Health Bill to Shave $130B Off Deficit in Decade: Hoyer

Obama, Pelosi, GOP come out looking good; flip-floppers, not so much

(NEWSER) - The winners and losers of the health care reform battle will take years to determine, but Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post has some early choices. The winners:

• President Obama: "He ran on doing big things and now will have health care to show for that pledge when he asks for re-election in November 2012."
• Nancy Pelosi: The speaker "does her best work outside of the public glare. And her best work is remarkably good."

House majority leader, whip confident about health reform passage

(NEWSER) - Health care reform legislation will sail through the House of Representatives in Sunday's vote, Steny Hoyer says. “We'll have the votes when the roll is called,” the majority leader tells Politico . Democrats haven’t lined up enough yeas for President Obama’s key domestic agenda, but the majority whip seems as confident as Hoyer. “The bill will pass,” says James Clyburn. More»

He pulls back as Steny Hoyer and Robert Gibbs blast ex-congressman

(NEWSER) - Rush Limbaugh says the mainstream media has it all wrong about his opinion of former Democratic congressman Eric Massa. “They think I'm a big supporter,” the talk show host said today, perhaps because yesterday he promised to make Massa’s ordeal “a national story,” reports Politico . Unflattering stories about the Democratic party are great, but "I’m not a champion of his," said Limbaugh. "Anybody who embraces this guy is in big trouble." More»

Says he was run out of House for opposition to health reform bill

(NEWSER) - Eric Massa took the opportunity on his weekly radio show yesterday to accuse other House Democrats of running him out of Congress because of his opposition to health care reform—and to reveal the spicy comments that spurred the ethics investigation that forced his resignation. “Now they’ve gotten rid of me and it will pass,” the New York representative lamented of the legislation. On to the juicy stuff: More»

Majority leader bemoans 'delay tactics'

(NEWSER) - The House may not vote on its health care reform bill tomorrow after all, thanks to Democrats' squabbling over abortion and spending, Steny Hoyer said today. “We’re very close,” the majority leader insisted, but “clearly things happen. Delay tactics can be employed.” Hoyer acknowledged that right now, Democrats don’t have the 218 votes they need to pass the bill. More»