2010 Complete Election Coverage: Whipping floor votes into shape
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- Counting to 218, or 60, or even to zero is no simple feat when what you’re counting on are lawmakers.
POLITICO 44
The House is expected to vote Saturday night on the Democrats’ health care bill, and nobody knows for sure how it will turn out.
How can that be?
The answer is that counting to 218, or 60, or even to zero is no simple feat when what you’re counting on are members of Congress.
The phrase “herding cats” may be a cliché, but it is also a pretty good description of what it takes to secure the votes needed to pass or oppose a difficult bill. Whips and staffers say members may hold out for many reasons, from principles to personality flaws. And even when the numbers look good, a small change in the bill itself, the political climate, or even in a member’s mood can upset the balance; a CBC member chokes on a bone thrown to a Blue Dog; a “leaning yes” turns out to be an “I didn’t have the heart to tell you no”; a freeze-out begins to thaw when the heat’s turned up back home; and suddenly it’s back to the game board.
The key to a good count on a tough bill, say insiders, is to know your members and their districts as well as or better than they do themselves. “It’s important that you try to put yourself in the shoes of your colleagues, and try to understand why they’re struggling,” says Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). “It could be an upcoming election, it could be a colleague who’s voting the other way. It could be a position they’ve taken back home on a campaign,” he says.
Sometimes, however, getting into a colleague’s shoes can be like donning a teen’s Doc Marten’s, or even a toddler’s Robeez.
“Sulking is a huge problem — it really, really is,” says one former GOP leadership aide. “I’d say we had at least one member per whip check who would whip problematically because they were sulking or angry about something completely unrelated.”
And, as with children, getting to the real issue can take time and patience. Was it something the chairman said in markup? Something that happened the last time the question came up? “Sometimes a member will say,’ I’m not voting for that bill,’ and it’s because they’re angry about something parochial in their district that their staff may not even know they’re angry about,” says Amy Steinmann, former floor director for then-House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).
It also means knowing when the right answer is really the wrong answer, says Jaime Harrison, a former floor director for House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (S.C). “There are certain members who, if they say yes, you know it’s yes. And some people when they say yes, you put them in leaning or undecided,” he says.
Or when a member’s opposition is a facade, says the former GOP leadership aide: “Sometimes a member will say, ‘You need to keep me in these meetings, you need to keep treating me like I’m a problem child,’ because they don’t want to look like they caved too quickly.”
In cases like these, a whip might be forgiven for breaking out the actual lash, but despite the popular image of whips as leadership’s backroom boys, the work as they describe it sounds more like hostage negotiation than head cracking or horse trading.
“I remember making a statement last week,” says Clyburn, “that I’ve got to find out what this member needs. Well, now, immediately people start racing off – well, he needs a railroad, or a bridge, or something. That’s not what I’m talking about. When I say what this member needs…I’m talking about what he needs to get comfortable with this bill,” he explains. (In that case, the member was Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.), and what he needed to get comfortable with the bill was an agreement to address regional disparities in Medicare reimbursement rates.)
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) also speaks to his caucus’ comfort, noting that the minority’s relationship to the vote count is a little different, and that he is more focused on trying to help members “be there” for the voters in their districts than on twisting arms to lower the tally.
“We really try and stress in this whip operation an education process, and building a knowledge base and comfort level for the members when they go home,” he adds.
Readers' Comments (33)
ANN&MITT Party: Conservative
Reply #1
Nov. 7, 2009 - 7:16 AM EST
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ANN&MITT Party: Conservative
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Nov. 7, 2009 - 7:26 AM EST
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Amercan vet Party: Independent
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fishbait Party: NA
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DFutureIsNow Party: Liberal
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Brendett Party: Independent
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Amerika? Party: Conservative
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auntiem Party: Conservative
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Nov. 7, 2009 - 8:23 AM EST
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humbolt Party: N/A
Reply #11
Nov. 7, 2009 - 8:39 AM EST
Hey, if a little good old fashioned horse trading will undermine the freedom of the public for the foreseeable future, who can argue with it? C'mon. Get with it. Government can give you cash for clunkers, a subsidized house, unemployment, health care insurance, food stamps, a subsidized education, and everything else you need in return for your freedom, which is worth what? Go ahead. Place a value on your freedom. These guys in Congress have an answer, and they'll make you an offer you can't refuse.
