Pelosi inches closer to 216 as fence-sitters pledge 'yes' vote

story by The Hill
written by Bob Cusack 

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is now close to achieving the biggest political victory of her career.

After struggling to collect votes earlier this week, Democratic leaders picked up some key votes on Friday. Reps. Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.), Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.), Allen Boyd (D-Fla.), Harry Mitchell (D-Ariz.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.) and John Boccieri (D-Ohio) had all been undecided or leaning no, but they all say they will vote yes this weekend.

Kosmas, Boccieri and Boyd voted against the House healthcare reform bill last year. Boyd's decision to vote yes was Friday's biggest surprise because he voted no earlier this week in the Budget Committee and had reservations with the education reform measure that will move with healthcare reform in the reconciliation process.

Likewise, many on Capitol Hill expected Ellsworth, who is running for Senate, to reject the final bill, but on Friday the centrist Indiana Democrat said he will support it.

Boccieri is in a tough reelection race and his vote had been especially targeted by Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.). Other Democrats who came out as yes votes on Friday included Reps. Tim Bishop (N.Y.), Chris Murphy (Conn.), Joe Courtney (Conn.), Charlie Wilson (Ohio) and Bob Etheridge (N.C.).

Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.), whose reelection race will likely be very challenging, said on Friday he will vote yes if he gets assurances that the Senate will amend the bill through reconciliation. Pelosi recently talked with Perriello on the House floor.

In a Friday afternoon conversation just off the House floor, Pelosi urged Rep. Scott Murphy (N.Y.) to vote yes. Murphy declined to reveal many details of that conversation to The Hill, but soon after his meeting with the Speaker, he announced he would support healthcare reform.

President Barack Obama has had a lot of success in persuading on-the-fence Democrats to commit their votes. Over the last week, he has talked to Reps. Kosmas, Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), and Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), who will all vote yes.

Since Monday, Obama has had 64 meetings or phone calls with members of Congress on health reform, according to the White House.

Friday was a very good day for House Democratic leaders, with some attributing their success to the Congressional Budget Office estimate that was released on Thursday.

But there were some setbacks on Friday.

Pelosi met in the evening 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.

Leadership aides, including those in the Speaker’s office, would not comment, but a senior Democratic aide directly involved in the abortion debate said Pelosi appeared to have agreed to give Stupak a vote on an “enrollment resolution” offered by Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), a key Stupak ally.

“This concurrent resolution which Congressman Stupak and several others have filed, from the position of the people who signed my letter back in November, is a non-starter,” said Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), a Pro-Choice Caucus co-chairwoman. “We compromised to the concept 'no federal funding for abortion,' which is current law -- we don't like that. And so if Mr. Stupak and a few members, along with the Republicans, decide to use this to take healthcare down, then that loss on healthcare coverage is going to be on their hands.”

DeGette said a move allowing the enrollment resolution to go forward would put “somewhere between 40 and 55” pro-abortion rights votes at stake. (Read the whole story by Jared Allen, Jeffrey Young and Molly K. Hooper - click link: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/85693-whip-watch-the-hills-survey-of-house-dems-positions-on-healthcare