Democratic Revolt May Slow Obama Agenda

[Freddie Stubbs]

By Alan K. Ota, CQ Staff

Democratic Reps. Jim Matheson of Utah and Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona have joined a quiet revolt in the House that could slow some of President Obama's fast-moving priorities.

The two are among 49 Democrats from congressional districts that backed Republican Sen. John McCain 's 2008 presidential race and whose support for the Democratic majority's progressive agenda is increasingly not assured.

A dozen of them were among 20 House Democrats who voted against the $410 billion discretionary fiscal 2009 spending package (HR 1105) on Feb. 25. Another group later forced House leaders to sideline a contentious bill (HR 1106) to allow bankruptcy judges to modify home loans.

Although only a handful of moderate and conservative Democrats abandoned their leaders during party-line votes on the economic stimulus law (PL 111-5), the group of vulnerable Democrats branded the omnibus spending bill as a budget buster and questioned whether the mortgage bill would raise interest rates on average home-owners and cause some struggling homeowners to rush to bankruptcy.

more: http://www.cqpolitics.com/cq-assets/eap/static/dem-revolt1.html

[Democrats_win]

1. If you don't all hang together, you will hang separately in the 2010 elections.

Dems were sent to Washington to act. Failure is an option. 2010 looms.

[liberalmuse]

2. I'm not too worried about the house.

We have a pretty good majority there. Matheson is essentially a Republican. He featured Bush in his re-election commercials in 2004. Fuck, and I voted for him because the alternative was so very much worse.

[Jennicut]

3. Backed McLame in 2008???? Then they are basically Republicans. Goodbye.

Do not give them any support in their primary races at all. Let me guess, Heath Shuler is one of them.

[blueclown]

5. No, I think what was meant is that their districts voted for McLame.

Not that they themselves backed McLame.

[Jennicut]

7. Okay. I was going to say that is not really be a Dem then!

[Cha]

14. I know..I had to

read that twice. But, my thinking is..too bad. Mccain lost and this country needs the Recovery Plan so I'm sorry if they're scared for their jobs now.

Let's see how far their little "quiet revolt gets them".

[drm604]

4. Don't we have an advantege of 76 reps?

Granted, 49 is a big chunk of that but it still leaves us with a 27 vote lead.

[Freddie Stubbs]

6. 256 Democrats in the House (1 vacancy)

218 is a majority.

[drm604]

8. 254 according to clerk.house.gov.

http://clerk.house.gov shows 254 Democrats, 178 Republicans, 0 Independents, and 3 vacancies. Not to nitpick - with either 256 or 254 we still have a majority even without those 49.

[Freddie Stubbs]

9. 254-49=205, which is less than a majority

[drm604]

10. Okay, my mistake.

I was thinking "205 is greater than 178". I wasn't thinking about the fact that I can't just subtract the 49 from the Democrats, I have to also add them to the Republicans. :+

That makes it 205 to 227. :(

[Thrill]

11. Write their names down for a Primary

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

13. In Utah? Good luck. (nt)

[Drunken Irishman]

16. Matheson is the only Democrat who will ever win in Utah.

Because his district is like 70% Republican.

Originally, I think you could probably beat him in a primary and set up a moderate progressive Democrat, but then the Republicans here decided to gerrymander his district and shifted it solely from urban Salt Lake County to only part of Salt Lake county with the rest being in rural eastern and southern Utah.

Matheson is in the 2nd district:



Most Republicans and political writers here expected Matheson to lose his seat after this, however, he's managed to keep it, but mostly because of his fight for the downwinders down in So. Utah.

Matheson loses in a primary and the Democrats lose the seat.

That isn't such a good thing. This is the state that voted out Chris Cannon because he was way too liberal for them!

[ShortnFiery]

12. I have faith in the persuasive powers of RahmBo.

:evilgrin:

[Drunken Irishman]

15. .

[Freddie Stubbs]

17. ;