Research

Is Ohio Congressman Steve Driehaus immune to Obama’s campaign fever? Or does he just realize a vote for Obama’s government-run health care experiment is far more politically terminal?

At the exact same time President Obama is pushing his health care bill across the state in Cleveland, Dreihaus will be at a fundraiser headlined by Vice President Biden. Now that’s some political pressure!

Yet despite this White House double-whammy, Rep. Dreihaus appears unlikely to support the health care bill. He told the Cincinnati Enquirer as much today:

"I appreciate the vice president coming in. But it has no bearing whatsoever on my health care vote," Driehaus said, shrugging off attacks that he's getting from both sides of the health care debate.

Driehaus did vote in favor of the health care bill that cleared the House last year, saying he was proud to stand with his colleagues to support health care reform and calling the vote "historic."

But the bill that could come before the House for a vote this month is a different version. Some say the Senate-passed measure does not contain enough restrictions on using federal money for abortions.

For Driehaus, who is Catholic, that's a deal breaker.

"While I certainly support this initiative ... I will not bend on the principle of federal funding on abortion," Driehaus said in an interview with The Enquirer. "They are going to have to do it without me and without the other pro-life Democrats."

Well, at least no one can claim the White House isn’t trying.