This is what happens when you don't involve people in the process.
Progressive Dems were ignored throughout the entire health care reform process, and now have no vested interest in seeing the bill pass. If anything, they have an interest in seeing it fail, so that the administration, and their own congressional leadership, learns that they matter and must be consulted, and their views included, in future legislation.
In fact, this is the House's version of the campaign Joe and I launched, Don't Ask Don't Give. Our campaign is focused on the Democrats' gay rights promises, but it could be about anything, or any Democrat. The basic point is: Don't come asking for favors after you tell us we don't matter.
From Greg Sargent at Plum Line:
In a private meeting in the Capitol just now, a dozen or more House liberals bluntly told Nancy Pelosi that there was no chance that they would vote to pass the Senate bill in its current form — making it all but certain that House Dems won’t opt for this approach, a top House liberal tells me.I suspect you're seeing a little "Don't Ask Don't Give" from Pelosi, directed at the White House, as well. If the President wants House liberals to get on board, he can come and convince them himself.
“We cannot support the Senate bill — period,” is the message that liberals delivered to the Speaker, Dem Rep Raul Grijalva told me in an interview just now.
Some had hoped Pelosi would push liberals to get in line behind this approach, in hopes of expediting reform, but that didn’t appear to happen in this meeting. Pelosi mostly listened, Grijalva said, adding: “We didn’t get any declarative statement from her.”
