Considering that the public, by a majority, oppose the healthcare plan, she may have reason to not want representatives to hear their constituents.
Even without letting them go home, she is losing support from some Democrats that are vulnerable in their next election.
USA Today reports:
Some of the most vulnerable Democrats in the House are starting to flake off the health care bill.
There are a dozen first-term Democrats representing districts that Republican presidential nominee John McCain won last year. So far, six have announced that they will vote against their party's health care bill.
Update, 5:43 p.m. ET: Now there are seven. The New York Daily News has just published a statement from hometown Rep. Michael McMahon, D-N.Y. He's in the no column. "I believe the net negatives of this bill outweight the positive effects," McMahon says.
Five of those announcements came today. All of the lawmakers who announced opposition cited concerns about the price tag of the legislation, estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to be more than $1 trillion over 10 years.
"After months of thoroughly reviewing legislative proposals and speaking with constituents and stakeholders, I am not satisfied that this bill before us is a sustainable solution," said Rep. Frank Kratovil, D-Md. Alert readers will remember that he was the congressman hung in effigy during the height of the August town hall meeting uproar.
The other three Democratic freshmen from McCain districts who announced their opposition to the health care bill Friday are: Reps. Bobby Bright of Alabama, Walt Minnick of Idaho, and Suzanne Kosmas of Florida. Two who announced their opposition earlier: Reps. Travis Childers of Mississippi and Parker Griffith of Alabama. All but Griffith have announced their opposition since Election Day, when Democrats suffered humiliating defeats in the New Jersey and Virginia governors races.
As written previously, Fancy Nancy also was forced to allow an amendment from anti-abortion Democrats that would ban federal funding for abortions.
Eric Cantor also has provided a list of 69 Democrats that have made statements against the Healthcare bill and asks which ones would stand by their objections and on principle and which ones will allow themselves to be pushed around by Nancy Pelosi.
Michelle Malkin is liveblogging today's votes, so make sure to keep heading over there for updates.
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