Is the Democrat-led House of Representatives actually showing a spine? Today, Speaker Pelosi affirmed what was already known — that the votes are not in that body to pass the Senate version as delivered up to the point of the Scott Brown victory earlier this week. All is not lost, however. Pelosi and House Democrats may be working to get the confidence of progressives back into the fold. A tall order, yes. But, by coming clean now to the left-leaning base of Obama’s party, the Speaker seems to be intimating that the House she controls will do what it will take to reinforce some level of trust and ability all but the party faithful believe was lost on the night of Brown’s victory in the Senate race just 48 hours ago. At this point the party’s progressive wing would do well to push for changes it has already wanted included before the Senate took the reins: healthcare exchanges and greater use of subsidies to fund whatever public fixes come out of the House. After all, what’s there to lose if Sen. Scott Brown’s vote becomes a firewall in the new Senate anyway? | LINK

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