But Grijalva noted that 46 members recently signed a letter pledging to vote against the centrist plan. In the numbers game of the House, that is significant, because Republicans are expected to unite against the healthcare bill. So if 39 Democrats oppose the plan, it wouldn't get the 218 votes needed to pass. There are 52 Blue Dogs, as well as many other centrist members not in the coalition.
No such letter with 46 names appears on the Progressive Caucus website, so I have placed a call to verify if the 46 Grijalva is referring to here is the number from the whip count.
If the 46 Grijalva refers to is the total from the whip count, then 14 members have left the original group of 60. Further, whereas the original 60 signed their names in public, we don't actually know who these 46 are. So, while the Block is still large enough to block health care reform legislation, it appears to have weakened significantly. Democracy for America and Fire Dog Lake are trying to bolster them.
Also of note, Harry Reid has clarified his remark from yesterday that "we are going to have a public option before this bill goes to the president's desk." Now his office says they will have a competition and cost control mechanism of some sort:
Sen. Reid believes that health insurance reform must include a mechanism to keep insurers honest, create competition and keep costs down. He feels that the public option is the best way to do that. While we don't know exactly what that option will look like, Sen. Reid, working with President Obama, will ensure that whatever is included in the final bill does just that.
These two developments muddle my positive feelings from last night.
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