Research Briefing

Love For Sale

Buying Votes Worked For Pelosi To Pass Her National Energy Tax. Which Dems Will Pelosi Buy To Pass Her Health Care Experiment?

AFTER SEEING DEMS ABANDON HER HEALTH CARE EXPERIMENT TODAY …

Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-MD) Says He’ll Vote ‘No’ On Pelosi’s Government-Run Health Care Bill. “[F]reshman Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil of Maryland is a no vote on the bill.” (Chris Frates, “Another Moderate Dem No Vote,” Politico, 11/6/09)

Reps. Walt Minnick (D-ID) And Jon Adler (D-NJ) Say They’ll Vote ‘No.’ “Walt Minnick (D-Idaho) … just announced he would vote against health reform joining New Jersey's Jon Adler.” (Glenn Thrush, “Minnick A ‘No,’” Politico, 11/6/09)

Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) Says She’ll Vote ‘No.’ “Sandlin says she will oppose the health care reform bill expected to be considered this weekend ....” (“Herseth Sandlin To Oppose House Health Care Bill,” The Associated Press, 11/6/09)

Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL) Says She’ll Vote ‘No.’ “Congressional Democrats lost a key vote in the health-care debate Thursday, when U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas … said she would go against her party and oppose its $1 trillion-or-more plan ...” (Mark K. Matthews, “Orlando-Area House Democrat Kosmas Opposes Health Bill,” The Orlando Sentinel, 11/6/09)

PELOSI TRYING TO BUY THEIR LOVE BACK WITH LAST MINUTE DEALS …

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Making Last Minute Deals With Fence-Sitting Dems, Attempting To Round Up More Votes For Her Health Care Experiment. “Indiana Rep. Baron Hill, one of the many Democrats still on the fence, said Friday that leadership has assured him they will reduce the 2.5 percent tax on medical device manufacturers. The House raised $20 billion through a tax on the manufacturers of medical devices, from pacemakers to X-ray machines. Hill remains on the fence until leaders add language being crafted by fellow Indiana Rep. Brad Ellsworth to clarify a restriction on federal funding for abortion.” (Patrick O’Connor, “Making Deals, Getting Votes,” Politico’s “Live Pulse” Blog, 11/6/09)

BECAUSE IT WORKED FOR HER IN JUNE WHEN SHE BOUGHT ENOUGH VOTES FOR HER NATIONAL ENERGY TAX

Pelosi’s National Energy Tax “Grew Fat With Compromises, Carve-Outs, Concessions And Out-And-Out Gifts…” “[The bill] grew fat with compromises, carve-outs, concessions and out-and-out gifts intended to win the votes of wavering lawmakers and the support of powerful industries ... The deal making continued right up until the final minutes, with the bill’s co-author Representative Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California, doling out billions of dollars in promises on the House floor to secure the final votes needed for passage.” (John M. Broder, "With Something For Everyone, Climate Bill Passed," The New York Times, 6/30/09)

Last Minute Giveaways From Pelosi To Fence-Sitting Dems Was Deal Making “Process On Steroids.” “Making deals to get votes is a time-honored part of the legislative game, but the enormous scale of the climate bill and the pressure to act quickly in a time of economic crisis put the process on steroids.” (Jim Tankersley, "House Climate Bill Was Flooded With Last-Minute Changes," Los Angeles Times, 7/20/09)

300 Pages Inserted At The Last Minute, Many Designed For “Fence-Sitting Lawmakers.” “These narrowly focused amendments were part of a torrent written into the bill during the wheeling and dealing that took place as Democratic leaders rounded up the votes needed to squeak out a victory...There were about 300 pages of last-minute amendments, many designed to make money for industries and constituencies important to fence-sitting lawmakers.” (Jim Tankersley, "House Climate Bill Was Flooded With Last-Minute Changes," Los Angeles Times, 7/20/09)

Billions Of Dollars Handed Out In Final Minutes. “The deal making continued right up until the final minutes, with the bill’s co-author Representative Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California, doling out billions of dollars in promises on the House floor to secure the final votes needed for passage.” (John M. Broder, "With Something For Everyone, Climate Bill Passed," The New York Times, 6/30/09)

• Including $3.5 Billion To Buy Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s (D-OH) Vote. “They finally secured the vote of one Ohioan, veteran Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Toledo, the old-fashioned way. They gave her what she wanted - a new federal power authority, similar to Washington state's Bonneville Power Administration, stocked with up to $3.5 billion in taxpayer money available for lending to renewable energy and economic development projects in Ohio and other Midwestern states.” (Edward Felker, "Rep. Kaptur Gets $3.5 Billion Sweetener In Climate Bill," The Washington Times, 7/1/09)
• $50 Million To Buy Rep. Alan Grayson’s (D-FL) Vote. “Alan Grayson (D-Fla.). Grayson may be a freshman, but he knows how to horse-trade like a veteran legislator. For his "yes" vote, Grayson secured a $50 million hurricane research center in his district.” (Bob Cusack, "The Lawmakers Who Pushed Climate Bill To Passage," The Hill, 6/28/09)
• And Millions Of Dollars To Buy Rep. Ed Perlmutter’s (D-CO). “Less than 24 hours before the House approved its landmark energy and climate bill last month, Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) got several paragraphs added to the 1,200-page measure -- additions expected to be worth millions of dollars to companies that install solar panels.” (Jim Tankersley, "House Climate Bill Was Flooded With Last-Minute Changes," Los Angeles Times, 7/20/09)