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

4:15 PM ET, March 20, 2010

Top Items:

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, Power Line, Hot Air, 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, Daily Kos, The Confluence, The Plum Line and Liberal Values

The Hill:

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, Pajamas Media and Mad Kane's Political Madness

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 … 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 …, The Other McCain, Townhall.com and The Corner on National …

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

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

Discussion: Wonk Room and Open Left

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

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

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

Balkinization: Michael McConnell and the metaphysics of bills

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, DownWithTyranny!, Firedoglake, Bleeding Heartland, Weekly Standard, Taylor Marsh, Hullabaloo, Congress Matters, New York Times and ama-assn.org

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: 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 — 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, The Huffington Post, Taylor Marsh and Hullabaloo

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

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, 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, Riehl World View, Townhall.com, Hot Air and TPMDC

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Pelosi: ‘No Separate Vote’ For Stupak...Or Anybody Else

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

Jonathan Allen / The Politico:
Pelosi shoots down abortion vote

Discussion: The Daily Caller, CNN, The Caucus and AmSpecBlog

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

Discussion: The Hill and Hot Air

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

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

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

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

Discussion: Left Coast Rebel, Gateway Pundit and Hot Air

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

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.

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

Discussion: The Politico

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Menacing — Things seem to be 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 Longworth office building …

Discussion: AMERICAblog Gay