Time's Newton-Small Focuses On Cao Vote, Glosses Over 15.1% of Dems Defecting On PelosiCare

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By Ken Shepherd (Bio | Archive)
November 9, 2009 - 12:06 ET
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Saturday's vote to pass ObamaCare out of the House of Representatives was a nail-biter, passing with two votes to spare over the bare-minimum majority of 218. The final vote, 220-215, had 39 Democrats join all but one Republican in voting no.

Yet while a solid 15 percent of the Democratic caucus bucked the party leadership with their no votes, the media have latched on to the sole Republican defector: pro-life, social conservative Catholic Rep. Joseph Cao (R-La.), who has a tenuous hold in a solidly liberal Democratic district once held by the corrupt William Jefferson.

Time's Jay Newton-Small made much of the solitary Republican defection in Swampland blog post on Saturday, painting it as an abject failure of House GOP Whip Eric Cantor's "promise" to keep the opposition unified. Newton-Small had to add an update later clarifying Cantor made no such explicit promise:

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After House GOP Whip Eric Cantor promised the Tea Partiers unified Republican opposition on Thursday, I assumed there wouldn't be any defections. After all, he succeeded in whipping total opposition to the stimulus and the budget. Word has it, though, that Republicans are worried about Rep. Joe Cao, a Louisiana Republican who took William "$90,000 in the freezer" Jeffferson's seat. Cao is a former Jesuit priest who votes in line with the Catholic Bishops. He won his seat in 2008, barely edging out Jefferson 50% to 47% despite the fact that Jefferson was under indictment at the time. President Obama won the district last year with 75% of the vote. Rumor has it that Rahm Emanuel and Nancy Ann DeParle have been leaning on Cao to follow the bishops and vote for the bill if the Stupak amendment passes.

Update:
Eric Cantor's office quibbles with the idea that he "promised the Tea Partiers unified Republican opposition." The actual quote: "Your efforts to stop this bill are being heard loud and clear and I will guarantee you that we are committed to making sure that not one Republican will vote for this bill."

So one Republican in an overwhelmingly Democratic district votes for the health care bill AFTER a key amendment assauging his concerns about subsidizing abortion with tax dollars is passed. The House Speaker and the White House chief of staff expended energy to get this token "bipartisan" support and only after the Democrats peeved the pro-abortion lobby, a key player in Democratic primary politics, by passing the Stupak amendment.

Yet somehow the real story is that the GOP's party whip was weak and unable to deliver a unified opposition?

—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters


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BIPARTISAN!!!!!

November 9, 2009 - 12:31 ET by Blonde

As we were watching the vote count live the other night (while on the NB chat)....we heard the shout of "Bipartisan" from the House floor....so one vote from New Orleans tips the scales.  Sheesh.

Now, here is some icing for on the cake, recently linked on Drudge:

Mr. Obama, during his private pep talk to Democrats, recognized Mr. Owens election and then posed a question to the other lawmakers. According to Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, who supports the health care bill, the president asked, “Does anybody think that the teabag, anti-government people are going to support them if they bring down health care? All it will do is confuse and dispirit” Democratic voters “and it will encourage the extremists.”

[Emphasis mine].  Nice, huh?  He's laying the foundation for openly calling us terrorists, because the next round of elections, when we bring down a bunch of these democrats, is truly going to be a MAN MADE DISASTER.

Oh how I hate politic-speak. 

Hey Obama, I want an APOLOGY!

 

I hope he fails, too.

 

 

I saw that. Despicable.

November 9, 2009 - 12:50 ET by ThisnThat

I saw that. Despicable. Appalling. But altogether expected. This is a vain, foolish, vindictive man who loves setting the shrill political tone.

BTW -- he's not visiting the Berlin Wall ceremony today. I heard this is in deference to Russia. I wonder when he's going, for the first time, to do something in deference to the U.S.

P.S. -- George Bush visited Ft Hood, TX on Friday. Obama still refuses to go. I wonder if obama even knows there's a military base there?

__________
"mmm, mmm, mm. Barrack-Hussain-Øbama↓." - The liberals coolaid drinking song

I hadn't heard that about

November 9, 2009 - 12:59 ET by Seashell

I hadn't heard that about Bush, but I'm not surprised at all.  

