Deem & Pass: The Coburn matrix of special deal rebuff

Deem & Pass: The Coburn matrix of special deal rebuff

In the run-up to this weekend's House of Representatives smackdown vote on Obamacare, special deals and political horsetrading is in full bloom to secure every Democrat representative vote they need to reach the minimum threshold of 216 votes (217 needed to pass with the final vote to be added by the Democrat Vice-President, Joe Biden).

The President of the United States was able to spend taxpayer money and press into service the support team that operates the jet known as Air Force One in order to give the Democrat Congressman from Ohio, Dennis Kucinich, a ride and rally ... to and in his district in order to secure his YES vote on the Senate bill.

Other Congressmen, however are holding out for more ... much more than just a plane ride to their home district. With the President pleading for members of his party to save his presidency - first ... by voting to pass the Senate bill - second, special deals for district projects, government job and positions are being offered up to secure a YES vote support.

As a defense against this tactic, the Republican leadership in the Senate, which will have to approve all government positions and embassidorships had Senator (and Doctor) Tom Coburn Thursday put his colleagues in the lower chamber on advance notice that the Republicans will place special attention to torpedo any promises of patronage made by President Barack Obama to all wavering House Democrats.

This excerpted and edited from Red State -

Coburn Promises to Hold Future Nominations of Ex-House Democrats
Posted by James Richardson - Thursday, March 18th at 3:15PM EDT

Coburn [Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma] promised at a health care presser on Capitol Hill today that he would exercise his senatorial prerogative to hold all nominations of vote-switching House Democrats who lose their reelection bids this Fall. The new maneuver aimed at scuttling Democratic vote whipping efforts sent an unmistakeable message to the White House: Senate Republicans will do everything in their power to prevent the bill’s passage, even if that means preemptively expending political capital.

“I want to send a couple messages to my colleagues in the House. If you voted no and you vote yes and you lose your election, and you think any nomination to a federal position isn’t going to held in the Senate, I’ve got news for you,” Coburn, a physician whose been among the Senate’s most vocal opponents of the bill, said. “It’s going to be held.”
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39 Democrats voted against the bill last year. Representative Dennis Kucinich became the first Democrat to change course, as he surrendered yesterday to intense White House lobbying to support the bill.

“If you think you can cut a deal now and it not come out until after the election, I want to tell you that isn’t going to happen and be prepared to defend selling your vote in the House,” warned Coburn.
Reference Here>>

The matrix Senator Tom Coburn plans to apply will come through the effort of his staff and the staffs of other Republican Senators to comb through spending bills looking for special projects in the districts of Democrats who wind up voting for the bill. Further, House members who vote for the bill shouldn't expect to be confirmed to any federal position if they leave Congress ... Republican leadership will be united to block any such nominations.