U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards has heard from both sides of the health care debate as Congress mulls a comprehensive reform bill this month.
He said he received a phone call from President Barack Obama aboard Air Force One urging him to vote for the bill. His offices have also been inundated with phone calls and letters from constituents urging him to vote one way or the other -- though he said the majority of the calls have expressed opposition to the bill.
This week, Edwards made his choice clear. He will vote against the bill, like he did in November when it first passed through the House.
"While I believe we need reform to hold down the cost of health care and make it more affordable and to help the people with pre-existing conditions, I think this bill was an overreach that could potentially add to our massive deficits at a time we need to be working to reduce deficits," Edwards said.
The decision comes as political prognosticators are predicting a tough re-election campaign for the Democrat. His district, which runs from Brazos County north through Waco to near Fort Worth, is heavily Republican.
A poll released this week by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a conservative group that opposes the health care reform, indicated that 60 percent of voters in Edwards' district oppose the bill.
The poll estimated that 30 percent of voters in the district support it.
Still, Edwards said he is not feeling political pressure to oppose the bill. He said he appreciates the thousands of people who have called and written his office, calling it "grass-roots politics at its best."
"In Washington, the House leadership has not pressured me at all, and I have had no conversations with the speaker," he said, referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "I learned a long time ago that if people know you can't be politically pressured to cast a vote, they won't try to twist your arm. I think I established a reputation of independence years ago, and I think that has served me and our district well."
Republicans, however, have continued to criticize Edwards. They note that Pelosi, who they say is deeply unpopular in this district and is helping to lead the charge to pass the health care bill, has publicly praised Edwards in the past, and they question whether Edwards has only opposed the bill because Democratic leadership knows there are enough votes without him.
Rob Curnock and Bill Flores, the two candidates in a runoff for the Republican nomination to oppose Edwards in November, both released statements this week urging Edwards to do more to stop the bill.
"Chet Edwards should be using every ounce of his energy to encourage other Democrats to vote against this bill, delivering floor speeches, holding press conferences -- it is time for him to do anything within his power to stop this bill," Flores said.
Curnock, meanwhile, noted that Edwards has not signed on as a co-sponsor to any opposing bills authored by Republicans.
"Our congressional representative should stand up for good ideas that encourage market-driven solutions to problems," Curnock said.
Edwards dismissed such criticisms as political gamesmanship.
"They have no idea what I have done in this bill," he said. "The fact is that I have talked to dozens of my colleagues in Congress, expressing my concerns in Congress with this overreach of legislation since last year."
Nationwide, Republicans have suggested that the passage of the health care reform bill would cause many Democrats to lose their seats in Congress, and possibly lead to the GOP regaining a majority in both houses.
Locally, many Republicans have hoped an expected anti-Democrat sentiment will carry Edwards out of office, even if he opposes the current bill.
Edwards, however, said voters from all sides of the political spectrum have kept him in office because of his independence and willingness to cross party lines
"I think probably no one is more disappointed with my vote in our district than Mr. Curnock and Mr. Flores, and I know they would like to try to wrangle some political gain out of this, but I think this issue is just too important to be mired in campaign or partisan politics," Edwards said.
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