memeorandum: Rep. Engel: Pelosi has abandoned ‘deem and pass’ (Rox/The Hill)

4:55 PM ET, March 20, 2010

Top Items:

Dems ditch ‘deem and pass’ — Top Democrats confirmed Saturday that the House would hold separate votes on the Senate healthcare bill and the reconciliation bill, making fixes to it. — Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), one of the chief deputy whips, Rep. Melvin Watt (D-N.C.), and Rep. Eliot Engel …

Discussion: CNN, MyDD, Pajamas Media, The Reaction, Wake up America and Mad Kane's Political Madness

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Rules Committee meeting descends into chaos — At the House Rules Committee meeting, Democrats desperate to pass their national health care plan are running into the barrier of basic civics. Here is the problem: The Senate has passed its HCR bill. If the House passes the same bill …

Discussion: Townhall.com, Hot Air, Power Line, Althouse, Michelle Malkin and Wake up America

Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:

House leaders plan separate health vote, rejecting ‘deem and pass’ — House leaders have decided to take a separate vote on the Senate health-care bill, rejecting an earlier, much-criticized strategy that would have permitted them to “deem” the unpopular measure passed without an explicit vote.

Discussion: Power Line, Crooks and Liars, The Confluence, Daily Kos, The Plum Line, Wonkette, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Liberal Values

Michelle Malkin:

Reports: Deem and Pass is dead; keep the no-mentum going — Well, well, well. Breaking news all over that the Dems have now abandoned Demon Pass. — WaPo alert: … The Hill tweets: “Our Roxana Tiron reports Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) told her Pelosi now WILL NOT use ‘deem and pass.’”

Discussion: Gateway Pundit and Doug Ross

Rox / The Hill:

Rep. Engel: Pelosi has abandoned ‘deem and pass’ — Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) said that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) won't use the tactic of deem and pass for healthcare reform. — Instead there will be two separate votes, one on the Senate bill and one on the reconciliation bill.

Discussion: The Corner on National …, NewsReal Blog and The New Republic

Michelle Malkin:

Reports: An executive order to pay off pro-life Democrats? — Both Left and Right are hearing rumors that the Dems are drafting an executive order to quell pro-life Democrat opposition to the government health care takeover plan. — Daniel Foster reports the buzz at NRO.

Discussion: LifeNews.com Pro-Life …, Townhall.com, The Other McCain and The Corner on National …

The Hill:

Pelosi: No votes on any side issues, including abortion — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Saturday there wouldn't be any votes on side issues on healthcare legislation, including abortion. — Speaking to reporters just off the House floor, Pelosi made clear she wouldn't allow votes on …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Roll Call, Power Line, The Daily Caller, The Corner on National …, Daily Kos and Hit & Run

Jonathan Allen / The Politico:

Pelosi shoots down abortion vote — Anti-abortion Democrats renewed their threat to sink an overhaul of the nation's health care system Saturday, after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decided not to give them a separate vote that would have implemented a strict ban on federal funds subsidizing abortion.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Caucus, CNN, AmSpecBlog and New York Times

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Reid says ‘significant majority’ of Senate committed to health bill fixes

Discussion: Washington Monthly and The New Republic

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:
House Will Take Separate Vote on Senate Bill

Discussion: Wonk Room, Open Left and The Mahablog

Michael W. McConnell / Wall Street Journal:
The Health Vote and the Constitution—II

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

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, Mudville Gazette, The Plum Line, Weekly Standard and The DC Trawler

The Hill:

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: The Note, CNN, Ben Smith's Blog, The Daily Caller, Gretawire, Newsweek Blogs, Washington Monthly, American Power, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, DownWithTyranny!, Firedoglake, Bleeding Heartland, Weekly Standard, Taylor Marsh, Hullabaloo, Washington Times and ama-assn.org

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:

Pelosi: ‘No Separate Vote’ For Stupak...Or Anybody Else — House Democratic leadership has apparently told Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) to go take a hike—and they'll move forward without him, or any other anti-abortion Dems threatening to switch their votes from ‘yes’ to ‘no.’

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Crooks and Liars, Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo and TalkLeft

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Stupak Postpones Key Press Conference—But Why?

Discussion: Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo and The Corner on National …

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Dingell says he'll work to defeat Stupak's abortion efforts

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

Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Stupak Abortion Language to Be Substituted for Senate Language …

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

Lynn Sweet / Chicago Sun Times:
Lipinski, Quigley: 2 Dems hold out over abortion issues

Discussion: The Hill and Hot Air

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

Discussion: The Plum Line, New Mexico Independent, TPMDC and The Moderate Voice

David Dayen / Firedoglake:
Stupak is Back: What's an Enrollment Corrections Bill?

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

Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit:

PROTESTING OBAMACARE IN WASHINGTON: Reader Barrett Cunningham sends this photo and reports: “It's an incredible turnout Glenn, and people just keep coming.” — And reader Alan Poston sends this pic and reports a crowd estimate of 30,000 was given at the scene. Not sure of the source.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, HazZzMat and RedState

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Menacing — Things are getting pretty heated in the Capitol with crowds of anti-Reform/Tea Party activists going through the halls shouting slogans and epithets at Democratic members of Congress. — As our Brian Beutler reports, a few moments ago in the Longworth office building …

Discussion: Joe. My. God.

Roxana Tiron / The Hill:

CBC member: Health bill protesters called Rep. Lewis the N-word — Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) claimed Saturday that healthcare protesters at the Capitol directed racial epithets at Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) as he walked outside. — Carson, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus along with Lewis …

Discussion: AMERICAblog Gay

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.