What I don’t understand is why I’m supposed to think this is a good thing.
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.) said she believes the Blue Dogs have scored a major victory by getting leaders to back away from their goal of having the House vote on a healthcare bill before members return home for the month of August.
“We’ve achieved the victory of not having a vote on the House floor that will give every member a chance to digest what’s in the bill, whether it’s in a markup that occurs in Energy and Commerce or whether it’s as the bill exists right now,” she said. “It is because of the Blue Dog Coalition that there is no floor vote before the August break.”
I’m all for congresspeople reading the legislation before they vote on it, but that isn’t why the Blue Dogs want to avoid a vote before the recess. The Blue Dogs are clearly trying to defeat health care reform, and Ms. Herseth Sandlin, at least, isn’t even doing much to hide that fact.
They are basically bragging about their progress.