Leaked Internal House Leadership Whip Count Shows 47 Dems at No, 8 Leaning No and 12 Undecided


Plumline’s Greg Sargent has posted the results of a highly confidential House Democratic Party Whip Count which shows 47 Democrats at No on a public option, with another 8 leaning No for a total of 56. A dozen Democratic House members are still undecided. The hard No votes, alone, are enough to kill the bill. The leaked document was produced by the U.S. House Majority Whip’s office.

In a major violation of whipping protocol, the document was shared with Progressive House members who refuse to vote for health reform unless it contains a robust public option. Plumline reports that the Progressive Members of Congress (hard core left-wingers) blamed everyone: the White House and the Democratic leadership for not putting enough pressure on members to vote for the public option, from Plumline:

“House progressives argue that the document should light a fire under Dem leaders. One House progressive tells me he’s convinced that most of the undecideds, and a number of the No votes, can be won over with the right mix of pressure and incentives — which only the House leadership and the White House can provide.”

“Only leadership and the White House can get this done,” this progressive says.

Plumline quotes the spokesperson for James Clyburn, the House Majority Whip: “Kristie Greco would only say: ‘We currently do not have the votes for a robust public option.’”

For a look at how the Dems do not have enough votes in the Senate, click here.

Plumline begins the start of the first push back from Progressives since Senator Durbin (D-IL) blamed liberals for forcing their hand and including the public option — and likely is the start of the new inside the beltway drama headlined by Democrats and now in its second day: Who-gets-blamed-for-the-failure-of-the-public-option?

H/T Joe Guarino


Gawker Media: Only terrorist furriners have rights


You may recall that during the Bush administration and the Presidential campaign, Gizmodo was constantly harping on wiretaps of terrorists. Specifically, Gizmodo claimed that the Bush-era program constituted “domestic spying,” that telecommunications firms spied as well, and that they ‘won’ out over the American people on the matter.

They were practically in hysterics, hiding under sheets and crying into a camera “Leave the phones alone, Bushitler” over the matter.

So imagine my surprise when I find out today that when Nokia is being protested for taking part in a genuine domestic spying program of the Iranian Islamofascist regime, they don’t care. It’s not even worth a post. It’s so unimportant they go out of their way to say they didn’t post on it.

So, to recap: American firms aiding the US government in spying on calls between foreign-based terrorists and their US-based cells: a crime for which they must not get immunity. Foreign firm aiding the Iranian government in oppressing the opposition: “Nokia’s role here seems to be the same as a car company’s role in a drunk-driving incident.”

Clearly the signal here is that the Iranians just don’t really need rights, unless they’re terrorists plotting attacks against Americans. After all, they’re only foreign Muslims. They don’t even have a European complexion. Gawker must think they’re barely even people, which is why they opposed liberating brown-skinned Muslims from Saddam Hussein, and they oppose brown-skinned Muslims from liberating themselves from the Islamic Revolution.


Liberals Cheer As Congress Pulls Obama Left


It's Like Deja Vu All Over Again

Oh yeah. This will work out well:

In the last few weeks, we’ve seen:

- Senate Democrats publicly press Obama to make the economic recovery package far more robust.

- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi publicly challenge Obama to be bolder on taxes.

- Congressional progressives challenge the Obama administration - against its wishes - to include bankruptcy reforms in the economic stimulus package.

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