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As U.S. Rep Chet Edwards mulled his vote on a comprehensive health care reform bill last week, the pressure on him was mounting from both sides of the issue.
Opponents who voiced their opposition to the bill at various town hall meetings and protests outside the Democrat's district offices in Bryan and Waco over the summer continued to flood his offices with calls and e-mails.
In e-mails and messages to reporters, some noted that Edwards' district leans conservative and predicted strong opposition among his constituents.
In Washington, Edwards received a call Friday night from President Obama asking him to support the bill.
"Chet respectfully said, 'no,'" said his spokesman, Joshua Taylor.
The next morning, Edwards announced his decision to oppose the bill. About 12 hours later, he became the only congressman from Texas on either side to buck party lines. The vote was 220-215.
He said he voted "no" because the bill didn't have a trigger to cut spending if the cost of the bill ended up being higher than expected. He also questioned the inclusion of a provision that would create a government-run insurance company.
"I believe most people in our district recognize that health care reform is needed to hold down costs and to make health care more affordable and dependable, but they want any reform bill to be fiscally responsible," Edwards said in a statement announcing his vote. "I agree."
Before Edwards had even cast his vote, the National Republican Congressional Committee sent reporters an e-mail saying that it wasn't enough to make a difference.
"Chet Edwards is doing nothing to block this bill," said Joanna Burgos, an NRCC spokeswoman. "In fact, he just empowered his Democrat friends to pass government-run health care. It's clear that his intentions have always been to advance Nancy Pelosi's agenda; she just happened to give him a free pass on today's final vote in return for a rubber-stamp vote to advance the bill."
Taylor said Edwards was traveling to Texas on Monday and was unavailable to comment. The spokesman said Edwards didn't receive a "free pass" and said the vote to move the bill to the House floor was procedural and in no way a vote on the bill itself.
"That is a partisan-motivated false statement with absolutely no evidence to support it," Taylor said. "Candidates and political operatives have a right to their own opinions, but not to their own false facts. Some political operatives are just disappointed that Chet showed independence in opposing the cap and trade energy bill, and the House health care bill."
Others praised Edwards. The Texas Association of Business and the National Federation of Independent Business both issued statements of support Monday.
Soon after the vote, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a historically traditional organization that has opposed many of Obama's early initiatives, praised Edwards for his "courageous" vote.
"It takes real independence to buck the president and speaker on such a tough and close vote," said Pete Havel, executive director of the chamber's southwest and south central regions. "By voting against hundreds of billions of dollars in new taxes and the maze of new mandates in this plan, Chet Edwards showed once again that he is a friend of free enterprise and of both employers and employees in his district."
