It's just hours before the health care vote, and looking at CNN, there are still 10 undecided Democrats, 5 of which are needed in order to defeat the measure. Bart Stupak made an agreement with the President on an Executive Order that has disappointed and even outraged pro-life leaders, and Americans for Prosperity reported a few moments ago that they still don't have the votes. Most of the Stupak coalition had already agreed to support the bill even without the Executive Order, so that really didn't bring that many votes to the "Yes" column, contrary to what media reports are saying. The situation is fluid, but I'm overdue to release this week's edition of "The 3"...
3 - Texans tackle textbook accuracy
It's been a battle royale in the country's largest state over social studies textbook standards. A committee will recommend to the Texas Board of Education a set of standards that, after contentious debate, will affirm American Exceptionalism and religious heritage.
Liberty Institute has been on the front lines of this heated set of deliberations, and here are some blog posts from Jonathan Saenz that trace the progression of the talks and the victories for the affirmation of religious heritage that emerged from the meetings.
2 - Speculation rampant on health care ramp-up
There has been plenty to talk about on the health care front, as the House is poised at the time of this writing to vote on 2 bills - the Senate version of health care reform, and then a reconciliation that will incorporate some of the aspects of health reform that were in the House version. There was protracted speculation about how the House would acquire the 216 votes necessary for passage, and there was the possibility that the House would vote on the reconciliation bill without voting on the Senate bill, merely "deeming" it to be passed.
To give some of the flavor of the debate leading up to the announcement of the vote and the lengths that some in House leadership were willing to go in order to force a vote on this unpopular plan, here is an article from CitizenLink.com.
1 - President attempts to sway "pro-life" Democrats on health care
As the U.S. House approached its Sunday night vote on health care reform, it appeared that it would be necessary to bring Bart Stupak and so-called "pro-life" Democrats over into the "yes" column. Stupak had been told by House leadership that another version of the amendment bearing his name prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortion would not be offered, and in an 11th-hour move, President Obama agreed to issue an executive order that claims to uphold current policy and prevent Federal funding of abortion.
What's curious is that the pro-abortion lawmakers, who have opposed the Stupak amendment in the past, who have been outspoken in their support for taxpayer abortion funding, have gone mute. There seems to be no outrage among the "women's right to choose" crowd about this language. And, Stupak and like-minded Congressman trust the most pro-abortion President in history to deliver the goods? And, please consider that Stupak really WANTS to vote for health care reform, presumably now more than he wishes to protect the lives of unborn babies. No wonder pro-life leaders are upset!!
Here is a sampling:
Charmaine Yoest, Americans United for Life
blogger Jill Stanek
a compilation of comments from LifeNews.com.
Honorable Mention:
Methodist leaders call on NCAA to ban beer ads
Churches could be losers under new broadband plan
No comments:
Post a Comment