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Sunday, November 8, 2009

NY Times Maps House Health Care Vote

Maps! We love maps! And the New York Times delivers with this cool interactive map of how the members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted on H.R. 3962, the really big health coverage reform bill that still manages to treat women like second-class citizens (thanks for nothing, Rep. Stupak).


This is just a screen capture; go to the original at NYT, and you can run your mouse over the map and get instant info on who's who and how they voted. Note that the lone Republican vote for the bill came from Louisiana Rep. Anh Cao, that single red spot down on the Gulf (ooo... click on it, and the map zooms in! Cool!)

NYT also offers an interactive table breaking down the no votes by previous electoral margin of victory, constituents' preference last year for Obama or McCain, Blue Dog status, and other interesting stats.

A couple other significant votes:
  • Speaker Pelosi's bill got one more vote than it would have last summer, thanks to the Sarah Palin and the Tea Party insurrectionists of New York's 23rd: Rep. Bill Owens, elected Tuesday as the first Democrat from that district since 1873, voted aye.
  • My man Dennis Kucinich voted nay... but I give him a pass, because he's willing to call the bill what it is: a continuing sop to the private insurance racket that continues its immoral grip on health care. (By the way, Speaker Pelosi, where was the open debate on the Weiner Amendment you promised? Oh: looks like Dems caved on that one, too. Rats.)

12 comments:

  1. "My man Dennis Kucinich voted nay... but I give him a pass, because he's willing to call the bill what it is: a continuing sop to the private insurance racket that continues its immoral grip on health care."

    ... He got that right! In fact, reality may prove worse: Outright institutionalization of the abuses of the insurance racket. Anyone who resists rape must pay a fine. Ah, but here in America, we have a unique system of justice: We punish not the perpetrators of crimes, but the victims.

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  2. Under current law, if I'm a physician, in certain circumstances, yes. Your point?

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  3. The point is (not speaking for Sibson but speaking for myself as one who believes a pre-born baby is a living human) that abortion takes the life of a human being. Period. I don't believe this equates with treating woman as second class citizens either. I do believe in exceptions for rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother BTW, but in all other cases of pregnancy, the woman has a choice. The baby does NOT.

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  4. "...abortion takes the life of a human being. Period."

    "I do believe in exceptions for rape"

    I'm sorry Nonnie, but this is a disturbing argument I've heard too many times.

    It's murder to abort an unborn child, but if the woman were raped, then go ahead and kill the baby?

    The child as a result of a rape equally has no choice. Or that life isn't equal.

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  5. Steve Sibson11/09/2009 5:05 PM

    Cory,

    So only males who can kill their preborn baby is a Doctor? FOr any reason?

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  6. Steve Sibson11/09/2009 5:06 PM

    nonnie,

    Is it just to punish the child of a parent who does a criminal act?

    PS: And thanks for noting my point.

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  7. [Leave it to my own darn party to distract us from health coverage reform with an abortion debate. Grrr.]

    Oh, I forgot: Sibby likes to view women and children as chattel possessed by men. Yes Sibby, I'll say it: the woman facing nine months of pregnancy and physical servitude to another living being has a choice available to her that the sperm donor doesn't. Deal with it.

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  8. Although I reluctantly believe in a woman's right to choose (because life is so precious), Sibby, in a much kinder way expressed my argument.

    The thing is Cory, most of life is gray. You focus so much on black or white, right or wrong, that you rarely compromise and rarely see the middle.

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  9. Steve Sibson11/10/2009 6:19 AM

    Cory,

    All you have to do is look at court rulings on custody to understand that fathers are second-class citizens in America today.

    And you need to take your complaint regarding the role of motherhood up with God.

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  10. Boo hoo, Steve. I'm not seeing it.

    And yes, I will take it up with God, next time I see Him....

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  11. The problem here, John, is the black and white of the Stupak amendment.

    Besides, I've got my Congresswoman to do all the compromising for me. Politics is the art of compromise, but someone has to enunciate the principles down from which we will compromise. Every side in a tug of war needs some anchors; otherwise, we end up in the mud. Now grab that rope and pull! :-)

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  12. Actually, you can see God all around you, Cory. In nature, in the eyes of your daughter, in the love of family. All you have to do is look.

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