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Reedo Party: NA
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Nov. 7, 2009 - 8:54 AM EST
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humbolt Party: N/A
Reply #13
Nov. 7, 2009 - 8:57 AM EST
Barney's out smoking pot again. He wants to be whipped. Nancy's going to do it. She likes it too.
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Birdfanmn Party: Democrat
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Nov. 7, 2009 - 9:52 AM EST
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Rollo Party: Independent
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jay1975 Party: Independent
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RY100 Party: Republican
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spring Party: NA
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keeg Party: Independent
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jay davis Party: Republican
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Read all 33 comments in our forum* * * * * * * * * * * * *
S N A K E O I L * S H E L L * G A M E
Only show the voters part of the bill .
Hide Abortion and Imigration off the table
under a different title .
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Voters are stupid
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Catholic Bishops aware of the ABORTION Shell Game
ardamantly oppose ObamaCARE .
*******************************************************************
http://www.solidprinciples.com/blog/?p=1938' title='http://www.solidprinciples.com/blog/?p=1938'>
http://www.solidprinciples....
ArticleNational Conference of Catholic Bishops
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Someone ought to whip that nazi pelosi.
They wouldn't have to "heard cats" if they had a reasonable bill. The problem is the bill contains so many offensive provisions that they need to pay off a large number of members to vote for something which they know their constituents don't want and they know may very well cost them dearly in next year's election. So instead of actually crafting a piece of legislation that has popular support (a novel idea) Pelosi has chosen to simply twist arms and essentially pay for votes in order to pass a radical bill that will never actually pass the Senate anyway. In the process she may lose her majority in the House.
Join the fight to take back America from an out of control government at www.GrassRootsNation.com.
Healthcare reform will pass on the floor. Nancy Pelosi always delivers for America.
The only reason the Gop is against the health care refom is one word called"Regulation" on the hold medical system period the doctors,hospitals, drug companies,and the private Insurance companies period is the Bottom Line...
That is why all these town hall meeting are taking place...
REGULATION WILL BE BACK ON ALL THESE COMPANIES SO THEY WANT RIP OFF THE PEOPLE ANYMORE.
A BIG THANK YOU TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
The reason why President Obama had to do the big bailout money was to cover the Republican Party mistakes for 8 years of "DEREGULATION" ASK ALLEN GREENSPAN Chairman of the Federal Reserve of the United States from 1987 to 2006. HE SAID WALL STREET WOULD TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES IT MIGHTY FUNNY ALLEN GREENSPAN RETIRED IN 2006 HE RUN OUT BECAUSE HE KNEW IT WAS GOING TO CRASH AND BURN!
THEY DIDNT NEED REGULATIONS ON THEM! A VERY BAD CALL FROM ALLEN GREENSPAN FOR EIGHTEEN YEARS!
"GOP WANTS TO DENIED US HEALTH CARE IN THE USA"
"REGULATION" ON ALL THESE COMPAINES "THAT'S WHY THEY WANT TO STOP THE BILL FROM PASSING"
GOP- Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive! "THE PEOPLE WITH LIES"
ABOUT THE HEALTH CARE REFORM BILL!
"I WILL NEVER VOTE FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AGAIN"!
BECAUSE THEY WANT TO DENIED US HEALTH CARE IN THE USA ITS ABOUT THE MONEY IN THERE BACK POCKETS AND NO MORE PORK BARREL SPENDING FOR THEM IS THE BOTTOM LINE"!
