The Republicans lacked anywhere near the votes required for a filibuster in both houses in 2009. That means all Democrats needed was for most of their members to vote for anything and they could pass it. It was because Bart Stupak united 40 pro-life Democrats in the House to stop the health care bill's passage in 2009 that it dragged on for months. Stupak finally won passage of an amendment, the Stupak amendment, to eliminate the abortion agenda of the House health care bill. However, unknown to Stupak apparently, Barack Obama had promised in July 2007, to Planned Parenthood, that abortion would "at the center, and at the heart of the bill that I propose", as seen from this video.
However, it was reported even back in November that liberal Democrats were confident the Stupak amendment would be removed from the final bill. Pelosi, it was reported at the time from one source (still trying to find where I saw it), had promised the liberal Democrats the Senate would create a new bill to remove the Stupak amendment, which is what happened.
So what about the 'Cornhusker Kickback' criticized by Republicans and FOX News? What has been ignored and not reported on was that the 'kickback' actually involved vast changes to the Senate bill in an attempt by Nelson to try and remove the abortion agenda; changes he'd vowed in November to seek or else not let the Senate bill pass. Unlike in the House, there are only a few pro-life Democrats in the Senate, 6 that I know of to be exact (Reid claims to be pro-life but has never voted like it).
In short, they were outnumbered and if any one of them gave in the bill would pass - without the Stupak amendment. Nelson's "kickback" consisted of numerous sweeping provisions against an abortion agenda, and while not as good as a Stupak amendment, was a last-ditch effort by a besieged pro-life Democrat to fix the bill's abortion agenda. Because his state got some Medicare funds in the process (we still don't know if Nelson was responsible for that being included, or liberal Democrats included them to make him look bad, and at any rate he instantly asked for them to be removed when objections arose), FOX News and Republicans attacked Nelson tirelessly while ignoring the anti-abortion language the deal had revolved around.
Bart Stupak, hoping for health care reform, and the primary target for months on end of the entire liberal movement in America, finally gave in. As Sandra McElwaine would report,
"But according to former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Stupak simply “sold out.” Gingrich describes Stupak as “a nice, honest, decent throw back to a simpler America,” and blames the Democratic hierarchy for bullying him into submission. “Reid and Pelosi put so much pressure on him they wore him out. They ostracized him and isolated him from his own party. It was a scene straight out of Chicago mob politics,” Gingrich says.
(One Republican even reports Stupak wept openly as he pushed the electronic button for that final “yes” vote.)"At the time, Republicans had criticized pro-life Democrats like Nelson and Landrieu, while targeting others for voting for the amended House bill with its Stupak amendment. Even though pro-life Democrats had stood by Republicans in passing the Stupak amendment to remove the abortion agenda, Republicans not only refused to help them but actively attacked them. As CNS reported back in 2004 in Pro-life Democrats describe lonely role but see improvements,
"But in the experience of Rep. Bart Stupak, being a pro-life Democrat is a guarantee of ongoing struggles for respect from your own party and even from pro-life allies. And don't bother to expect financial support from those who traditionally fund either Democrats or pro-life candidates.
Through 12 years in Congress representing Michigan's 1st District, Stupak has been one of a few dozen members who keep alive the belief that the words "pro-life" and "Democrat" aren't mutually exclusive terms.
Since he arrived in 1992, Stupak has struggled to avoid isolation by his own party, by others in the pro-life political community and even by the Catholic Church, he told Catholic News Service in a phone interview from the Democratic National Convention in Boston.
It took two years in Congress and his re-election before the Democratic leadership appointed Stupak to the committee he wanted. One of its subcommittees deals with abortion laws and he said he was told, "we're not going to put a pro-life Democrat on it."
...
Stupak said it's bad enough that so much money is available to candidates who support abortion. But he said he and other pro-life Democrats often can't even get financial support from groups that agree with them.
"Right-to-life groups won't fund us because we're Democrats," he said. Pro-life Democrats are also shunned by groups -- including some labor unions -- that aren't specifically focused on abortion but have strong connections to organizations that are.
