Getting to “yes”

Rep. John Boccieri (D-Ohio) has announced that he will vote in favor of “deeming and passing” Obamacare. Boccieri voted “no” on Obamacare last year.
Politico reports that, even with this pick-up, “all indications are that [Pelosi and company] stil have a few more votes to go.” But Boccieri illustrates why the Dems are likely to pick them up.
In making his announcement, Boccieri, a first-termer from a right-of-center district, stated: “Today, I hope and I pray that we can get this job done.” Presumably, he was hoping and praying the same thing last year, but was permitted to vote “no” because the leadership didn’t need his vote. Now that Pelosi needs it, Boccieri’s liberalism, coupled with plenty of arm-twisting, carries the day, even in the face of a huge personal political risk.
Pelosi only needs a few more Boccieri’s, and I suspect she will have them.
JOHN adds: I think that’s right, and if/when the Dems twist the last arm to get the votes they need, they will proclaim it a great victory. But it’s hard to overstate the skepticism of voters. To take just one example, Rasmussen finds that only 20% of voters think most Congressmen will understand what is in the bill when they vote on it. The perceived illegitimacy of the Democrats’ power grab will haunt them for a long time.