Dem Won't Apologize for 'Die Quickly' Gag

GOP's Dan Webster credits victory to positive campaign

(NEWSER) - In one of the nation's most keenly watched House races, voters in central Florida rejected combative liberal incumbent Rep. Alan Grayson in favor of veteran Republican state lawmaker Dan Webster. The Democrat—who drew the wrath of GOP leaders for saying the Republican health care plan was to "die quickly"—was widely criticized for an attack ad that labeled his opponent "Taliban Dan. " More»

Steve King, Louie Gohmert not far behind among fringe congressmen

(NEWSER) - A week after releasing its Senate Wingnut Index , the Daily Beast investigates wingnuttery in the House. Using a “semi-scientific” process to identify the most extreme members on both sides of the spectrum, the site ranks them:

1. Michele Bachmann (R-MN): From calling the president “anti-American” to warning of tyranny, “Bachmann has become a symbol of all things Wingnutty in American politics.”

Obama's share of vote in 2008 best predictor of House Democrats' positions

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama may have sown the seeds to last night's victory with the one in 2008: House Democrats in districts Obama carried were much more likely to vote in favor of health reform. Retiring members aside, Nate Silver writes, “all 12 Democrats running in a place where Obama received less than 40% of the vote decided against the bill, whereas 195 of 202 running where he received a majority voted for it.” In Silver’s opinion, the vote hinged on the 2010 election for both the yeas and the nays. More»

Vote scheduled for Sunday as Dems try to wrangle 10 yeas

(NEWSER) - The Congressional Budget Office numbers aren’t in yet, but House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer assures wary legislators that health care reform will save billions, even trillions, over the next 20 years. His statement comes as House Democrats try to wrangle the 10 additional votes needed to pass the bill, which is scheduled for a vote on Sunday. Hoyer tells the Wall Street Journal that the Dems' latest version cost $940 billion over a decade and would decrease the deficit by $130 billion in the first 10 years. More»

Democratic leaders play hardball ahead of House vote

(NEWSER) - The store is closed for House Democrats looking for sweeteners to sway them into voting for the health bill, Nancy Pelosi warned yesterday. Pelosi stressed that she won't be making any changes to the final legislation for the sake of holdouts, meaning that there will be no more "Cornhusker Kickbacks," although she may now have a harder time mustering the necessary 216 votes. More»