GEORGE W BUSH AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY CAUSE THE DOWNFALL
OF THE UNTIED STATES THIS IS WHY WE ARE SUFFERING TODAY!
IT WAS CALLED A RUN AWAY TRAIN THAT ULTIMATELY WRECKED, CRASHED AND BURNED THE PEOPLE ! "GOP DID IT TO US"!
Term limits of six (6) years maximum, no retirement, medical benefits only while in office, limit contributions with caps on every elected position, limit party power, illegalize paid lobbying, tort reform, run ethics committees like grand juries with rotating citizen panels selected by random from voter registrations, adhere to the constitution, eliminate the Federal Bank; purge academia of tenured radicals, photo ID to vote, open transparency at all levels unless of immediate national security, etc., etc.
The alternative? Our current situation!
If they have to be "whipped" into voting for this bill, then they know they will lose their positions next election. They really should listen to their voters back home in theri districts. These fools may end up along with so many others in the "unemployment" line next election.
This just too much. These jokers in congress are completely USELESS!!!
Vote them ALL out! Enough of this nonsense.
Nancy Pelosi always delivers for San Francisco. She need not impress any others.
As long as those schmucks keep voting her back into office, she'll continue to deliver for them.
She delivers attempts at ultimate gov't control and damning remarks about anyone who doesn't agree with her communist agenda. Pelosi doesn't deserve to represent anything but animal waste.
Today is the Day! The POTUS needs to go LBJ on some of the Blue Dogs, Fired Up! Ready to Go!
While America crumbles under political corruption and incompetence we amuse ourselves with the process. Games, bribery, constant bickering and one upsmanship. Why, when we would not tolerate this behaviour from children, do we tolerate this? One of the quickest roads to wealth in America is to get elected, how does that work? Millions and millions invested to get elected to a job that pays a fraction of that. Once in office most stay for a lifetime. Of the people, by the people and for the people? Wrong! Just try to influence these "Representatives" to support your position and you will find you are not the one that is being represented. If you like the way things are going, go back to sleep, if not WAKE UP AMERCA!
Birdfanmn, why is today the day. this bill neither reduces cost nor does it cover all of the uninsured. It does mandate people buy insurance with threat of jail. It also reduces payments to doctors through Medicare. How exactly does that help the average American?
There in is the crux of the problems we face in America....How will this Bill help America????? Those that are pushing so hard to get this bill passed are the one's who qualify for government assistance and will not have to pay for their part. Those that have to pay for it are checking their BUDGETS and realizing they can't afford the costs of providing healthcare for themselves....much less millions of Americans who are on government supports.
Reducing the spendable income of a vast number of Americans is not the way to improve our lives; nor, the economic stituation.....and, that is what this bill will do.
"Herding cats"? I don't think so. How about it's more like herding wimpy, spineless, spoiled babies into co-conspiring to ruin America from within - and abuse the taxpayers.
Stand up for our Constitution! Don't be wimps! Don't be bribed by Pelosi - she'll throw you under the bus the next chance she gets. Stand up for Americans who don't want to lose basic freedoms and liberties.
Don't be bought! Don't let Pelosi extort you. Do what your employers want you to do - fix the current health care program, get rid of the waste and fraud, give us tort reform and portability and don't be part of creating 111 new government agencies. We don't want government controlled health care. We want to choose our own doctors and our own medical procedures.
Stand up for America and the people who pay your salaries!
All I can say is if my elected representative votes for this bill, his bried career as a member of the House will be over in a hurry. Let's see how Queen P will help him out then.
Obamacare will add over 1 trillion dollars to the federal deficit and budget at a time when unemployment is 10.2%. It will add new mandates to business that is already letting employees go. Reject Obamacare, we just cant afford it right now. Unemployment is at a 26 year high, there is lots of pain out there. Lets focus on unemployment first and put fancy new and expensive social programs on the back burner. 85% of us have insurance and are good with it.