LISA LERER & PATRICK O’CONNOR
Politico
Friday, June 26, 2009
With a vote on sweeping climate change legislation just hours away, Democrats are scrambling for support – and feeling confident that they’ll have enough to pass the bill.
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Friday morning that the bill will be “one of the defining votes of this Congress,” and he described it as a “new tax” that will have an impact on “every single American.”
Republicans have taken to calling the measure – formally known as the “American Clean Energy and Security Act” – a “national energy tax.”
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On Friday, Michigan Republican Rep. Fred Upton took note of the force with which Democratic leaders were whipping their members, telling California Democratic Rep. Ellen Tauscher: “Congratulations on your confirmation to head up Arms Control at the State Department. You have your work cut out for you because at the end of the day today, you are going to need to repair a lot of arms on your side of the aisle.”
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told AFP Friday the Democrats will have the 218 votes they need for passage. But party leaders are looking for more, hoping to build a big enough margin so that vulnerable Democrats can be freed to vote against the bill.
