Miracle on East Capitol Street?

When the Senate's 60 Democrats meet at the White House this afternoon, it won't be to exchange Christmas cookies. The window of opportunity is closing for Democrats, and President Obama needs everyone on board if he's going to play Santa Claus with health care reform. Patching together a plan will be difficult in the party's current climate, and President Obama may need more than a Nobel Peace Prize to find unity on the bill's biggest obstacles--like taxpayer-funded abortion, the public option, rising costs, rationing, higher premiums, new taxes, and a host of other bad policies in the bill.

Consensus will have to come quickly, since most experts agree that the Senate has until Thursday if they want to pass a bill by December 23. After several Democrats pushed back on Sen. Harry's Reid's (D-Nev.) idea of expanding Medicare, it looks like the "mother of all public options" is dead. Unfortunately, the bill's marriage penalty is not. Right now, H.R. 3590 would punish married couples who make more than $250,000 in wages with a 0.5% payroll tax.

The passage of this bad bill is not inevitable. It can be stopped. To find out how, join us tomorrow night as FRC Action links arms with The Call to Conscience for a first-of-its-kind PrayerCast on this issue. Starting at 8:30 p.m. (ET), we'll be joined by Sens. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kans.), Congressmen Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and Randy Forbes (R-Va.), and church leaders, including Jim Daly, President of Focus on the Family and Rev. Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Leadership Conference. For a complete list of speakers and to register, visit FRC Action today!

Left at the Altar

Tomorrow, in a hearing that's flying well below the radar, the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will be debating the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act. The legislation would sap even more strength from the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) by violating its key tenet, which is that marriage is the union of a man and a woman. S. 1102 would carve out a major exception to that rule by giving homosexual couples all the perks of married spouses. Wednesday's hearing could be an interesting one given the number of moderates on the Committee like Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.). Help nudge them in the right direction by calling their offices and opposing S. 1102.

Meanwhile, it's a shame that the D.C. City Council doesn't have more moderates. Instead, the local governing board is chock-full of rabid, social liberals who will stop at nothing until marriage is redefined out of existence. Today, the Council affirmed for a second time its support for same-sex "marriage," effectively sending the bill to Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) for his signature. But Bishop Harry Jackson from Stand4MarriageDC says, "It ain't over 'til God says it's over!" His coalition is filing a referendum on the Council vote this Wednesday, and he's asking people from across the city to stand with them as they do. Show your support tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. outside the Board of Elections and Ethics building (441 4^th Street, NW).

In conjunction with today's vote, the Washington Post published an unflattering picture of the man behind the city's social shift, openly gay Chairman David Catania--who many call a "petty," "arrogant," and "combative," "bully." The story concludes with his quote, "It's interesting to be 41 and for the first time to feel like a fully enfranchised person." It's an ironic statement, considering that Catania had a vote all along. It's the people of D.C. who have been disenfranchised by his refusal to put the issue on the ballot!

Fact #23: The Sad State(s) of ObamaCare

Under Sen. Harry Reid's legislation, states would be required to expand Medicaid eligibility anywhere from 133-150% above the federal poverty limit. The Congressional Budget Office estimates this mandate to the states would drain state coffers by $25 billion. Obviously, this is causing some great concern to state governors from both political parties. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York State Governor David Patterson wrote a letter to the two New York Senators fearful that Senator Reid's bill" could add close to $1 billion annually in new State Medicaid costs to New York , with serious implications for already strained State and City budgets." New York State has one of the most liberal Medicaid policies in the United States, and in these tough economic times, they're saving money by rationing care for women in the state seeking cancer screenings. And the Democrats in Congress hope to solve the problem by increasing the burden on all 50 states?

** How secret are the health care negotiations? Even the Left is locked out, according to Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the second highest Democrat in the Senate. He complained to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on the Senate floor, saying, "I'm in the dark almost as much as he is, and I'm in the leadership." To read more, visit The Cloakroom Blog for today's post, "The Gang That Couldn't Legislate Straight." **

*** What does Copenhagen 's climate conference have to do with abortion? Click on Ken Blackwell's new Townhall op-ed, "A Modest Proposal," to find out! ***