The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

CODE RED! D.C. Rally NOON TODAY

Posted on | March 20, 2010 | 46 Comments

Americans will gather in Washington, D.C., today to speak out in opposition to the $2.5 trillion government takeover of health care.

WHEN: Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 12:00 Noon ET
WHERE: West Lawn of the Capitol

SPEAKERS: Rep. Michelle Bachmann, Rep. Tom Price, Rep. Joe Wilson, actor John Voight, Dr. Milton Wolf, Colin Hanna of Let Freedom Ring, Tim Phillips and Phil Kerpen of Americans for Prosperity, Jim Martin of 60 Plus, Andrew Larger of Institute for Liberty, Kathryn Serkes of the Doctor Patient Medical Association, Mark Skoda of the Memphis Tea Party, Amy Kremer of Tea Party Express, Jennifer Hulsey of American Grassroots Coalition, and Ben Cunningham of the Tennessee Tax Revolt.

Co-blogger Smitty will cover today’s event and we’ll have news updates throughout the day about the fight to save America’s health-care system.

NEWS UPDATES

MOTHER OF ALL UPDATES: ‘Decending into Chaos!’

UPDATE 11:27 a.m. ET: E-mail from GOP House leadership aide:

See floor schedule for the House today (from Hoyer’s office)… last vote should be 3-ish.  Rules Committee is meeting now to write the rule for tomorrow’s reconciliation bill… we expect it will include the “Slaughter Solution” deeming the Senate bill passed and making Obamacare law. . . .
Things are tight . . . DO NOT let up on your efforts.

In other words, Pelosi is going for the “deem-and-pass” strategy, rather than an actual up-and-down vote, which may explain why she’s giving Stupak the stiff-arm. House floor schedule from Hoyer’s office (PDF).

UPDATE 11:55 p.m. ET: Ed Morrissey is updating the updates at Hot Air. I haven’t seen an updated whip count this morning, so we don’t know whether Pelosi actually has the votes yet. Meanwhile, the crowd at the Capitol is reported as “thousands,” and Smitty is one of them. Follow Smitty’s Twitter feed of the Code Red rally.

On “pro-life” Democrat Brad Ellsworth’s sell-out:

“Congressman Ellsworth had the opportunity to stand on principle with this important decision,” said Charmaine Yoest, head of Americans United for Life, which ran ads in Indiana and urged Hoosiers to speak out. “However, Ellsworth’s vote now establishes for the record his support for taxpayer-funded abortion.”

UPDATE 12:40 p.m. ET: Now getting some background on why pro-life Democrat Bart Stupak cancelled his press conference. Evidently, “Stupak was planning to announce a tentative deal with leadership this morning,” but Pelosi and House Dem leaders “rejected his enrollment corrections proposal.” At this point, I don’t suppose anyone cares to know what an “enrollment correction” is, but a lefty blogger at Firedoglake explains it for total process junkies.

UPDATE 1:27 p.m. ET: OK, Tory Newmier of Roll Call has the word on what went sideways with the Stupak deal:

Pelosi told reporters on Saturday there will be no separate votes on any proposed changes to the package at this point: “Not on abortion, not on public option, not on single payer, not on anything,” she said. . . .
Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), who co-chairs the Pro-Choice Caucus and is a Chief Deputy Whip, said Democrats will have the votes without Stupak.

The question now is how many “pro-life Democrats” are more pro-life than they are Democrats. I’m not exactly optimistic, but who knows? Meanwhile, Smitty is somewhere on the West Lawn at the Code Red rally, Twittering away, while Instapundit has photos of the crowd.

UPDATE 11:13 a.m. ET: Waxman says “no deal” with Bart Stupak and pro-life Democrats:

A top House Democrat says party leaders are unlikely to cut a deal with abortion opponents to pass President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.
Rep. Henry Waxman tells The Associated Press that “the likely outcome” is that Speaker Nancy Pelosi will move ahead without the votes of a group of abortion opponents who want tougher restrictions in the bill against taxpayer funding for the procedure.

(Via Michelle Malkin on Twitter.)

UPDATE 11 a.m. ET: Via Hot Air, Rep. John Boehner talks health care in the GOP weekly message:

“It’s clear where the American people stand. They want no part of this bill, and they haven’t been shy about saying so. We’ve seen standing room only crowds at town hall meetings. Rallies in towns and cities around the country. And now, jammed phone lines on Capitol Hill. All of this coming from citizens yelling ‘stop’ at the top of their lungs.”

