President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden last night hosted a reception for 31 Congressional Democrats to thank them for pay-as-you-go legislation, and 10 members in the group happen to have voted against health care reform the first time around.
As Democrats attempt to shore up enough votes to finish their yearlong push on health care, Obama is helping leaders secure as many wavering Democrats as possible. The White House says he is doing what he can to convince fiscal conservatives the health care measure that passed the Senate is the right choice.
A White House party certainly isn’t going to convince the lawmakers who opposed the health care bill last fall but it could help, and Obama made the pitch last night.
Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA) said today on MSNBC that at the party Obama had “strong words” about “the ability of this bill to bring down the deficit.”
The full guest list below.
1. Senator Mark Begich, D-AK
2. Senator Michael Bennet, D-CO
3. Senator Kent Conrad, D-ND
4. Senator Claire McCaskill, D-MO
5. Senator Arlen Specter, D-PA
6. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA
7. Representative Steny Hoyer, D-MD, Majority Leader
8. Representative Jim Clyburn, D-SC, Majority Whip
9. Representative Jason Altmire, D-PA – Voted “no” on health care
10. Representative Leonard Boswell, D_IA
11. Representative Allen Boyd, D-FL – Voted “no” on health care
12. Representative Dennis Cardoza, D-CA
13. Representative Jim Cooper, D-TN
14. Representative Henry Cuellar, D-TX
15. Representative Lincoln Davis, D-TN – Voted “no” on health care
16. Representative Jane Harman, D-CA
17. Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-SD – Voted “no” on health care
18. Representative Baron Hill, D-IN
19. Representative Frank Kratovil, D-MD – Voted “no” on health care
20. Representative Betsy Markey, D-CO – Voted “no” on health care
21. Representative Jim Matheson, D-UT – Voted “no” on health care
22. Representative Dennis Moore, D-KS
23. Representative Earl Pomeroy, D-ND
24. Representative Scott Murphy, D-NY – Voted “no” on health care
25. Representative John Salazar, D-CO
26. Representative Kurt Schrader, D-OR
27. Representative Heath Shuler, D-NC – Voted “no” on health care
28. Representative John Spratt, D-SC
29. Representative John Tanner, D-TN – Voted “no” on health care
30. Representative Peter Welch, D-VT
31. Representative Charlie Wilson, D-OH
Late Update: If the party was an attempt to convince these Democrats, it didn’t work on Frank Kratovil (D-MD).
Greg Sargent reports at the Post that he’s decided to vote no.
