Charlie Sykes: Sykes Writes

SATURDAY HOT VIEW: WHAT TO WATCH FOR TODAY

By Charlie Sykes

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Blue dogs Democrats have a choice today...Paul Ryan explains the vote counting and the consequences of Obamacare for jobs and the economy.

UPDATE: VIA NRO

<Paul Ryan (R., Wis.), the ranking member of the House Budget Committee, tells NRO that if the Democrats do pass the Pelosi bill today, it will only be because the party strong-armed its members, not because it’s good policy. “They’re putting every bit of party pressure” on the Democrats still sitting on the fence, he says. “They’re having people meet with the president one-on-one and doing everything they can to push their Blue Dogs to vote for the party and against the people.”

“The Democratic party leadership here in Washington is so committed to their ideology that they are more than willing to throw 20 to 30 of their members overboard — to lose 20 seats if they can get this done. Those 20 seats are a pain in their side where they also do not have enthusiastic support on things like cap-and-trade,” says Ryan.

“The way I see it is that these Blue Dogs will have to decide whether or not they will succumb to this party pressure,” says Ryan. “That’s why they’re keeping us in town. That’s why they’re not letting people go home. They’re not going to let this bill sit over the Veterans Day recess, because they know if they let people go home to talk their constituents then they’ll lose votes. It’s basically ‘start the pressure cooker and bring it home.’”

“The Democratic leaders here have been waiting their entire adult lives for a moment like this,” says Ryan. “This is a ‘destiny moment’ for them. This is a chance to fulfill their ideological ambitions. In a strange way, I respect it. I respect the fact that they had the courage of their convictions. The big problem I have with it is that their convictions are completely antithetical to the principles that built this country. They’re completely antithetical to the whole notion of free-market democracy that has made America the greatest, most exceptional country in the world. They’re determined to do this. It’s all about ideology. This is not about the best health policy, it’s about ideological conflicts.”