The Ram-It Plan

President Obama and congressional Democrats are patching together one of the biggest quilts in Washington -- so they can take political cover. Votes on Obama's "scaled down," "bipartisan" health "reform" measure must be voted up-or-down (with a simple majority) --and soon -- Americans are told from the White House and Capitol Hill.

After all, Washington's Cherry Blossom Festival and political primaries are fast approaching. "We will pass a bill," vowed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said on Feb. 22. Democrats currently control the 435-member House by a 77-seat margin.

What Americans are NOT being told in the rush to action by lethargic lawmakers are many things:

-- Economy: The economy, with its deplorable employment situation, is not fixed by the 'stimulus' plan as the White House declared in glee in recent weeks. Millions have abandoned any hope of finding jobs and corporations move overseas in search of greener pastures. And where are the jobs for our GREAT military veterans when they march home from overseas?

-- Abortion: The issue of abortion language -- one of the nation's most divisive social thorns -- is far from being resolved. How much will the cobbled healthcare plan allow to be spent on abortion after our elected statesmen have finished their patchwork?

-- Medicare Cuts: A $30 billion cut in Medicare looms on the horizon -- presumably as punishment to "baby boomers" who are becoming such a "burden." Seniors have the misguided notion they paid for Medicare and Social Security. Will the federal government allow prescription prices to continue rising while supplicant seniors try to find doctors under Medicare or Medicaid?

-- Remember Who Voted for What: One thing our members of Congress don't want us to think about is: How many will save their seats because they blundered in their votes on the initial healthcare legislation? Can they can go back home and justify their actions in the face of resounding opposition from "We the People?" But, the voices of the American people can still be heard loudly in the halls of Congress. (see Action Items below)

Strong Arm Tactics

The Washington Times reports that Obama and top Democrats are actively trying to "thwart" defections and solidify support for their healthcare overhaul bill, focusing on skeptical rank-and-file House Democrats antsy about voting for the unpopular measure and then having to fend off Republican attacks in the midterm elections."

"A dozen House Democrats who supported the bill in the House said they'll vote against Mr. Obama's plan unless strong abortion restrictions are inserted. Others question whether the Senate bill, the basis of the president's plan, will do enough to stem rising healthcare costs or address regional disparities on Medicare rates," The Times said.

Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., co-chairman of the Progressive Caucus, insisted Congress must "maintain a strong presidency, we need to pass this bill" as dozens of House Democrats were summoned to White House meetings with Obama.

Which strong presidency? Mr. Obama asked them to put aside political concerns and appealed to their sense of duty and history to deliver a comprehensive overhaul of the nation's healthcare system, those who attended the meetings told The Times.

November 2010 - Paying the price

All 435 House seats will be on the election ballot in November.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has created a "Code Red" project to ensure that supporters of the healthcare bill "pay a price in November." "Code Red is the vehicle that will ensure that Democrats are held accountable for supporting a reckless agenda that is overwhelmingly opposed by the people who elected them," National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Ken Spain said.

Howard Dean, former Democratic National Committee chairman, also says the Senate bill would harm vulnerable Democrats more than help them. "The plan, as it comes from the Senate, hangs out every Democrat who's running for office to dry -- including the president, in 2012 -- because it makes him defend a plan that isn't in effect essentially yet," the former physician told "The Bill Press Radio Show." Much of the Senate's bill doesn't go into effect for years.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the House is on track for a vote by March 18 when Obama leaves for an Asian trip, but Pelosi's declined to release a deadline.

The Houston Chronicle stood with the president and the need for a "up-or-down" vote, that is a 51-vote majority in the Senate instead of the customary 60 for major legislation. House Democrats would be under the gun first, before sending anything to the Senate.

"There is no point in dragging this out any further. Obama has asked for the vote within the next few weeks, and Congress should grant the presidential request," the Chronicle said.

Obama added a carrot to the bill in a pitch for Republicans by including GOP ideas that range from encouraging the use of medical savings accounts to boosting payments to doctors who treat Medicaid patients. The White House also has launched a public blitz to generate support for his maneuver. Obama himself appears in two special-interest TV ads as feel-good offerings -- one by www.americans4healthcare.com and one by Citizens for Health Care.

Obama argues on the White House Web site that "the proposal will make health care more affordable, make health insurers more accountable, expand health coverage to all Americans, and make the health system sustainable, stabilizing family budgets, the Federal budget, and the economy" the White House says.

