So what’s the tick tock tonight? When should you be tuning in for the key votes. Christina Bellantoni explains the order of events and gives you our best educated guess about just when the key votes will come.
Minority Leader John Boehner is speaking now just in advance of the big vote. It’s hard to read too much into expressions. But is it just me, or does Minority Leader John Boehner look almost physically crushed in this speech?
Late Update: This speech is seriously whacked.
A beaming Steny Hoyer walking into the House chamber a few moments ago. How are you feeling, reporter asks. “Fired Up!” he responds.
10:41 PM: As of this moment, there are 206 Yes votes of the 216 needed for passage.
10:42 PM: 209 votes.
10:43 PM: Rep. Cao (R-LA) voted no. As did Rep. Altmire, who said he’d vote no but did vote for the rule.
10:44 PM: 214 votes.
10:45: 216. Reform passes. Note that officially the vote remains open for a short time longer … Note that it looks like Speaker Pelosi allowed a handful of potential yeses to vote no.
(Obama at the big moment: added 12:26 AM)
10:47 PM: Final vote appears to be 219 for. But hasn’t been officially announced yet.
11:02 PM: Very strong, even inspiring speech by Rep. Stupak to set aside the Republican motion to recommit. “This motion is really to politicize life, not prioritize life. We stand for the american people. We stand up for life. Vote no on this motion to recommit.”
Someone on the House floor, seemingly from the Republican side, yelled “Baby-killer” at Bart Stupak as he was making his brief comments on the floor against the motion to recommit (which was essentially a GOP effort to capsize the vote on the abortion issue). It’s still unclear who it was. We’ll bring you more as we find out more.
Our Christina Bellantoni just did an impromptu interviewer with Dem pro-life Rep. Dale Kildee …
Kildee: “We all heard it. It was disgusting!”
“No one knows who it was but the person should be censured. This all started when someone yelled ‘you lie’ at the president.”Bellantoni: “You sure it was a member?
Kildee: “Unless they let staff on the floor and make outbursts, yes.”
Late Update: There were initial reports that the yeller was Rep. John Campbell (R-CA). But in a brief exchange with reporters off the House floor a short time ago he has now adamantly denied it was him. Campbell said his wife left him a message when reports came out that it was him. Campbell: “It was clear as a bell … I didn’t look but it came from the floor, behind me and to the left … It was close enough I decided not to turn around and look. … It was in my area. I thought it was a southern accent.”
After speaking with reporters he went back into the House chamber and then returned a few moments later and said: “Other people agree with me it was someone with a southern accent.” Campbell also said that some of the Republicans on the floor recognized the voice but would not say who it was.
Even Later Update: Campbell just came out a third time to give more details to reporters …
Campbell: “That is where the Texans sit. Californians are in one row, Texans sit behind us. I am being told it’s a Texan. The people who know won’t give it up.”
Reporter: “Do you know who it was?”
Campbell: “No.”
Me: “What will you do when you find out?”
Campbell: “Nothing – I’m not going to do anything.”
A bit of a surprise to me. Sen. Landrieu (D-LA) just sent out a very positive statement on the House vote and the reconciliation effort in the senate. Read the text here.
As I noted earlier, while Rep. Stupak was making his statement at the end of the vote in favor of the Senate bill, a House Republican yelled “Baby Killer” at him. Here’s what we know so far about who said it.
11:59 PM: A few moments ago Christina Bellantoni interviewed Rep. Obey (D-WI) who was presiding in the House during the incident. That means he was looking out over the floor when it happened. He told Christina he knows who said it but “doesn’t see any point” in identifying who it is.
Asked if the member should be admonished, Obey said “I think people have a right to make a fool out of themselves every once in awhile without causing armageddon.”
12:00 AM: Bellantoni talks to Rep. Joe Wilson of “You Lie!” fame. Presumably he’s an expert on outbursts. Wilson told Christina he didn’t know who said it. Should the person be admonished, given the pressure Wilson came under after his outburst: “There was yelling on all sides tonight and then. It really is amazing I got singled out. Could be a double standard.”