Obama is disgraceful for not taking the time to go.  Wonder if Obama will get "Katrinaed" for not going?  Doubt it.

Of course you didn't Seashell

November 9, 2009 - 13:04 ET by Blonde

The media didn't want you to hear about it.

And besides, George and Laura forgot the cameras.  And the publicists. /sarc off

I hope he fails, too.

 

 

ABC reports

November 9, 2009 - 13:11 ET by ThisnThat

Here's the link to the ABC report. The shooting was Thursday. Bush dropped what he was doing so he and Laura could visit Friday evening. Classy guy.

__________
"mmm, mmm, mm. Barrack-Hussain-Øbama↓." - The liberals coolaid drinking song

Unlike LOTUS, President

November 9, 2009 - 13:11 ET by Scuba Dude

Unlike LOTUS, President Bush does not go out of his way to get attention. He and Laura asked that the visit not be covered by the press.

President Bush is all Class, Obama just an ......................

The Obama Administration: THE most fiscally irresponsible Administration EVER

President Bush is all Class,

November 9, 2009 - 13:22 ET by jkwtrading

President Bush is all Class, Obama just an ......................ASS

True, jkw

November 9, 2009 - 13:26 ET by Blonde

IOW, Obama is all ass and no forehead.

I hope he fails, too.

 

 

Yes I know...the Obama Dis List

November 9, 2009 - 13:02 ET by Blonde

Just grows and grows.

He's not going to Berlin, because it's not about him.  Heaven forbid he have to pay RESPECT to the great Ronald Maximus.  Just like the big DIS of the Queen of England at the Normandy commemoration earlier this year...I mean, it's not like she actually served in WWII or anything.  Just send the woman an iPod and be done with it.

We're going to be able to wallpaper the Washington Monument with the list of Obama outrages within the next 365 days....never mind his entire term.

Disgusting, disgusting creature.

I hope he fails, too.

 

 

B, I think you are dead on target

November 9, 2009 - 13:38 ET by motherbelt

B, I think you are dead on target about his not wanting to call any attention to this amazing accomplishment by Ronald Reagan. 

Don't forget that he claimed the wall fell because the whole world stood as one. (paraphrasing)

 

Maddening, isn't it mb?

November 9, 2009 - 13:44 ET by Blonde

Obama thinks he's John Freakin' Lennon, or maybe JoZeF Stalin.  I don't think he knows the difference.

I hope he fails, too.

 

 

 Obama still refuses to

November 9, 2009 - 13:30 ET by motherbelt

 Obama still refuses to go. I wonder if obama even knows there's a military base there?

Oh, he knows.  Even now his staff is running polls to find out which approach by him will play the best.

Could the MSM media be

November 9, 2009 - 12:44 ET by guein

Could the MSM media be anymore naked in their bias in reporting on the 1 Repub, while the 39 Dems are ignored. They are praticing a bit of transparency here that the Obama administration would do well to emulate.

Two of the dims votes came

November 9, 2009 - 12:48 ET by ThisnThat

Two of the dims votes came from our stupid-is as stupid-does non-reps in New Hampshire: Paul Rhodes and Carol Shea Porter. They mistakenly believe their districts are safe democrat areas. I have news for them -- your ability to continue to damage the United States of America are numbered. Proceed at your own political risk. Nancy Pelosi isn't going to save you from the fate you deserve. Boiling mad, here.

__________
"mmm, mmm, mm. Barrack-Hussain-Øbama↓." - The liberals coolaid drinking song

You think 2010 will change

November 9, 2009 - 13:01 ET by mattm

You think 2010 will change anything?

ACORN and Obama are already rigging the election.  Hoffman lost because an ACORN-supporting fake Republican infiltrated the GOP and split the Republican vote and damaged the campaign Hoffman could have had.

If the GOP wants to save this country, it is going to have to get down in the mud with the swine-o-crats and duke it out.  This means rooting out RINOs, hiring pollwatchers, challenging registrations.  Manning polling places with obvious fraud-watchers.  etc.

We've been playing nice for far too long and look where it has gotten us.