Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., a leader of the moderate “Blue Dog” Democrats, held a town hall meeting in Arkadelphia on Friday over the issue of health care. Local coverage pegged attendance at between 700 and 800, with partisans on both sides in attendance.
Of the town halls held so far, this one was particularly interesting, and not just because Ross was such a central figure in the health care debate prior to the August recess. Most interesting was Ross’s use of an excuse that I’d anticipated but which, especially in his case, makes no sense. He pleaded that he had yet to endorse any particular bill; that there was no final bill yet; that he would still make up his mind as to whether he would support the final bill.
According to one person in attendance, Ross also pleaded repeatedly that he was just one out of 535 members of Congress, and therefore could do little on his own.
The problem is, there is a final bill in the House, HR 3200. And Ross’s was one of the key votes that moved it to the House floor from the House Energy and Commerce Committee prior to the August recess. Ross, as a de facto leader of a group of seven moderate Democrats on the committee, was uniquely positioned among the 535 to change HR 3200. And yet he did vote for it in its current form on July 31, right before the House’s August recess began. It passed narrowly, 31-28.
One of the benefits of having a bill go to the House floor in July was supposed to be that no one could use this deceptive excuse during the recess. Unfortunately, members of Congress seem intent on making it anyway — even those in the worst position to do so.
