The White House added something new to President Obama’s schedule today – meetings with key members of House Democratic caucus groups who want to have their say on health care.
The conservative Democrats Obama is attempting to woo – several who attended his party last night – to win the needed votes on the final health care plan this month will get to speak with the president in the Oval Office at 2:30.
They are all leaders of the New Democrat Coalition. As we mentioned earlier the group’s Health Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Jason Altmire told reporters today he won’t change his mind.
Altmire (D-PA) will attend the Oval Office meeting, along with other members of the New Democrat Coalition. They are Vice-Chair and Whip Rep. Melissa Bean (D-IL), Health Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA), Chair Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Vice-Chair Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI), Vice-Chair and Health Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) and Vice-Chair Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA).
Also critical to passing health care is keeping the progressive members of the House united in favor of the measure. At 1:30 Obama will huddle in the Roosevelt Room with members of the Progressive and minority caucuses, groups that have said they haven’t been listened to in the health care debate.
The full list of members meeting with Obama in the Roosevelt Room is below.
Representative Madeleine Bordallo, D-GU, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair, Health Care Task Force Chair
Representative Donna Christensen, D-VI, Congressional Black Caucus Chair, Health Care Task Force Co-chair
Representative Danny Davis, D-IL, Congressional Black Caucus Chair, Health Care Task Force Co-chair
Representative Raul Grijalva, D-AZ, Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-chair
Representative Mike Honda, D-CA, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair
Representative Dennis Kucinich, D-OH, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Health Care Task Force Co-chair
Representative Barbara Lee, D-CA, Congressional Black Caucus Chair
Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-CA, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Health Care Task Force Co-Chair
Representative Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Health Care Task Force Co-chair
Representative Nydia Velazquez, D-NY, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair
Representative Lynn Woolsey, D-CA, Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-chair
Late Update: White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said this afternoon in his briefing that Obama was explaining to all members the benefits of the legislation and “why we can’t walk away.”
