This is breaking news: Democrats in Congress have abandoned deem and pass (or the slaughter house rule). After thinking about it for a while, I realized that my initial reaction may have been wrong. As Ed Morrissey explains at Hot Air:
If anyone wonders which it is, Major Garrett of Fox News helpfully tweeted that he believes that Pelosi now has the votes for tomorrow. If that’s too pessimistic for you, remember that DemonPass was intended to protect Dems opposed to the Cadillac Tax and other issues in the Senate bill. The politics of the bill have only become more fraught since they floated that strategy, which could mean that Democrats now think it won’t pass — and need a reason for its demise other than a failure of Pelosi to whip the count. I lean more towards the former than the latter, but until the vote gets taken (or doesn’t), we won’t know for sure which applies.
Some readers at Hot Air point out that President Obama (and other top Democrats) continue to sell the bell. If Pelosi does indeed have the votes, why would he waste his time on convincing more Congressmen to vote for it, they wonder?
Although this argument may impress some, I don’t think it’s bullet proof. A logical explanation could be that they do have the votes, but that Obama and Pelosi realize that some of the current supporters could change their minds rapidly once they are left to their own devices. That’s how it works with politicians, and especially with volatile Blue Dogs who are about to ruin their own careers by voting for a highly unpopular bill right out of the Democratic Party’s radical left wing’s playbook.
If you watch Fox News, it’s pretty clear that most experts – leftists and conservatives – believe it’ll pass.
Whatever happens, we can be darn sure that tomorrow will be an exciting day. Will Democrats pass ObamaCare? Or will Blue Dogs reject their party members’ attempt to socialize medicine? Although I’m afraid I know the answer, I also realize that it isn’t over until the fat lady sings. And she hasn’t quite sung yet.