UPDATE 10:42 a.m. ET: Stupak has postponed his 11 a.m. press conference. Reports suggest Pelosi may have enough votes without cutting a deal with the remaining pro-life Democrat holdouts.

UPDATE 10:26 a.m. ET: Michael O’Brien reports in The Hill:

Veteran Democratic Rep. John Dingell vowed Saturday to work to defeat fellow Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak (D) on abortion in the healthcare bill. . . .
“I strongly disagree with Bart,” Dingell said during an appearance on MSNBC. “I think he’s wrong.” . . .
The House has reconvened for the morning, and Stupak has scheduled a press conference on the Capitol for 11 a.m., in which he’s expected to address the latest on his abortion-related negotiations.

Just got this phone report from a friend who is traveling downtown via Metro: A full train just left the Greenbelt station, and there are still more than 100 Tea Party activists on the platform waiting for the next train.

UPDATE 10:12 a.m. ET: Twitter buddy Jennifer Lewis sent me a message this morning that she and her hubby drove all the way from West Palm Beach, Fla., to attend today’s rally in D.C. Michelle Malkin reports that there will also be “Kill the Bill” rallies today in Boston, San Diego, Salt Lake City and St. Louis. Meanwhile, Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput writes at First Things:

However the national debate on health care reform ends this week, the struggle has shown the worst side of a certain kind of “Catholic” witness.
On March 18, the advocacy group Catholics United, which worried so earnestly about Republican faith partisans controlling Catholic thought in the last election, rolled out an attack-ad campaign against Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak in his home state. . . .
[T]he captivity of some Catholics to the agenda of current congressional leaders and the White House proves that faith partisans are not a monopoly of the political right, and that some Catholics have an almost frantic unwillingness to see the abortion issue for what it is — a foundational matter of social justice and human rights. It can’t be avoided in developing our public policies without debasing the whole nature of Christian social teaching. No rights are safe when the right to life is not.

UPDATE 9:43 a.m. ET: A pro-life source is hearing that, on the one hand, there are technical and legal questions about the rumored Stupak deal and, on the other hand, such a deal may be enough to cause Pelosi to lose an undetermined number of pro-choice votes. Stupak will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. ET. KJL at NRO quotes NARAL e-mail:

Pro-choice Americans stand strongly alongside our allies in Congress who are resisting Mr. Stupak’s outrageous last-minute attempts to hijack health-reform legislation. The public has grown tired of this unnecessary drama and wants to see Congress move forward with a bill that is not tainted with Stupak-like provisions.

“Unnecessary drama”! Yeah, I’m tired of this ObamaCare crap, too, but if Nancy Pelosi’s going to ruin my weekend, she might as well make it as dramatic as possible.

UPDATE 9:10 a.m. ET: Just in from Kathryn Jean Lopez:

Prospects for a Stupak deal may be collapsing . . .

We’ll keep an eye on this. Much more below. Spoke to Smitty about 30 minutes ago. He was en route to FreedomWorks for pre-rally coffee and donuts and may be posting video interviews with VIPs later this morning.

PREVIOUSLY: “Pro-life” Rep. Brad Ellsworth will vote yes. What does this mean? David Freddoso at the Washington Examiner:

Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., Indiana Democrats’ likely nominee for the U.S. Senate, will vote “yes” on health care. This probably makes his run for Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh’s seat futile. . . .
If Ellsworth is being pushed into voting for this, you can bet that Speaker Pelosi has no votes to spare. But by the same token, you wouldn’t be hearing him commit in public if she didn’t have the votes.

Michelle Malkin has the “bribe list” of what Pelosi and Obama are promising Democrats in exchange for their votes. National Review‘s Robert Costa reports that Pelosi’s wheeling and dealing went on into the night. The report that pro-life Democrat Bart Stupak has sold his vote to Pelosi may be just smoke from the Speaker’s office, and Allahpundit has more background on that.

The last whip count I saw, after Jason Altmire was reported to be a firm “no,” was 211 “no” to 205 “yes” — meaning that six more “no” commitments would kill the bill — but those numbers may have changed.

