen / Firedoglake:

Stupak is Back: What's an Enrollment Corrections Bill? — Jane has gone over this, but what Bart Stupak hinted at today has apparently come true. Stupak's four-page “enrollment corrections” bill will get some sort of vote in the House as part of the overall health care bill.

Discussion: The Confluence, The Politico, The New Republic, Mother Jones, The Hill, MyDD, Congress Matters, Open Left and Winds of Change.NET

Lynn Sweet / Chicago Sun Times:

2 Dems hold out over abortion issues — WASHINGTON — As of late Friday night, President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were still scrambling to lock in 216 votes for their health-care bill, with a small group of Democrats — whose support could be crucial — holding out for stronger anti-abortion provisions.

Discussion: The Hill and Hot Air

Jonathan Allen / The Politico:

Abortion talks break down — House leaders have decided not to give Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) a vote on a strict ban on federal funding for abortion and will instead try to muster the 216 votes needed to send a health care overhaul to the president without his help, a Democratic aide confirmed.

Discussion: CNN, New York Times and Riehl World View

Byron York / Washington Examiner:
GOP: Dems are bluffing, don't have the votes

Discussion: Left Coast Rebel, Gateway Pundit and Hot Air

David Dayen / Firedoglake:
Teague a “No,” Pelosi Would Have to Run the Table Without Stupak Bloc

Discussion: New Mexico Independent and The Moderate Voice

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Déjà Vu? Abortion Contretempts Still Threaten Health Bill

Discussion: The Mahablog, GRITtv, The Corner on National …, New Mexico Independent and Wonk Room

Jeffrey T. Kuhner / Washington Times:
Impeach the president? — The ‘Slaughter Solution’ would violate the Constitution

Discussion: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sadly, No!, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Other McCain

CNN:
Abortion standoff as health care vote nears

Discussion: Hot Air and Firedoglake

Mark Silva / The Swamp:

Healthcare vote (maneuver?) nears — President Barack Obama, summoning the House's Democrats to the White House midday for one more push before expected action on the healthcare legislation Sunday, is turning the focus of his weekly address to next week's start of action on financial regulatory reform in the Senate.

Discussion: CNN and The Politico

Jesse Lee / White House.gov Blog Feed:
Weekly Address: Time for Action on Financial Reform for the Economy

Discussion: Politics Daily

Roxana Tiron / The Hill:
Obama turns eye to financial reform in weekly address

Discussion: CNN and The Politico

Michael W. McConnell / Wall Street Journal:

The Health Vote and the Constitution—II — The House can't approve the Senate bill in the same legislation by which it approves changes to the Senate bill. — In just a few days the House of Representatives is expected to act on two different pieces of legislation: the Senate version …

Discussion: PoliBlog, Althouse, The Strata-Sphere, Hot Air, Riehl World View and The New Republic

Balkinization: Michael McConnell and the metaphysics of bills

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:

Reid to release letter — without signatories — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will release the contents - but not the signatories - of a letter Saturday aimed at reassuring House members that the Senate will act on the reconciliation bill. — The letter has caused …

Discussion: Wake up America, The Page and Hot Air

Emily Pierce / Roll Call:
Senate Won't Release Letter to Calm Nervous House Members on Reconciliation

Discussion: Riehl World View

The Huffington Post:
Reid Promises Separate Public Option Vote In Next Few Months

Discussion: The Caucus, The Reaction, National Review Online, Questions and Observations, Hot Air, The Corner on National …, The Hill, The Washington Independent, TPMDC and Riehl World View

Charles M. Blow / New York Times:

Could Obama Be Invincible? — As we stand at the verge of the historic vote on the health care bill — a signature piece of President Obama's agenda — it feels appropriate to take a look at how he has fared during the long slog that got us here. My quick assessment: remarkably well.

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Labor groups join to urge Lynch to reconsider ‘no’ vote on healthcare — Top labor groups joined forces Saturday to urge Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) to support health reform legislation. — The AFL-CIO and members of the Change to Win coalition, which is associated with the SEIU …

Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Online:

Here I Will Discuss The Memo I Posted — Early this afternoon, House Republican communications guru Michael Steel e-mailed numerous reporters with a copy of a memorandum purporting to be from Democrats about what points Democratic members ought to avoid when discussing health care reform with reporters.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Politico, TPMDC, Ben Smith's Blog, The Reality-Based Community, The Plum Line, Daily Kos and Newsweek Blogs

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Dems waste time in House as vote search goes on — House Democrats say they will hold a vote on their national health care plan Sunday afternoon. But what are they actually doing between now and then? Behind the scenes, they're begging, offering bribes, threatening punishments, etc.

Mark Matthews / Orlando Sentinel:

Kosmas to back healthcare reform — WASHINGTON — After days of fence-sitting, U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas of New Smyrna Beach said Friday that she would support a sweeping Democratic plan for healthcare reform that has divided the country even as it aims to bring health insurance to 95 percent of Americans.