WILL PUTATIVE DEMOCRATS JIM MARSHALL AND GENE TAYLOR BETRAY CHILDREN AGAIN?

As I mentioned earlier, the Democratic leadership in the House, much to the chagrin of Republicans, has decided to compromise on the GOP complaints about S-CHIP and reintroduce a modified version of the bill. Hoyer has been asking the 44 or 45 Republicans who have supported the bill on their advise on how to get another dozen or so votes so that the House can present Bush with a bill that is veto-proof. Perhaps he's meeting with Gene Taylor (D-MS) and Jim Marshall (D-GA), as well. They're the only two Democrats to have voted to sustain Bush's veto.

Republicans have been barraged by calls and e-mails from constituents and several are thought to be faltering. One bitter right-winger, Ric Keller of Florida, was bitching to the Washington Post that Democrats need his vote but "don't even have the courage to ask me for it." Keller's constituents have been hearing radio ads from USAction and MoveOn about his anti-family vote. In fact the newest barrage of pro-family groups advertising is hurting several Republicans:
Marilyn Musgrave (CO)- AFSCME, USAction, MoveOn
Tim Walberg (MI)- AFSCME, USAction, MoveOn
Sam Graves (MO)- AFSCME, USAction, MoveOn
Randy Kuhl (NY)- AFSCME, USAction, MoveOn
Tom Reynolds (NY)- AFSCME
Tim Johnson (IL)- SEIU
Rodney Alexander (LA)- SEIU
Michele Bachman (MN)- SEIU
Robin Hayes (NC)- SEIU
John Peterson (PA)- SEIU
Thelma Drake (VA)- SEIU
Barbara Cubin (WY)- SEIU
Tom Feeney (FL)- USAction, MoveOn
Ric Keller (FL)- USAction, MoveOn

Nobody's advertising in Georgia or Mississippi? Hmmmm... You think we should get this one on the air? Would you chip in if we did?




UPDATE: BUSH VOWS ANOTHER VETO

Speaker Pelosi sounded very concilatory when she offered to work with Republicans to fix their main stated objections to the S-CHIP legislation Bush vetoed. Today Bush says he doesn't care what Pelsoi claims to be doing, he's got his veto pen out and ready for use.

Pelosi's main point is that the legislation, is already "supported by a bipartisan coalition, Democrats and Republicans across the country. Republican and Democratic governors support the SCHIP initiative. Every organization that you can name, from the AARP to the YWCA, and everything in between, AMA, the Catholic Hospital Association, Families First, are lobbying for the passage of this legislation." Over 70% of ordinary Americans also support it. But even though only 24% of Americans give Bush a passing grade on his job performance, he still has enough rubber stamp Republicans willing to back his every move so that he can enforce his unpopular veto down Americans' throats. And according to this afternoon's Congressional Quarterly Bush vowed another veto.