I came across an interesting article in yesterday’s Washington Post regarding some of the media buys which have occurred over the last couple days.
The piece by Aaron C. Davis and Ben Pershing features a number of House Democrats who voted on both sides of the bill. Obviously groups like Health Care for America Now and AFSCME are giving “attaboys” to those who voted yes and condemning those who properly voted no, with notable exceptions. Apparently Frank Kratovil is being spared their wrath – for the moment, anyway.
To me, though, this is the money part of the article, part of which quotes our plurality Congressman:
Rep. Frank M. Kratovil Jr. (Md.), who was one of 39 Democrats on the other side of Saturday’s vote, was spared in initial ads and protests. But he said that he expects criticism for his no vote to carry into the 2010 election.
“Some on the Democratic side think I should have blindly voted for it because it was a priority of the leadership, and some on the other side say don’t vote for it regardless of what’s in it,” Kratovil said in an interview Monday, noting that his vote on the final legislation could still be in play.
The freshman, among those who swelled the party’s majority in the House, initially voted against President Obama’s stimulus bill this year. Over the summer, he voted for climate-change legislation. Kratovil said he thinks his record adds up to a powerful case for independents — and maybe some Republicans in his Eastern Shore district– that he can base decisions on policy and not politics.
“I think I’ve demonstrated . . . that I won’t let pressure force me to go one way or another,” he said. (Emphasis mine.)
So his vote can still be in play, huh? Remember, folks, it’s all but certain that if the House bill survives in the Senate (or if a companion Senate bill passes) he’s going to have to vote on this again. Nor should we forget that, to Frank, “universal health care – means universal.” At least that’s what he campaigned on in 2008; then again, at the time he didn’t have a voting record to dissect.
Those who congratulated Frank for his wise vote against Pelosicare (probably knowing they had a vote or two to spare) might not be so pleased with him when he turns around again and votes for a “compromise” House-Senate bill. It’s been hard to figure out just what core principles Frank has and this subject muddies the waters even further.
I predict Kratovil will vote for the legislation that emerges from a conference committee. It will be more moderate than the House version, giving him enough cover to say his concerns are addressed. He is trying to appeal to both his conservative constituency and his liberal base. It will be interesting to see how his attempts to straddle the fence and appeal to everyone work out.
This article by Dick Morris explains his vote.
http://townhall.com/columnists/DickMorrisandEileenMcGann/2009/11/10/the_myth_of_the_moderate_democrat