Heath Shuler of North Carolina is a “no,” as is Harry Teague of New Mexico, which was the Friday announcement that caused panic at Firedoglake:

Teague puts the definite No votes at 210, with five leaners, four of them part of the Stupak bloc. There are only 8 undecideds left, and 208 Yes votes with leaners.

That put Pelosi in the corner where she reportedly offered a deal to Stupak — infuriating the hard-core pro-choice Democrats. But the fanatical pro-choicers are also the kind of manic-progressives who’d swallow a live scorpion if you told them it was “social justice,” so their objections are meaningless. The Democrats doesn’t have to worry about losing their votes, so they’ll roll over and take whatever Pelosi tells them to take.

On the other hand, the ease with which Pelosi will likely break the Stupak bloc goes to show the futility of voting for “pro-life” Democrats. If they were really pro-life, they wouldn’t be Democrats. And, frankly, abortion isn’t the issue here — this is about socialized medicine, which I’m against whether it pays for abortion or not.

Infanticide, breast implants, tattooing, nose piercing, sex-change surgery, ritualized human sacrifice — that’s just details, compared to the big question of whether it’s going to be run by the government at taxpayer expense.

KILL THE BILL!

Professor William Jacobson at Legal Insurrection:

Pelosi sold out her base to get passage of a bill in November, and now is preparing (allegedly) to sell out her base again through procedural maneuvers to get Stupak his language in order to pass a Senate bill her base hates.

The question is whether this insanely complicated deal will implode and collapse under the weight of its own absurdity, unpopularity and unconstitutionality. If not, Michael Tanner at National Review predicts what would happen under ObamaCare. (Hat-tip: Ui2.)

One thing’s for sure: The Anchoress is spitting mad at Nancy Pelosi’s invocation of St. Joseph:

PREVIOUSLY:

Category: Congress, Health Care, Nancy Pelosi, Tea Party, Uncategorized

Comments

46 Responses to “CODE RED! D.C. Rally NOON TODAY”

  1. Socialized Health Care Update
    March 20th, 2010 @ 5:58 am

    […] RED! D.C. Rally NOON TODAY Americans will gather in Washington, D.C., today to speak out in opposition to the $2.5 trillion […]

  2. Reaganite Republican
    March 20th, 2010 @ 1:52 pm

    Let’s Go, Patriots!!!

    Linked at Reaganite Republican…

    http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com/2010/03/massive-kill-bill-rally-in-dc-today-be.html

  3. Reaganite Republican
    March 20th, 2010 @ 8:52 am

    Let’s Go, Patriots!!!

    Linked at Reaganite Republican…

    http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com/2010/03/massive-kill-bill-rally-in-dc-today-be.html

  4. Code Red - Demon Pass - Updates | The Lonely Conservative
    March 20th, 2010 @ 9:05 am

    […] The Other McCain was up and at it earlier than I, and has been posting updates all morning. We picked up a couple of no votes with Health Shuler of North Carolina and Harry Teague of New Mexico. […]

  5. How much greenhouse gases do humans emit compared to non-human nautural activities? | Greenhouse Blueprint
    March 20th, 2010 @ 9:06 am

    […] CODE RED! D.C. Rally NOON TODAY : The Other McCain […]

  6. Joe
    March 20th, 2010 @ 3:12 pm

    I wish I could be there! Aaaaoooooooooo, wolverines of D.C., Aaaaaoooooooo!

  7. Joe
    March 20th, 2010 @ 10:12 am

    I wish I could be there! Aaaaoooooooooo, wolverines of D.C., Aaaaaoooooooo!

  8. Teresa in Fort Worth, TX
    March 20th, 2010 @ 3:19 pm

    I find it extremely interesting that the Obama administration is willing to bring the KSM terrorists to civilian trials, to show the world how America lives by the “rule of law”, yet they are unwilling to follow that same rule of law with the American people…..

  9. Teresa in Fort Worth, TX
    March 20th, 2010 @ 3:19 pm

    I find it extremely interesting that the Obama administration is willing to bring the KSM terrorists to civilian trials, to show the world how America lives by the “rule of law”, yet they are unwilling to follow that same rule of law with the American people…..

  10. Teresa in Fort Worth, TX
    March 20th, 2010 @ 10:19 am

    I find it extremely interesting that the Obama administration is willing to bring the KSM terrorists to civilian trials, to show the world how America lives by the “rule of law”, yet they are unwilling to follow that same rule of law with the American people…..

