I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
Congressman Harry Teague, D-N.M., is one of the undecided votes on health care according to nearly everyone’s whip list (or vote counts). And so the freshman Representative in the 2nd Congressional District is getting pressure from the right and left on his vote.
This comes on the heels of a report from The Hill that indicates Teague could vote yes.
At least 25 House Democrats will reject the healthcare reform legislation, according to a survey by The Hill, a review of other media reports and interviews with lawmakers, aides and lobbyists. Dozens of House Democrats are undecided or won’t comment on their position on the measure.
The 25 opposed include firm “no” votes and members who are likely “no” votes. Most Democrats on The Hill’s whip list are definitely going to vote no, but others, such as Reps. Lincoln Davis (Tenn.) and Harry Teague (N.M.), could vote yes.
The House would be voting on concurrence with the Senate version of health care reform.
The pressure from the left comes from Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee, which sent out an e-mail blast to supporters asking them to call Teague to urge him to vote for health care reform. OFA supporters in the 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts also received e-mails asking them to call Rep. Martin Heinrich and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, respectively.
On the right, a campaign spokeswoman for Teague’s likely general election opponent, former U.S. Congressman Steve Pearce, questioned what Teague’s vote would be.
“Congressman Teague has stayed as far away from the issue of health care legislation as possible,” Pearce spokeswoman Alicia Collins said. “Americans are outraged at the possibility that this bill could not only pass, put be rammed through Congress using procedural tricks.”
Collins said, “It is becoming more clear that Congressman Teague plans to vote for the health care bill, but wants to do it as quietly as possible to avoid voter backlash.”
Teague voted against the House version of health care reform last year. Teague said he was supportive of the idea of reforming health care reform but could not support the House version of health care reform. In announcing his opposition to the House version of health care reform that narrowly passed, Teague said in a statement, “this bill doesn’t do enough to rein in insurance companies. It mandates millions of people and businesses to buy health insurance, but does little to make insurance companies control consumer costs.”