Abort the bill, not the babies

House Republican leader, Rep. John A. Boehner of Ohio, and Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., who authored tight restrictions on insurance coverage for abortions that were added to the House health care bill before it was adopted in November, are standing firm. Stupak's proposal instead relied on the Senate language to prevent the use of federal money to pay for insurance coverage of abortions. "Many abortion rights opponents, including Mr. Stupak, have said that the Senate language is insufficient, and they have warned that they will vote against the bill as a result," Boehner, who is responsible to hold GOP opponents, told Obama. Boehner's statement added, "The Stupak [Stupak-Pitts] amendment - which reflects the will of the American people on the issue of federal funding of abortion - is supported by a bipartisan majority in the House, but was excluded from the President's health care proposal."

In an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America," Stupak said he and the other anti-abortion Democrats were "prepared to take responsibility" for the failure of the health care legislation if their demands are not met." "I want to see health care," Stupak said. "But we're not going to bypass some principles and beliefs that we feel strongly about."

The Senate passed the pro-abortion legislation (H.R. 3590) on Dec. 24. However, so far the White House and Democratic leaders have been unable to muster the votes to pass the bill in the House, partly because of resistance to the pro-abortion provisions among House pro-life Democrats. The Heritage Foundation said, "H.R. 3590 provides ample room for administrative agencies of government, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Personnel Management, to dramatically expand federal

involvement in abortion without further congressional authorization. Without inclusion of the Stupak-Pitts amendment, H.R. 3590 marks a historic departure from the federal policy on taxpayer-funded abortions that has prevailed for more than three decades."

The White House game plan was disrupted on Jan. 19, when Republican Scott Brown captured the U.S. Senate seat that had been held for decades by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). The outcome was widely viewed as a reflection of public opposition to the sweeping approaches to health care restructuring that the Obama administration and top congressional Democrats have made a top priority.

The Brown victory helped fuel a national Tea Party Drive against Obama's and Congress' healthcare reform plans. "We want them to start from scratch," said Billie Tucker, cofounder of the First Coast Tea Party of Florida. "The American people are overwhelmingly opposed to the health plans crafted by Obama and Congress."

The Associated Press reported Friday that the abortion issue "pits House Democrats against each other just when Obama is calling on them to unite for one last push on health care in a perilous election year.'

"Although each chamber is also supposed to pass a companion package of agreed-upon changes, abortion funding is not among them. It doesn't appear likely to be included," AP said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insisted "she will not stand for health care legislation getting dragged down in a battle over abortion." "This is not about abortion," Pelosi said. "This is a bill about providing quality affordable health care for all Americans."

Even abortion-rights organizations like NARAL and Planned Parenthood oppose both the House and Senate versions of the abortion language as too restrictive, AOL News reported.

On the opposite side of the issue, National Right to Life says loopholes in the granting of subsidies for private plans dooms the Senate health bill because it "would ultimately result in substantial expansions of abortion," the National Right to Life Committee said.

"This is no time to relax: It appears that Speaker Pelosi will make every effort to ram the legislation through the House before the end of March," Right to Life says. "Each member of the House should be urged to oppose the Senate-passed health bill (H.R. 3590), no matter what cosmetic changes are proposed or promised, because of the provisions that would result in abortion mandates and abortion subsidies."

No jobs, no economy, no way to pay for health care

While Obama and Democrats form their conga line of supporters for healthcare reform, millions of American have been left in the quagmire of the economy. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday the unemployment rate "held" at 9.7 percent in February. The Labor Department said employers cut 36,000 jobs, below analysts' expectations of 50,000, the federal agency said. Some analysts expected the jobless rate to rise to 9.8 percent, the department said.

Another report said Florida's average unemployment rate shared a three-way tie for the 8th highest in the nation -- along with Kentucky and Tennessee -- in 2009. The report shows the state's average unemployment rate edged up 4.2 percentage points from 6.3 percent in 2008 to 10.5 percent in 2009. An average of 966,000 Floridians were out of work last year compared with the average 578,000 out of work in 2008.

The unemployment rate increased more than one percentage point year over year in all 50 states. The sharpest rise occurred in Michigan, where the average jobless rate for 2009 was 13.6 percent, up 5.3 points from 2008's average of 8.3 percent.