SCHIP Vote Is In Da House Tomorrow

When you vote for passage of SCHIP tomorrow, you are not only in the House, but you are “In da House!”.

SCHIP will provide health care benefits to millions throughout the nation, and a few hundred thousand kids in Texas. It’s an expansion of the previous law, bringing more children in out of cold.

Bush’s veto of the bill was heartless and shameful, and it needs to be overturned. There are enough votes in the Senate to overturn his veto, as the bill passed the senate on a heavily bipartisan vote. The House, though, did not pass the bill with a 2/3s majority and will need more Democratic votes, and some more Republican votes as well.

And there’s the rub.

Apparently, according the the WaPo article linked here, only one Democrat who voted against the bill says that she will change her vote. Said Kathy Castor, D-Fla, the bill didn’t contain as much finding as she wished

“I registered my protest then, but when it comes down to tomorrow, it's whose side are we going to be on?" I'm going to be on the side of America's families and America's children.”

Some Democratic congressmen are expected to follow Castor’s lead. Dennis Kucinich will not be one of them. Kucinich refuses to vote for a bill that specifically denies coverage to immigrant children.

I agree with Kucinich’s opinion, but not with his vote. There is no way on God’s blue-green orb that a bill that includes immigrant children will pass. Not when the anti-immigrant flames are fanned so hotly by Republican fearmongerers.

Also, according to the WaPo, no Republican has announced a change in their vote. Not one.

In doing so, these people are willing to risk losing more independent voters. A recently released CNN poll showed that 61% of Americans support an SCHIP expansion. My estimate is that this represents every Democratie and every independent voter. And maybe even a few who call themselves Republican.

I’ve wondered over the last couple of weeks what Bush had to gain in his veto? The expansion was not that great. Not when compared to what we are spending to wage an illegal and immoral war in Iraq. No, I don’t think it was necessarily about the money. I think it has to do with Bush being a lame duck and not liking it very much at all. This was given away in the Post article as well:

“That's one way to ensure that I am relevant. That's one way to ensure that I am in the process.”

Awwww. Poahh Bushie not feeowing welevant? Poahh, poahh Bushie.

So if SCHIP fails tomorrow, we are back to square one.

And Bush regains his relevance.