RUSH: The Democrats just this morning have lost a vote for Obama’s health care plan. They have lost a man who was going to vote ‘yes’ who has switched his mind to ‘no.’ Now, in the face of all of this PR news today, the CBO numbers, oh, it’s great, everybody’s giddy, oh, it’s going to pass, everybody’s going to like it, everybody’s going to vote for it… they lost another vote. Stick with the EIB Network for the truth. This is from the National Journal, the Hotline bunch. ‘A key House Democrat has begun informing party leaders he plans to vote against health care legislation both on the House floor and in the rules committee, on which he sits. Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-NY), a sophomore Dem who had a tougher-than-expected re-election bid in ’08, has told the Dem caucus he will vote against the bill. He becomes the 3rd member, along with Reps. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) and Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), to have switched from supporting the first bill, in Nov., to opposing the Senate 
version. Arcuri’s vote will not hurt the bill’s chances in committee, where Dems hold a 9-4 advantage,’ getting the Slaughter thing passed, but it does matter on the floor. So while all this happy-go-lucky, let’s get the balloons in the air and let’s start singing songs and so forth, we got the CBO numbers, they lost a Democrat today. They lost a Democrat who was voting ‘yes,’ decided to switch to ‘no.’
From The Politico, confirming, ladies and gentlemen, everything that I have been saying. ‘President Barack Obama had exhausted most of his health care reform arguments with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus during a White House meeting last Thursday when he made a more personal pitch that resonated with many skeptics in the room. One caucus member told Politico that Obama won him over by ‘essentially [saying] that the fate of his presidency’ hinged on this week’s health reform vote in the House. The member, who requested anonymity, likened Obama’s remarks to an earlier meeting with progressives when the president said a victory was necessary to keep him ‘strong’ for the next three years of his term.’ And yet it was only yesterday, last night, that Obama lied to Bret Baier. I’m still waiting for somebody on Obama’s side of this to call me and tell me one thing he said about this health care bill that’s true. Just one thing he said that’s true. He’s lying through his teeth about this, and he doesn’t even care. Sometimes he can’t help lying because he doesn’t know what’s in it.
A journalist, Bret Baier, knew more about what’s in Obama’s health care proposal — and, by the way, Obama does not have a proposal. He kept talking last night about his proposal. He doesn’t have one. They’re putting it together in the House. He doesn’t know what’s in it. He doesn’t care. A journalist knows more about what’s going to happen here than Obama does. ‘Yeah, of course, Rush, Obama’s a big-picture guy, he can’t be side-tracked and distracted by minutia.’ It ain’t minutia. So it’s all about Obama. Politico again: ‘Nancy Pelosi’s Biggest Test — As President Barack Obama left a St. Patrick’s Day luncheon at the Capitol on Wednesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi walked beside him, speaking softly. When the two came upon a Democrat who hasn’t committed to voting yes on the health care bill, Pelosi would tell Obama, ‘We could use help on this one,’ according to a person who saw the stroll. Obama, in turn, would tell the wavering Democrat, ‘We’re counting on you.” What is this, a dictatorship? We got the media reporting on how well the Speaker of the House does in this? What about telling us about the underlying foundation fraud, dangerous ruination to the country if this thing passes, Politico? Why don’t you go in there and roll your sleeves up and find out just what a disaster this is for the very country you live in. Instead of focusing on, wow, can Pelosi get this done, can Obama get this done?
Oh, another ‘no’ vote, ladies and gentlemen. ‘Even one of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s floor whips, US Rep. Stephen Lynch, says a proposed parliamentary move to pass health-care reform would be ‘disingenuous’ and harm the credibility of Congress. In a sign of how tough it’s been for Pelosi to round up votes for the massive bill …’ boohoo about that. ‘… Lynch — a South Boston Democrat who supported a House reform package last year — said he’ll probably vote against a key Senate version of the legislation, unless unexpected major changes are made soon.’ This is one of Pelosi’s vote counters, and this is news from today, too. Here’s two new ‘no’ votes that we can tell you amidst all of this euphoria and fanfare over the CBO number.