Stupak Wins Round One; Palin Shines

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mi) is not your ordinary household name. But, he is a true pro-life hero. By insisting over and over that no federal funds should be used for abortion, essentially sticking it to Speaker Pelosi and President Obama, Stupak was able to win approval for a vote on his amendment to the health care bill, H.R. 3962, to really prohibit federal funding of abortion. And, the amendment won by a substantial margin. From Wisconsin, voting for the pro-life Stupak amendment were Reps. Sensenbrenner, Ryan, Petri and Obey. Voting against were Reps. Kagen, Kind, Moore and Baldwin.

The pro-abortion contingent is stung by this defeat, and vowing to take the Stupak language out in conference committee. Here is the reality: Who knows if the Senate will pass a bill or what version? Perhaps the Senate will also pass a Stupak amendment. Or, the Senate version could be crafted in such a manner that a Stupak amendment is not necessary. If there is a fight in conference committee, Stupak and his gang of 40, emboldened by their fantastic Saturday night coup, can once again hold back the votes needed to pass the entire bill. Major kudos to Stupak and his Dem colleagues! And, to all of the Republicans, save one, who voted for the Stupak amendment.

Which brings me to Governor Sarah Palin. What a magnificent event we had on Friday, November 6!!! We estimate there were about 3,400 people in the crowd and their continual roars said it all. People literally floated out of the hall. More on Palin tomorrow as the health care reform measure information took precedence today.

Barbara Lyons