Obama Calls Democrats for Meeting as Pro-Abortion Health Care Bill Implodes

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Dec 13, 2009   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Obama Calls Democrats for Meeting as Pro-Abortion Health Care Bill Implodes

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
December 13
, 2009

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — President Barack Obama is calling on Senate Democrats to come to the White House for a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the imploding fortunes of the pro-abortion health care bill. The meeting comes one day after Obama had scheduled a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

It also comes as some Democrats are seen as falling away from supporting the bill.

Sen. Joe Lieberman has renewed his pledge to filibuster the legislation over the inclusion of the public option. Sen. Ben Nelson has said he will oppose the bill as well because of the abortion funding contained in it.

And other Democrats are sounding negative themes and members such as Blanch Lincoln, Mary Landrieu, and even Jim Webb of Virginia, are seen as potential no votes.

The meeting also comes as reports have surfaced showing the White House supposedly telling Reid to cut a political deal with Lieberman to salvage his vote.

Rebutting the reports, a top presidential aide, Dan Pfeiffer, said, "The White House is not pushing (Senate Majority Leader Harry) Reid in any direction, we are working hand in hand with the Senate leadership to work through the various issues and pass health reform as soon as possible."

If Obama wants to get the pro-abortion health care bill approved by Christmas, tomorrow is possibly the last day for Democrats to put together a plan to do so.

Obama also, on Monday, met with Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, who is hoping to find a way to stop the abortion funding in the bill after the Nelson amendment was defeated.

The internal Democratic dustup comes as new polling data show a tie for the historic high for opposition to the pro-abortion health care reform plan.

Fifty-six percent of likely voters now oppose the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s the highest level of opposition found – reached three times before – in six months of polling, according to the Rasmussen Reports polling firm.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 40% of voters favor the health care plan.

Perhaps more significantly, 46% now Strongly Oppose the plan, compared to 19% who Strongly Favor it.

Overall support for the health care plan fell to 38%, its lowest point ever, just before Thanksgiving. This is the fourth straight week with support at 41% or less. With the exception of a few days following nationally televised presidential appeals for the legislation, the number of voters opposed to the plan has always exceeded the number who favor it.

“The most significant detail in the data is that 63% of senior citizens oppose the plan, including 52% who strongly oppose it,” says Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports.

Democrats, whose legislators control both the House and Senate, continue to be the big supporters of the health care plan. Seventy-one percent (71%) of those in the president’s party favor it. Eighty-one percent (81%) of Republicans and 69% of voters not affiliated with either party oppose the plan.

But again the emotion is on the side of the opponents: Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Democrats strongly support the plan, but 74% of GOP voters and 57% of unaffiliateds strongly oppose it.

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