In many ways, Stupak said pro-life Democrats are "a group without a party." By his count, 35 House Democrats consistently vote pro-life, and three others do so on most abortion-related issues."Had Republicans helped them, supported them, and conservatives like those at FOX News not actively attacked them, perhaps they could have worked with Republicans more. Yet they were alienated all the more by the GOP and conservatives at FOX News. Targeted from all sides, Stupak let the pressure get to him. He made a desperate choice to trust the leader of his party, Barack Obama, unaware of Barack Obama's radical history on abortion.
The fact remains: Only because of pro-life Democrats standing together against all odds was the health care bill process delayed so we the people could even see the bills that the liberal Democrats would have preferred pass quickly and quietly before anyone could see what was in them. And in the end, 35 Democrats, 16 of them Pro-Life Democrats from the original coalition of 40, did end up voting against the final health care bill as well. It is a heinous lie to say there are no pro-life Democrats. Now they are being targeted by the shameless GOP for their seats in conservative districts, even though a number voted as hard-line as any Republicans; and did so against opposition from their own party; standing strong for what they believed in.
It would be hypocritical to attack Democrats for voting for the health care bills and stimulus bills, and not give recognition and praise to those who did what they could to stop them. In the case of the health care bill, resistance from Pro-Life Democrats dragged the process on for fully half a year, and forced the liberal Democrats to use a 'Reconciliation' trick requiring fewer votes, and even then just barely passed the bill.
PRO-LIFE DEMOCRATS:
| Name | Location | Health Care | Stimulus | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST | D | Stupak Am | Final Vote | Bill I | Bill II | |
| Altmire, Jason | PA | 4 | YES | NO | YES | YES |
| Berry, Robert | AR | 1 | YES | NO | YES | NO |
| Bordallo, Madeleine | GU | 0 | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Boren, Dan | OK | 2 | YES | NO | YES | YES |
| Bright, Bobby | AL | 2 | YES | NO | NO | NO |
| Childers, Travis | MS | 1 | YES | NO | YES | YES |
| Costello, Jerry | IL | 12 | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Cuellar, Henry | TX | 28 | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Dahlkemper, Kathleen | PA | 3 | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Davis, Lincoln | TN | 4 | YES | NO | NO | NO |
| Donnelly, Joe | IN | 2 | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Driehaus, Steve | OH | 1 | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Ellsworth, Brad | IN | 8 | YES | YES | NO | YES |
| Griffith, Parker | AL | 5 | YES | NO | NO | NO |
| Holden, Tim | PA | 17 | YES | NO | YES | YES |
| Kanjorski, Paul | PA | 11 | YES | YES | NO | YES |
| Kaptur, Marcy | OH | 9 | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Kildee, Dale | MI | 5 | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Langevin, James | RI | 2 | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Lipinski, Daniel | IL | 3 | YES | NO | YES | YES |
| Marshall, James | GA | 8 | YES | NO | YES | YES |
| McIntyre, Mike | NC | 7 | YES | NO | YES | NO |
| Melancon, Charles | LA | 3 | YES | NO | YES | YES |
| Mollohan, Allan | WV | 1 | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Oberstar, James | MN | 8 | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Ortiz, Solomon | TX | 27 | YES | YES | YES | PRS |
| Peterson, Collin | MN | 7 | YES | NO | NO | YES |
| Rahall, Nick | WV | 3 | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Salazar, John | CO | 3 | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Shuler, Heath | NC | 11 | YES | NO | NO | NO |
| Skelton, Ike | M0 | 4 | YES | NO | YES | YES |
| Stupak, Bart | MI | 1 | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Taylor, Gene | MS | 4 | YES | NO | NO | YES |
| Wilson, Charles | OH | 6 | YES | YES | YES | YES |
KEY: ST = State, D = District, PRS = Present Vote (same effect as a No vote), ? = No vote recorded, perhaps not elected yet?
SOURCES:
-Stupak Amendment Vote, House: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll884.xml (amendment overview)
-Final Health Care Vote, House: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2010/roll165.xml (bill overview)
-Stimulus I, House: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll046.xml (bill overview)
-Stimulus II, House: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll943.xml (bill overview)
Let it be clear, however, that I am not interested in blaming any of the above with this article - just in making sure those who did stand up for what they thought right are recognized for doing so.
With these bills so widely unpopular it is only right that these moderate Democrats not be lumped in wrongly with their party come November.
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