A small but vocal contingent of the anti-health care reform protesters that descended on Capitol Hill yesterday remained on hand today as the seconds ticked down on the health care reform debate’s final day in the House.
Faced with all but certain defeat in the halls of Congress, the crowd — made up largely of the tea party-style protesters that have come to embody public opposition to Democratic reform plans — promised that though today might be the end of the legislative fight on reform, the war is far from over.
The crowd outside the Capitol still believed they could “kill the bill,” as so many signs, bumper stickers, buttons and chants heard and seen around the Hill say today. But with a final deal over abortion language cut between Democrats and more members from the caucus signing on by the minute, even they had to acknlowedge that it was time to start thinking about a post-passage future.
That first plan protestors talk about is to kill the bill in the states. Numerous protesters in recent days have told me they’re excited by Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli’s plan to sue the federal government and prevent it from instituting the reform bill once it’s passed. They think the move will catch on with more states keeping federal “hands of my healthcare,” as many protest signs have read through the debate.
Outside the Capitol today, another protester told me the courts were the path to the final victory for the anti-reform opposition.
“I hear there are lots of states Attorneys General who are seeking to file lawsuits,” the woman, who would give her name only as Mary from Connecticut, said. “This is an unconstitutional bill.”
Mary said that there was no way the fired-up anti-reform crowd was going to die down just because the bill passed.
“These people are so strong,” she said, referring to the protesters who swarmed the hill this weekend. “You should have seen the power we had out here yesterday.”
This weekend they sang, screamed and waved their trademark “don’t tread on me” flags on the lawn outside the House side of the Capitol, where periodic appearances today from conservative Republicans on a balcony overhead resulted in whoops and shouts. Some of their heroes on the Republican side of the aisle came down to address them as well and urge them to keep up the fight.
“It’s not over till it’s over,” Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), one of stars of the conservative protest movement, told the crowd today.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I have a challenge for you,” he said as the crowd roared. “Whatever happens, I beg you to keep this energy until November.”
That’s the second plan protesters have after health care reform passes — they promise to take their anger to the ballot box and, as one sign held high by a protester read yesterday “Corzine” any Democrat who votes yes.
They want nothing less than the full repeal of any bill passed by the Democrats tonight, a plan that politically could cause something of a problem for Republicans. Running on rolling back provisions like the one to end insurance company discrimination over preexisting conditions would probably be a hard one to put in campaign ad. Nevertheless, conservatives have begun to push that message anyway.
Last week, Marco Rubio — the benchmark for GOP challengers favored by the anti-reform crowd — made it clear that there was no wiggle room on calling for repeal of the reform package.
“If there’s only one vote to repeal this bill in the Senate, it will be mine,” he said on a campaign conference call March 18. “But I’m hoping there will be a lot more.”
But other Republicans have acknowledged that this could be a tough sell for the party. And as Brian Beutler reported a few days before Rubio made his comment, NRSC chair John Cornyn said that unless the GOP can get a sweeping win in November leaving them with majorities in both houses of Congress, repeal is probably out of the question.
