Dueling Whip Counts

by: Chris Bowers

Thu Sep 24, 2009 at 02:00

The Blue Dog Coalition is engaged in a member-to-member whip operation in the House, beginning with a survey of its 52 lawmakers, to find out where they stand on critical health care issues. The principal focus is the public insurance option, but the canvass also touches on various tax and revenue increase proposals to pay for reform.(...)

The Congressional Progressive Caucus completed its first survey and began whipping back in the spring. They launched a final whip count last week that will be finished by Wednesday evening.

The whip count builds on an earlier letter that 60 members of the progressive caucus signed, pledging to oppose any health care bill without a "robust public option."

Expect both the Progressives and the Blue Dogs to announce the results of their whip counts either tomorrow or Friday morning. Further, expect both groups to declare that health care won't pass the House unless their demands are met. After that, look closely at the language that both groups release, because politicians love wiggle room and will seize on any that is offered them. And then, after that, don't trust quite a few of them anyway, because they could just break their promises.

From that point, expect significantly more pressure on the Progressives from established pundits, prominent Democrats, and the White House. After all, it is simply impolite for the Progressives to upset the order of things. Don't they know that only Blue Dogs and gangs of Conservadems are allowed to alter Democratic legislation by threatening to oppose it? And don't they know that when Blue Dogs do this, it is because the Dogs are common sense, bi-partisan pragmatists? By contrast, everyone knows that when Progressives do it, it is because they are rabid ideologues who just want ponies.