Wavering Dems Pressured From All Sides

A few dozen congressional Democrats have massive targets on their backs thanks to their public wavering on the health-care overhaul. Some indecisive representatives are worried about abortion, others costs or polls, but by delaying their commitment to vote yea or nay, many are feeling intense pressure as the bill enters crunch time. Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA) has met with the president twice this month, received a phone call from him on Air Force One, had his district circled by planes carrying anti-health-care reform banners, and has been confronted by Tea Partiers in his office, The Washington Post reports. Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA) had a long meeting with the president Tuesday, the first in his 12 years in office. Meanwhile, Democratic strategists are increasingly frustrated with representatives who are facing no serious electoral threat yet are threatening to vote no. If no Republicans vote for the bill, Democrats can lose only 37 of their members, and they want those no slots to go to people in highly competitive districts. But right now, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), for example, says he’ll vote no, despite winning his seat by 70 points in 2008.