US House

In an interview with radio host Michael Savage on Thursday — where Savage insinuated that Obama is a Muslim and Michele Obama is fat — Rep. Michele Bachmann said that if the health care reform vote happens on Sunday Democrats will “profane the Sabbath.” She also incorrectly states that health reform would force taxpayers to [...]

Rep. Michele Bachmann has missed about four times more votes than her colleagues Rep. Keith Ellison, a Democrat, and Rep. Erik Paulsen, a Republican, on the House Financial Services Committee, her only committee assignment. Three quarters of votes at which Bachmann wasn’t present happened on days she had national cable news appearances.

Rep. James Oberstar has gone from a ‘no’ vote to an ‘undecided’ vote to a ‘likely’ vote on health care reform, but according to the Star Tribune, he’s still not certain.

Democratic leaders pushing health care reform this year like to argue that a vast majority of the proposals represent uncontroversial changes backed by most Capitol Hill lawmakers. And while that might be true, it hasn’t prevented sharp disagreement between House and Senate Democrats over a handful of high-profile reform provisions. Here’s how the reconciliation bill — which House leaders unveiled today to address what they considered weaknesses in the Senate legislation — would tweak (or not) some of the most contentious provisions in the upper chamber’s bill.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty sent a letter (pdf) to Minnesota’s congressional delegates on Thursday urging them to vote against the health reform legislation currently pending in Congress. He praised Minnesota’s health care system and criticized the Democratic plan.

Rep. Michele Bachmann has been on a media blitz this week trying to drum up opposition to health care reform. In the last 7 days, she has appeared on Bill Bennett, Matt Lewis, Chris Baker and held two “kill the bill” rallies — one in Minnesota and one in Washington. She also appeared on Fox [...]

Following Wednesday’s news that Rep. James Oberstar will be voting for the health care reform bill before Congress, the progressive group Catholics United is airing TV commercials praising the Minnesota Democrat. The spots, which began airing in Minnesota on Wednesday, is part of a “broader national campaign to underscore Catholic support for health care [...]

At an event in Minneapolis last month, Rep. Keith Ellison went toe-to-toe with former Black Panther Dhoruba Bin Wahad, eventually promising the crowd he’d consider a congressional resolution questioning the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal — who was convicted of murdering a Philadelphia policeman in 1982, although supporters say he didn’t receive a fair trial.

Tea party protests on Capitol Hill are getting smaller and more pessimistic as activists realize the U.S. House of Representatives may well pass the health care reform bill.

Rep. Michele Bachmann will be in Iowa next month, headlining the third annual Defenders of Freedom event organized by fellow Republican Rep. Steve King.
“Together Michele and I have led the charge in the U.S. House to fight the Obama/Pelosi/Reid health care nightmare,” King said in a statement. “It was her idea that [...]