Yesterday, Rick blogged on Bart Stupak’s growing optimism about a health-care reform compromise, pro-life objections not withstanding. But The Weekly Standard here gives some context to Stupak’s statement:
Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak said yesterday at a townhall in his home state, “I’m more optimistic than I was a week ago” that a deal could be reached to pass a health care bill that bans public funding of abortion. Some speculated that this meant Stupak was ready to cave. “Obviously they don?t know me,” Stupak said in an interview this afternoon with THE WEEKLY STANDARD. “If I didn?t” cave in November, “why would I do it now after all the crap I?ve been through?”
“Everyone?s going around saying there?s a compromise?there?s no such thing,” Stupak said. What’s changed between this week and last, Stupak went on, is that he had his first real conversation with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Congressman Henry Waxman about fixing the bill.
SNIP
Stupak affirmed that he will not settle for an agreement to pass the bill now and fix the bill’s problems on abortion later: “If they say ‘we?ll give you a letter saying we’ll take care of this later,’ that?s not acceptable because later never comes.”
SNIP
Stupak emphasized that his coalition of pro-life Democrats is sticking together: “My numbers remain firm at 12. These are 12 who voted for it [in November] who will not vote for it unless we resolve this issue.”
Whether that holds remains to be seen. Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson was, basically, a pro-life paragon of virtue in the health care debate until he threw the cause under the bus for some kick backs.
