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<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=479433217-05112009>I do not have
any confidence that Obamacare can be derailed by so-called pro-life
Democrats. </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=479433217-05112009></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=479433217-05112009>During the 10
years that I spent as a chief of staff to Senator Walter Mengden in the Texas
Legislature, there were instances when Democrats introduced pro-life
legislation. In no case was the Democratic sponsor of the legislation
serious about passing the legislation. Many times, their bills could
be used as means of trading for something else. In return for not bringing
them up and making their colleagues vote yea or nay, the Democrat would receive
something else he or she wanted in the legislative process.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=479433217-05112009></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=479433217-05112009>At the very
best, some Democrats might be slightly interested in passing their own pro-life
bills provided they did not have to figuratively spill any blood to do it.
In every single case, when the going got rough, the Democrat "folded their
tent."</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=479433217-05112009></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=479433217-05112009>The article
below indicates that Democratic Congressman Brad Ellsworth of Indiana has
apparently worked out some language with the House Democratic leadership on
abortion. The National Right to Life Committee is livid and calls
Ellsworth's proposal, <U>"a political fig leaf made out of
cellophane</U>."</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=479433217-05112009></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=479433217-05112009>So, brace for
the passage of this horrible Obamacare bill in the House. But there are
still many gates to go through in the Senate and, if it gets through there, in
conference committee and then final votes in the House and
Senate.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=479433217-05112009></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=479433217-05112009>The ultimate
outcome is in doubt.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=479433217-05112009></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><SPAN class=479433217-05112009><STRONG><FONT
size=4>Art</FONT></STRONG> </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff><A
href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091105/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_care_overhaul">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091105/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_care_overhaul</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<H1>Majority leader: House will pass health bill</H1>
<DIV class=byline><CITE class=vcard>By ERICA WERNER and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR,
Associated Press Writers </CITE><ABBR class=recenttimedate
title=2009-11-05T09:09:16-0800>23 mins ago</ABBR> </DIV><!-- end .byline -->
<DIV class="mod ad darla_ad" id=darla-ad__LREC> </DIV>
<DIV class="mod ad darla_ad">WASHINGTON – The second-ranking House Democrat
predicted that historic <SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1257442221_0>health care
legislation</SPAN> will be passed Saturday, extending coverage to tens of
millions of uninsured and banning the industry from turning people away.</DIV>
<P><SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1257442221_1>Rep. Steny Hoyer</SPAN> told
reporters House leaders would have the 218 votes needed to pass the sweeping
bill that <SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1257442221_2>President Barack
Obama</SPAN> has made the defining social goal of his young administration —
presuming a couple of final issues are resolved. Hoyer acknowledged that the
vote could be tight.</P>
<P><FONT size=5>"I wouldn't refer to it as a squeaker, but <U>I think it's going
to be close</U>," Hoyer said. "This is a huge undertaking."</FONT></P>
<P>The Maryland Democrat said language on abortion and illegal immigrants was
still being worked out, but predicted those issues could be solved in time for
Saturday's scheduled debate and vote on the 10-year, $1.2 trillion
legislation.</P>
<P><FONT size=5>"We certainly have <U>well over 218 people who say they want to
vote for the bill</U>," Hoyer said in an interview with wire service
reporters.</FONT></P>
<P>"The trick is making sure they have a comfort level with the provisions they
are particularly focused on to allow them to do so," he said. "So I think that's
what we're in the final stages of trying to get to."</P>
<P><FONT size=5>Obama planned a rare trip to the House on Friday to try to win
over wavering lawmakers.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=5>Hoyer also said that the bill's endorsement by the powerful
seniors' lobby AARP, announced Thursday, was a significant boost.</FONT></P>
<P>AARP Senior Policy Adviser John Rother said the 40-million strong
organization favors the House bill because it closes the coverage gap in
Medicare prescription benefits, puts strict limits on what <SPAN
class=yshortcuts id=lw_1257442221_3>health insurers</SPAN> can charge older
workers too young for Medicare and creates a voluntary, <SPAN class=yshortcuts
id=lw_1257442221_4>long-term care insurance program</SPAN>.</P>
<P><FONT size=5>The <SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1257442221_5>American Cancer
Society Cancer Action Network</SPAN> also announced its support for the
legislation Thursday, and the <SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1257442221_6>American
Medical Association</SPAN>, which had endorsed an earlier version of the bill,
scheduled a midday press call to weigh in.</FONT></P>
<P>Action is slower on the other side of the Capitol, where senators are
awaiting an analysis from the <SPAN class=yshortcuts
id=lw_1257442221_7>Congressional Budget Office</SPAN> on legislation written by
<SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1257442221_8>Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid</SPAN> and others. <FONT size=5>The timeline there appears likely to spill
into next year.</FONT></P>
<P>The AARP's backing is a big boost for the House effort. Support from this
group proved a crucial stamp of approval when then-<SPAN class=yshortcuts
id=lw_1257442221_9>President George W. Bush</SPAN> pushed the <SPAN
class=yshortcuts id=lw_1257442221_10>Medicare prescription drug benefit</SPAN>
through a closely divided Congress in 2003.</P>
<P><FONT size=5><U>But strong opposition remains on Capitol Hill</U>.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=5>Republican leaders were scheduled to appear outside the Capitol
at a rally opposing the legislation, a protest led by anti-big-government "tea
party" activists.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=5>With no GOP backing, Democrats will need overwhelming support
from within their own caucus. An intraparty disagreement over how to prevent
federal funds from being used to pay for abortion has not yet been entirely
resolved, though Hoyer said that language being circulated by one anti-abortion
Democrat, <SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1257442221_11>Rep. Brad Ellsworth</SPAN>
of Indiana, seemed likely to be the basis for an agreement.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=5>Ellsworth's language aims to strengthen stipulations already in
the bill against federal money being used to pay for abortions. It would still
allow people to pay for abortion coverage with their own money.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=5>That distinction doesn't satisfy anti-abortion groups, which
dismiss it as an accounting gimmick. They say federal subsidies for insurance
coverage would not be clearly segregated from private funds used to pay for
abortions.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=5><U><SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1257442221_12>The National Right
to Life</SPAN> Committee issued a blistering press release Wednesday night
calling Ellsworth's proposal "a political fig leaf made out of
cellophane</U>."</FONT>
<P>Ellsworth said that didn't bother him: "I know what's in my heart, I know
what's in my head and I think the big guy upstairs knows," he said.
<P>House leaders are also still grappling with illegal immigration, specifically
whether illegal immigrants — who would be barred from getting federal subsidies
— should be able to purchase insurance coverage within new government
"exchanges," using their own money.
<P>The White House does not want this allowed, but some members of the <SPAN
class=yshortcuts id=lw_1257442221_13>Congressional Hispanic Caucus</SPAN> and
other Democrats view that position as too extreme. Hispanic Caucus officials
were scheduled to meet with Obama at the White House on Thursday.
<P>The House bill would provide <SPAN class=yshortcuts
id=lw_1257442221_14>government subsidies</SPAN> beginning in 2013 to extend
coverage to millions who now lack it. Self-employed people and small businesses
could buy coverage through the new exchanges, either from a private insurer or a
new government plan that would compete. All the plans sold through the exchange
would have to follow basic <SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1257442221_15>consumer
protection rules</SPAN>.
<P>___
<P>Associated Press writers David Espo and Alan Fram contributed to this
report.</P></DIV></BODY>
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