Temperatures will continue to fall over the next few days

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House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer declined to
say Wednesday if Democrats have enough votes to pass historic
health care legislation, but hinted that they're poised to use an
arcane parliamentary process to get it done.

      Hoyer's Republican counterpart, Rep. Eric Cantor, acknowledged
that such a process is permissible under House rules. Under the
procedure, a Senate-passed health bill would be "deemed" to have
passed if House members voted in favor of a rule governing a
separate bill with amendments to it.


      Cantor, R-Va., said he couldn't understand why Democrats would
use such a parliamentary detour with a bill of this magnitude and
reach.

      Asked on ABC's "Good Morning America" to say if he had the 216
votes necessary to pass the legislation in the House, Hoyer, D-Md.,
replied, "I don't have a precise number. Having said that, we
think we'll get the votes. ... We think we will have the votes when
the roll is called."


      Appearing on the same show, Cantor asserted: "They don't have
the votes yet ... The problem is, there's still a lot of
uncertainty surrounding this bill. The American people think
there's a better way."


      The partisan parrying has increased in intensity in the past few
days as President Barack Obama and House and Senate Democratic
leaders have increased pressure to at last resolve the health care
issue, which has been before the Congress for over a year. Obama is
due to leave Sunday on a trip to Asia, and he has said he wanted it
finished by then.


      In the interview Wednesday, Hoyer, D-Md., maintained that
support for the 10-year, $1 trillion health care remake has gone up
in recent weeks.

      "We're going to have a clean up or down vote on the Senate
vote," he said. "That will be on the rule. ... This is not an
unusual procedure."


      Cantor retorted that "this is a process that you can avoid a
direct up or down vote on a bill."


      Democratic Party chairman Tim Kaine voiced confidence on NBC's
"Today" show that the bill will pass, saying "we're in the last
throes of labor before something good happens. ... We're not taking
anything for granted but we feel good about the outcome."


      Asked if "deem and pass" is being used to provide cover for
Democrats worried about voting for the measure, Kaine replied, "I
don't think there's any cover to be found. Everyone's
accountable."


      At stake is a bill that would cover some 30 million uninsured
people, end insurance practices such as denying coverage to those
with a pre-existing conditions, require almost all Americans to get
coverage by law and try to slow the cost of medical care
nationwide. The comprehensive legislation could affect nearly every
American, from those undergoing annual checkups to people facing
major surgery.


      Activists on both ends of the political spectrum are energized.
Tea party volunteers, who rallied Tuesday in Washington, are
planning to flood congressional offices with e-mails opposing the
legislation as a step toward socialism. And some on the political
left have joined in calling for the bill's defeat because it leaves
out a federal insurance option.


      White House aides said Obama and senior advisers are making
clear to lawmakers that they will not be left standing alone in a
difficult election year if they cast a tough vote for health care
overhaul. The aides spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the
private meetings.

      House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is trying to keep wavering
lawmakers in line, meeting with them individually and in groups.
And she summoned female Democrats to her office for a meeting
Wednesday morning.

Gallery

Health

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer declined to
say Wednesday if Democrats have enough votes to pass historic
health care legislation, but hinted that they're poised to use an
arcane parliamentary process to get it done.


House leaders joust over using parliamentary process to pass health overhaull

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