If you watched any of the Rules Committee, you saw quite a show put on by Republicans. It's only continuing today, and was particularly obnoxious this morning while the House Democratic women were speaking. Here's just a sliver of what we have to look forward to today.
In another effort to try to derail this plan, Greg Sargent reports that Republicans are trying to cook up trouble around immigration.
Now, the immigration standoff: The GOP leadership hasn’t decided whether to insert language banning undocumented workers from buying insurance.
The issue is whether the House bill will end up with language banning those workers from buying insurance through the marketplaces created by the bill, as favored by the White House and some in the Senate. That could cause some Hispanic lawmakers to consider opposing the measure.
House Dem leaders have apparently assured members that such language won’t be in there. The question is whether Republicans will attempt to insert such language via a parliamentary maneuver. A House GOP aide tells me that hasn’t been decided yet.
Expect shenanigans from the Republicans on trying to get that provision in.
Meanwhile, President Obama is now meeting with the Democratic caucus in the House to push for their votes. We might hear leaks of what he said, but he's unlikely to make a statement to the press after this meeting.
How's the rest of the day going to go? TPM has a good summary:
This morning Democrats and Republicans will start by debating the rule they wrote late last night. (To really get technical, read the rule here.)
Many of the arguments for and against the rule will be the same as those for and against the health care plan, but the rule debate is only step one.
In nearly all cases, it will be a party-line vote to approve the rule.
Once that's done, general debate on the 1,900-page bill will last about four hours. Next up will be the abortion amendment, and then Republicans will have an hour to present and debate their substitute bill. (For more on that, read this.)
After that, they will vote on the Republican option, some procedural details and, finally, the House Democrats' health care bill. If it passes, it will indeed be historic - the farthest health care reform has ever made it through Congress (though there will still be a long way to go before it's law).
There are Democrats who are will vote against the bill, several have already announced their opposition.
There's always a chance something will go wrong, votes will slip away or Republicans will succeed in efforts to kill the bill with parliamentary tactics. But sources tell TPMDC that sort of delay is unlikely.
In another sign they will make it happen today, Obama plans to make a statement in the White House Rose Garden at 2:30 before heading to Camp David for the night.
That's an ambitious schedule--2:30 seems like a pipe dream at the moment, but stick with us and we'll see. And keep up the calls against the Stupak amendment.