House Dem leaders insulated from national mood
By: Jay Cost
Weekly Standard
09/20/10 3:10 PM EDT
Eric from Phoenix writes:
<<< I would love to see a focus on the 'key Obamacare' stakeholders and where they stand. >>>
This is a great idea. One of the major issues with the current Democratic majority is that the leadership comes almost exclusively from liberal congressional districts, and so are thus almost totally insulated from changes in national moods that … ahem … can be produced by the massively unpopular bills they author.
Let’s look at the major players in health care reform, their positions in the House, plus Obama’s share of the vote in their districts:
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, 85%
Steny Hoyer, House Majority Leader, 66%
James Clyburn, Majority Whip, 64%
George Miller, Education and Labor Chairman, 72%
Robert Andrews, Education and Labor Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Chairman, 65%
Henry Waxman, Energy and Commerce Chairman, 70%
Frank Pallone, Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Chairman, 60%
Charlie Rangel, Ways & Means Chairman (during health care debate, at least), 93%
Pete Stark, Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health Chairman, 74%
There has been a lot of ink spilled on why Obama’s first half of his first term has gone wrong, and the above numbers point to my long-held view of matters. The president’s emphasis has been on domestic policy, which means Congress has been the primary vehicle for reform. But the Democratic-controlled Congress is run by and large by the liberals, thanks in no small part to the seniority rule that governs committee chairmanships. By outsourcing the construction of Obamacare practically entirely to them, he ended up having to support a bill that was well to the left of the swing voters who installed him in office.
Read more Morning Jay at The Weekly Standard.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: washingtonexaminer.com |