  11. Hot Air » Blog Archive » Updates on ObamaCare for Saturday morning
    March 20th, 2010 @ 10:35 am

    […] Prepare for the Slaughter: Stacy McCain gets an e-mail from a GOP staffer on the Hill: […]

  12. If it is Saturday, then………… « The Daley Gator
    March 20th, 2010 @ 10:43 am

    […] Stacy notes that the fight against ObamaCare is alive and very well […]

  13. Joe
    March 20th, 2010 @ 3:54 pm

    Knock Knock

    Who’s There.

    The American Experiment

    The American Experiment who?

    The American Experiment may not be over. Yet.

  14. Joe
    March 20th, 2010 @ 3:54 pm

    Hey look at that, you got a link from Hot Air.

  15. Joe
    March 20th, 2010 @ 10:54 am

    Knock Knock

    Who’s There.

    The American Experiment

    The American Experiment who?

    The American Experiment may not be over. Yet.

  16. Joe
    March 20th, 2010 @ 10:54 am

    Hey look at that, you got a link from Hot Air.

  17. Code Red Coverage « The Rhetorican
    March 20th, 2010 @ 11:25 am

    […] 2010 Posted by Jehuda in Uncategorized. Tags: News, Politics trackback R.S. McCain and Smitty are all over today’s Code Red anti-Obamacare rally in DC today, with constant updates and […]

  18. CODE RED/Kill The Bill Updates! « Obi’s Sister
    March 20th, 2010 @ 11:35 am

    […] 20, 2010 at 11:35 am (America 101, Dems Bad, Socialized Medicine, The S Word) Both The Other McCain and Potluck are running all day updates on the Obamacare vote and DC Kill The Bill Rally. Check […]

  19. Joe
    March 20th, 2010 @ 4:40 pm

    Jeff Goldstein nails it with this.

    Do not count on the Supreme Court, this must be stopped now. And if not, and “deem and pass” gets this mess through, then by immediate civil disobedience.

  20. Joe
    March 20th, 2010 @ 11:40 am

    Jeff Goldstein nails it with this.

    Do not count on the Supreme Court, this must be stopped now. And if not, and “deem and pass” gets this mess through, then by immediate civil disobedience.

  21. Moe Lane » Kill the Bill rally in Washington.
    March 20th, 2010 @ 11:51 am

    […] over at the Other McCain is covering it; see also Michelle Malkin.  Glenn Reynolds has an unconfirmed report of 30K so far, […]

  22. Kill The Bill Rally In Washington « Nice Deb
    March 20th, 2010 @ 11:56 am

    […] The Other McCain CODE RED! D.C. Rally NOON TODAY […]

  23. Kill the Bill rally in Washington. | RedState
    March 20th, 2010 @ 12:01 pm

    […] over at the Other McCain is covering it; see also Michelle Malkin.  Glenn Reynolds has an unconfirmed report of 30K so far, […]

  24. DEFCON 1: Saturday 20 March 2010 « The Camp Of The Saints [New Main Site]
    March 20th, 2010 @ 12:07 pm

    […] McCain is aggregating and reporting like mad.  The updates are frequent and highly […]

  25. The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : CODE RED Health Care Updates: No Deal for Stupak; Ellsworth SellsOut
    March 20th, 2010 @ 12:08 pm

    […] Code Red Rally has brought thousands to Capitol Hill today, and there have been important developments with Nancy […]

  26. ObamaCare And Code Red Updates « The Underground Conservative
    March 20th, 2010 @ 12:36 pm

    […] more from R.S. McCain […]

  27. Joe
    March 20th, 2010 @ 5:38 pm

    Of course Rahm will always be closing, but they are weak the other way. If the momentum shifts enough, they will gradually start falling away too and Obama loses the opportunity to rahm this home.

    This can still be beat. It need not be the Alamo, but Bastone, with public sentiment as Patton.

  28. Joe
    March 20th, 2010 @ 5:38 pm

    Of course Rahm will always be closing, but they are weak the other way. If the momentum shifts enough, they will gradually start falling away too and Obama loses the opportunity to rahm this home.

    This can still be beat. It need not be the Alamo, but Bastone, with public sentiment as Patton.

