Ciro Rodriguez Falls Off the Healthcare Fence

I spoke with Mr. Rodriguez' office two days ago and was told that he was not making his stance on healthcare reform public! I was told that he was going to wait until it was time to cast his vote to make his view public. Apparently, he has decided to fall in line with Obama on this issue. 


Here's the latest political wizardry from our local paper with my comments in BLUE. 


With a handful of congressional Democrats taking deep breaths and coming out for health-care reform this week, the New York Times offered up this formula: “With every addition to the yes column, another Democrat potentially gets a pass.” This is the official line from Washington: Save your seat by voting for healthcare reform! Never mind what the people say! Pay no attention to the polls! Ignore the historic deluge of marchers, letters and calls telling you to vote no!


Rep. Ciro Rodriguez won't be one of the takers.
The San Antonio Democrat plans to vote for !!!! the lightning rod of a bill, possibly Sunday, saying the package of changes ultimately would cut the cost of medical care and extend coverage to many of the uninsured. Spending trillions of dollars we don't have will SAVE us money. Did you get that?
“This is probably one of the most important votes I will ever take,” Rodriguez says. “This is the first time that we're close to making a difference, to taking on these sacred cows, like the insurance industry, and doing what's right.” By "making a difference" he means creating a fascist style government run bureaucracy in charge of the healthcare industry. Sweet. 
Of course, many the vast majority of his constituents will see his vote as part of a power grab, a government takeover of health care.
And Republican strategists will be ecstatic. They've targeted his andCongressman Chet Edwards' seats as possible pickups in Texas in November, and Rodriguez's vote could be will be a gift.
Banker-attorney Francisco “Quico” Canseco and retired CIA agent William Hurd are fighting in a GOP primary runoff for the chance to face Rodriguez in the general election.
The 23rd Congressional District is one of the largest in the country, and it's complex. It runs from San Antonio to El Paso, lumps urban dwellers with ranchers, encompasses some wealthy and many poor constituents, is majority Hispanic and includes a close mix of Democrats and Republicans, with the D's having a smallish edge.
Not surprisingly, Rodriguez's voting record is more moderate than it was when he represented the 28th District, the seat he lost in 2004 a year after Republicans forced through their redistricting plan Democrats are always bitter when the people use democracy to express their wishes. At the time, the district had footholds in San Antonio's South Side and in Webb County.
Now representing less solidly Democratic turf, Rodriguez and his supporters usually call up his vote against emissions cap-and-trade legislation as proof of his moderation.
But former County Commissioner Lyle Larson, the Republican who lost to Rodriguez in 2008, says a yes vote on the health-care bill would set off a grass fire, consuming the image of Rodriguez as a moderate.
“This is a visceral issue that's probably going to be a litmus test,” he says. “If he votes for this, he's done — this will galvanize conservatives and business people.”
But in a poor district, health-care reform — if it's signed into law — could excite Democratic voters in a way cap-and-trade never could. At least that's the hope among Democrats. Is there any evidence of this sentiment at all? Even the slightest? No there isn't. Democrats know this. Watch the pitch that comes next.
An analysis by the House Energy and Commerce Committee claims the bill would result in tax credits for 176,000 families and 13,200 small businesses in the district to offset the cost of insurance, and would extend coverage to 134,000 uninsured residents. Here's the koolaid: You'll pay less and get more!
Matt Angle, a Democratic consultant and founder of a Washington PAC dedicated to helping Texas Democrats to get elected, says: “I believe that, given the need in his district and given that it's consistent with Ciro Rodriguez's career, he'll be just fine.”


Contact Rep. Ciro Rodriguez and let him know what you think.