Dems give up on Stupak group, will try to pick up the votes elsewhere

The House leaders have apparently abandoned their efforts to reach a compromise with Rep. Stupak, but think they can pick up enough votes from other members to pass the bill. Much of this longish AP article, posted tonight at RCP, is a rehash of the familiar and can be skipped over, but it does give an idea of the other measures--now that they've accepted defeat on the abortion plank--that the Democrats plan to add to the bill, and of the members they're trying to win over. Here's the beginning of the piece:

Dems look to health vote without abortion foes

House Democratic leaders Thursday abandoned a long struggle to strike a compromise on abortion in their ranks, gambling that they can secure the support for President Barack Obama's sweeping health care legislation with showdown votes looming as early as next week.

In doing so, they are all but counting out a small but potentially decisive group whose views on abortion coverage have become the principal hang-up for Democrats fighting to achieve the biggest change in American health care in generations. Congressional leaders are hoping they can find enough support from other wavering Democrats to pass legislation that only cleared the House by five votes in an earlier incarnation.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at March 11, 2010 09:18 PM | Comment | Send