Dennis Kucinich

Jay Cost argues convincingly that “No serious Democratic official would dare challenge Obama for the nomination.” But Ralph Nader says that “I would guess that the chances of there being a challenge to Obama in the primary are almost 100 percent.” Nader says that challenger could be “an ex-senator or an ex-governor” or “an intellectual leader or an environmental leader.”

Ohio's congressional delegation is shrinking; Washington state's is growing. So with the prospect of losing his congressional seat to redistricting, Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich is exploring a House run in Washington, far away from Cleveland, the city he was once the mayor of. “My district appears to be on the block, so I am looking at options, and I am not limiting those options to Ohio,” Kucinich told the New York Times.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who was last in the news when he filed – and later settled – a lawsuit against the House cafeteria, took to C-SPAN to argue that the “cost of an expanded military is a huge factor driving our deficit.” Kucinich is totally off base here.

Via Ben Smith, the most amusing congressional story of the month:

As Bill Kristol previously noted, voters in Ohio's Tenth Congressional District just might vote out long-time Democratic congressman Dennis Kucinich. It's close: Kucinich's Republican challenger, Peter Corrigan, is behind by only 4 points, well within the margin of error in the latest poll.

It may be a big year for the GOP, but even the expected anti-Democratic tide can’t unseat an entrenched liberal like Dennis Kucinich -- or can it?

It may be a big year for the GOP, but even the expected anti-Democratic tide can’t unseat an entrenched liberal like Dennis Kucinich -- or can it?

Rep. John Boccieri announced he's flipping to Yes today. Let's hope he's enjoyed his time in Washington -- it's probably going to end pretty soon! Boccieri, a freshman, is the first Democratic representative his district has elected since the 1950s. The district voted for McCain. Better visit all the monuments while you can, congressman.

Boccieri's decision brings the total of Democrats who have flipped from No to Yes to four. The others include Reps. Kucinich of Ohio, Markey of Colorado, and Gordon of Tennessee. A Fox News headline says the Democrats are one vote away from passing the Senate bill with fixes, but that doesn't seem right. Firedoglake has the bill at 204-211.

The Democrats' race to pass health care reform is getting exhausting. It's not only the constant rush of developments to the story. The poor undecided congressmen are also tuckered out:

Rep. Jason Altmire has met with President Obama twice this month and received a phone call from Air Force One. Two planes circled his western Pennsylvania district, trailing banners urging him to vote against the health-care bill. And conservative "tea party" activists confronted him at his office, trying to force him to answer: "Are you for or against the bill?"

The pressure has been extreme over the past two weeks on Altmire and the few dozen House Democrats who say they still have not decidedhow they will vote on ambitious legislation designed to remake the nation's health-care system.

Says Bart Stupak: “All the phones are unplugged at our house — tired of the obscene calls and threats. [My wife] won’t watch TV,” Stupak said during an hourlong interview with The Hill in his Rayburn office. “People saying they’re going to spit on you and all this. That’s just not fun.”

Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the GOP deputy whip, just held a conference call with bloggers. Here's what he said. The Republicans estimate that Pelosi has 205 Yes votes, while there are 205 No votes. That leaves about 21 votes up for grabs. Pelosi can lose 37 Democrats and still pass Obamacare into law. Based on rules and precedent and what's happening on the floor, the Republicans estimate that the earliest a health care vote could be held would be late Saturday or early Sunday.

McCarthy also said the Democrats have been pushed backward over the last 24 hours. Forget Kucinich. The reaction to the Slaughter Solution has been horrible for Pelosi and her team. Bart Stupak is holding his ground, even if some of his bloc may peel off in the end. And there's still no final reconciliation language and thus no CBO score for the bill. The Democrats are playing with the numbers in order to earn a deficit-neutral score. Meanwhile, the Capitol Hill switch board has been flooded with calls for and against the legislation.

Rep. Parker Griffith of Alabama, who switched to the GOP in December, shed some light on how the Democratic whip operation works. Griffith said the whip team, when it calls or visits an undecided congressman, knows everything about him. They know the demographics of his district, his popularity, his most recent margin of victory, how safe his seat is, how popular the president and Pelosi are in his state, whether his state has a Medicaid shortfall, and whether he's been wanting money for a new road or bike path or medical school in his district. They come ready to deal. The one thing the whip team can't guarantee? A congressman's reelection.

As expected, Dennis "Paragon of Principle" Kucinich became the first No vote to say he'll vote Yes on the Senate health care bill. Kucinich previously called the legislation an "insurance industry giveaway." But then it's never too late to change your mind.

Meanwhile, for the first time in the Gallup Daily Tracking Poll, Obama's disapproval is higher than his approval. And I'm sure health care reform has absolutely nothing to do with it.

The House Democratic leadership's flirtation with the Slaughter Rule, under which the House would "deem" the Senate bill passed while voting on the reconciliation package, has Republicans on the attack. Roll Call says Pelosi, Hoyer, and Clyburn are "tied in knots" as they search for vote number 216.

CNN says health care reform's opponents are 11 votes short of killing the bill. The number of confirmed "No" votes, in other words, is at 205.