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WASHINGTON — Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, one of 39 Democrats to vote "no" on the $1.2 trillion healthcare bill that the House passed Saturday night, personally gave the news about his vote in advance to President Barack Obama, his staff said Monday.
"On Friday, the day before the vote, President Obama called and asked Chet if he could support the House bill, and Chet respectfully said 'no,’ " said Josh Taylor, Edwards’ spokesman. Edwards at one time last year was on Obama’s vice presidential short list, placed there at the urging of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., whom Edwards also bucked by voting no.According to Taylor, central to Edwards’ discomfort with the package was the cost, including the unanswered question of whether insurance premiums for families and businesses would increase or decrease.Edwards has been working closely on the aftermath of the Fort Hood shootings and was not available for comment."Chet does not believe the House bill, as written, has any chance of passing in the Senate without major changes," Taylor said. "Chet would like to see a healthcare reform bill that makes healthcare more affordable and dependable for working Americans, but given our nation’s huge deficits, he will not vote for any bill unless he believes it is fiscally responsible."Republicans, however, see Edwards’ defection as a strategic political move to protect himself in a district that voted for Republican nominee John McCain over Obama. Republicans have already fielded as many as a half-dozen candidates to challenge Edwards, a so-called cardinal for his role as chairman of a House Appropriations subcommittee. He has $1.125 million on hand for the 2010 election, according to Federal Election Commission reports.Maria Recio is the Star-Telegram’s Washington bureau chief. 202-383-6103
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