Pelosi Promises Health Care Reform Votes

The media reported yesterday that the House plans on voting on health care this Saturday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Speaker is confident she has the votes in her caucus.

“We will,” Pelosi said, when asked if she had the 218 votes needed to pass the $1.055 trillion bill, designed to extend healthcare to 96 percent of the population and create a government health insurance plan.

Journalists will be writing books abot how Pelosi's arm-twisting and dealmaking. Pelosi promised a bill with the public option and it appears she delivered. That is a testament to her leadership.

President Barack Obama toured Capital Hill seeking votes for the House bill. It is nice to finally see Obama use the weight of his office to directly push Congress on health care reform. The President made his case to the White House press corp.

"I urge Congress to listen to AARP, listen to the AMA, and pass this reform for hundreds of millions of Americans who will benefit from it," Obama told reporters.

The AARP retirement group "knows this bill will make health care more affordable, they know it will make coverage more secure, they know it's a good deal for our seniors," Obama said.

As for the AMA, the president said, "the doctors of America know what needs to be fixed about our health care system."