  29. Joe
    March 20th, 2010 @ 12:38 pm

    Of course Rahm will always be closing, but they are weak the other way. If the momentum shifts enough, they will gradually start falling away too and Obama loses the opportunity to rahm this home.

    This can still be beat. It need not be the Alamo, but Bastone, with public sentiment as Patton.

  30. MNRobot
    March 20th, 2010 @ 5:40 pm

    Linked at The Resistance and MNR
    http://the-resistance.posterous.com/dc-rally-health-care-links
    http://mindnumbedrobot.blogspot.com/2010/03/dc-rally-health-care-links.html

  31. MNRobot
    March 20th, 2010 @ 5:40 pm

    Linked at The Resistance and MNR
    http://the-resistance.posterous.com/dc-rally-health-care-links
    http://mindnumbedrobot.blogspot.com/2010/03/dc-rally-health-care-links.html

  32. MNRobot
    March 20th, 2010 @ 12:40 pm

    Linked at The Resistance and MNR
    http://the-resistance.posterous.com/dc-rally-health-care-links
    http://mindnumbedrobot.blogspot.com/2010/03/dc-rally-health-care-links.html

  33. pivey
    March 20th, 2010 @ 5:41 pm

    I’m still so disgusted by this whole situation, especially by my former congressman, and possible new Astronaut, Bart Gordon. I blogged about it under the influence of pain pills – the results are pretty trippy.

  34. pivey
    March 20th, 2010 @ 5:41 pm

    I’m still so disgusted by this whole situation, especially by my former congressman, and possible new Astronaut, Bart Gordon. I blogged about it under the influence of pain pills – the results are pretty trippy.

  35. pivey
    March 20th, 2010 @ 12:41 pm

    I’m still so disgusted by this whole situation, especially by my former congressman, and possible new Astronaut, Bart Gordon. I blogged about it under the influence of pain pills – the results are pretty trippy.

  36. OMG! Executive Order for ObamaCare Payoffs? Can This Possibly Be True? : The Other McCain
    March 20th, 2010 @ 12:49 pm

    […] opposition to the government health care takeover plan.I thought of doing this as an update to the Code Red rally post, but . . . this is just so bizarre, I’m having trouble believing it. Will try to verify and […]

  37. Ui2
    March 20th, 2010 @ 6:08 pm

    At one time our legislature was bipartisan on big bills.

    Today it’s not even bicameral.

  38. Ui2
    March 20th, 2010 @ 6:08 pm

    At one time our legislature was bipartisan on big bills.

    Today it’s not even bicameral.

  39. Ui2
    March 20th, 2010 @ 1:08 pm

    At one time our legislature was bipartisan on big bills.

    Today it’s not even bicameral.

  40. Wine – where do you start? » Blog Archive » Has any price wine for health?
    March 20th, 2010 @ 3:12 pm

    […] CODE RED! D.C. Rally NOON TODAY : The Other McCain […]

  41. OMG! Executive Order for ObamaCare Payoffs? Can This Possibly Be True? « The Ghostfighters
    March 20th, 2010 @ 4:51 pm

    […] to the government health care takeover plan. I thought of doing this as an update to the Code Red rally post, but . . . this is just so bizarre, I’m having trouble believing it. Will try to verify and […]

  42. Left Coast Rebel: Code Red Rally 12 Noon EST Washington DC, CODE … | Hill Talk
    March 20th, 2010 @ 5:54 pm

    […] Red Rally to kill the Bill: The Other McCain has […]

  43. Fortune Minister to Jerusalem, Regardless of America : The Other McCain
    March 27th, 2010 @ 4:09 pm

    […] said hello.Still Trying To Help TrogloPundit Get ItVA Right picked it up.TrogloPundit bloviated.CODE RED! D.C. Rally NOON TODAYThe Classic Liberal picked it up.The Lonely Conservative was there in spirit.Hot Air linked us.The […]

  44. Isla Watson
    August 12th, 2010 @ 4:08 am

    maybe in the near future there would be natural breast implants that are based on stem cells or something,`,

  45. Isla Watson
    August 12th, 2010 @ 4:08 am

    maybe in the near future there would be natural breast implants that are based on stem cells or something,`,

  46. Isla Watson
    August 12th, 2010 @ 12:08 am

    maybe in the near future there would be natural breast implants that are based on stem cells or something,`,