With the final floor debate on Obamacare about to commence, my sense is that the Dems either have the 216 votes they need or, perhaps more likely, are a few tweaks of a draft executive order on abortion funding away. I base this mainly on the pessimistic tone of some of what Republican members are putting out and on reports about negotiations between the Democratic leaders and members like Rep. Stupak who, as of yesterday, were still concerned about abortion funding.
Of course, if they are still a few tweaks away, then there is some small room for hope.
UPDATE: It looks like the Dems are there, as Stupak has decided to vote “yes.”
FURTHER UPDATE: Stupak apparently told CNN that he’s still a “no” and that there’s no deal yet. If so, I assume that Stupak will get whatever language he’s holding out for and will vote “yes.”
JOHN adds: Paul’s assumption is a reasonable one, but there still seems to be a lot of confusion, which can only be a good thing. Per Drudge, Nancy Pelosi was overheard saying to Steny Hoyer as they entered the Capitol, “Steny, we have to get to 217. None of these members wants to be the deciding vote.”
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