Former President Bill Clinton made several phone calls Saturday to lobby wavering Democrats to sign on to the health care reform bill, Democratic sources told CNN.
Clinton made phone calls to an unspecified number of House Democrats on Saturday as leaders tried to round up the 216 necessary votes to pass the bill.
According to CNN’s latest count, 33 House Democrats plan to vote against the legislation. Thirty-eight Democratic “no” votes are needed to kill the bill.
On Saturday, President Obama made his last appeal for the reform, telling House Democrats on the eve of the historic vote: “Let’s get this done.”
“If you agree that the system is not working for ordinary families, if you’ve heard the same stories that I’ve heard everywhere, all across the country, then help us fix the system,” Obama said.
“Don’t do it for me. Don’t do it for Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid,” he said. “Do it for all those people out there who are struggling.”
Obama’s speech came just hours after Democratic leaders decided to abandon a controversial legislative mechanism to avoid a direct vote on the health care legislation. They will now hold an up-or-down vote on the $875 billion reform plan that the Senate has already passed.
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Article courtesy cnn.com
