In a statement on his website, Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA) cites the lack of a CBO analysis of the effect of the House health care bill on individual premiums, and the lack of amendments on the floor, as his reasons for not voting for health care in its current form. He says that “I will wait to make a decision on final legislation until this critical information becomes available and when the House and Senate together produce one bill.”
While agreeing that the bill makes wide improvements over the various bills in the House committees, the above reasons make it unable for Baird to pull the lever on the bill.
This makes, by my count, 20 sure no votes on the health care bill. They are:
Adler, Baird, Boccieri, Boren, Bright, Childers, A. Davis, L. Davis, Gordon, P.Griffith, Kissell, Kosmas, Kratovil, Marshall, Melancon, Minnick, Peterson, Skelton, Stupak, Taylor
In addition, adding together the Chamber of Commerce whip count and the whip count published by The Hill, there are 57 other possible no votes on health care reform. I am working my way through this list.
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This guy, I am ashamed to say is my congressman. I contacted him twice because encouraging to vote yes on the upcoming vote. His excuses for voting no are feeble at best. I have already contacted him with expressing my dissappointment in his stance and told him I will in the future support any democrat wishing to run against him. The guy has a opinion poll on his website that expresses 79% support for healthcare reform and he’s voting against it because of a bunch of made up excuses. He must be drinking the Joe Lieberman koolaid.
He’s my congressman as well. Maybe not too surprising that Brian “The Surge Is Working” Baird will vote with the teabaggers on this one. His spin is as likely to win Republican voter support for him as it is to persuade district Democrats that his efforts to stop health care reform are in their best interests.