Two Conservative Dems Swing 'Yes'

With news from the Congressional Budget Office showing health-care legislation will save $138 billion over the next decade while continuing to expand coverage to 32 million currently uninsured Americans, two legislators on the fence announced they would now vote for the bill. Congress watchers believe House Speaker Nancy Pelosi believes she is between five and 10 votes from the 216 she needs to pass the bill. Along with Colorado's Betsy Markey, Tennessee Rep. Bart Gordon, a Blue Dog Democrat, voted against the bill during its first rounds, but has since changed his decision. "In November, I said I hoped the Senate and House could work out the difference and produce a bill I could support—one that takes responsible steps to make health care more affordable for our economy and for our families and small businesses," he said. However, Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) voted yes on the previous bill and is now leaning no, in part because of taxes to high-end plans, and so is Rep. Zack Space (D-OH).