The Vote Getter

“Before we all finish with healthcare reform once and for all, the Washington Post has one of those long, breathless ‘tick-tock’ features rounding up the behind-the-scenes details on the battle for healthcare reform, as its reporters channel Bob Woodward, complete with blind quotes and ability to read minds. This one, ‘How Obama revived his health-care bill’, although thin on actual news, has an interesting aside about the respect that Speaker Nancy Pelosi carries within the White House: ‘For days, [Obama] had been hearing Pelosi warn that she could not round up the votes for the Senate bill. The speaker was one of the most skilled vote-counters in history; her assessment carried weight. But Obama knew she was one of history’s most skilled vote-getters as well. More than anyone else, in fact, she had been the reason the House passed its health-care bill in November.’ It’s about time, too. Over on Cif America, Rachel Morris has written a fascinating piece about Pelosi’s role and the recent, over-blown media coverage of White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel: ‘But all this time, while the media were busy scurrying to collect not-exactly-rare anecdotes of Rahm’s machismo, they missed the story on the politician who has actually earned the badge of toughest nut in F***nutsville: Nancy Pelosi.”