Democratic leadership: “We’ve got the votes”

WASHINGTON — As the House prepares to convene this afternoon for action on President Barack Obama’s long-pursued overhaul of healthcare, the House’s Democratic leadership is voicing confidence in passage of the bill. “We’ve got the votes,” said Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) in an appearance this morning on CNN’s State of the Union. “This is a historic day, and we are happy warriors,” Larson said. “We will be a part of history, joining Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s passage of Social Security, Lyndon Johnson’s passage of Medicare and now Barack Obama’s passage of healthcare.”

Rep. Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican also appearing on the CNN program, was asked about the GOP’s strategy going forward. “I don’t know if they have the votes,” said Pence. “We are going to use every means at our disposal to oppose this government takeover of healthcareÂ… I believe this is going to be a historic weekend, but I believe it’s going to be different than John thinks it will be.”

The House plans to convene at 1 pm EDT to take up a “reconciliation’ measure that merges the House and Senate on healthcare and vote on a Senate-passed healthcare bill. House leaders need 216 votes for passage, and the leadership’s Larson asserted unequivocally that they will have them.

“We’re going to get those 216 votes, because we believe that they understand that Americans want healthcare reform,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said today on NBC News’ Meet the Press.

“I think, if the American people stay engaged in this fight for the next few hours, this fight is not lost yet,” Boehner said. “But first we have to stop this bill, which will ruin our economy, ruin our healthcare system.”

“I think we’re going to have 216 votes when the roll is calledÂ… There are still some members making up their minds, but we believe we’re going to have 216 votes,” Hoyer said. “We’re going to pass the bill.”

“They don’t have the votes yet,” said House Minority Leader John Boehner (R- Ohio), appearing alongside Hoyer on Meet the Press.

Republicans, for their part, say that the long-running political play known as healthcare reform will not end on Capitol Hill.

“I don’t know if they have the votes today,’ Pence said, voicing a Republican stance that Democrats will pay for passage of the $940-billion healthcare bill in the midterm elections. “I guarantee you, the American people know they have the votes in November. ”

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