Well, that was quite a switch. I guess that little ride on Air Force One changed someone's attitude just a wee bit:
A few hours after Rep. Dennis Kucinich switched his support to become a critical vote for the health care bill, he took to the House floor to ask wavering colleagues to join him. Astonished colleagues pointed to Kucinich (D-OH) darting from member to member on the House floor yesterday, saying privately they'd never seen him get so involved in whipping a vote.
It kinda makes you wonder exactly what was said in that conversation with President Obama. I believe this is what is technically known as a "Come-to-Jesus" moment:
It's not just progressives he's targeting to keep in the fold, it's everyone, a top Democratic aide told me.
I'm going to venture a little guess here, and speculate that the conversation was something like, "If this fails, my Presidency is over and we lose our majorities in both Houses. Here, try the shrimp cocktail, it's to die for".
Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) told me last night in the House Speaker's lobby that Kucinich's support is "a sign of Democrats recognizing how important this is."
I'm sure that Rep. Kucinich has his principles, but he's also a politician, and he's not stupid.
"It's a totally new dynamic. People are realizing he's doing it for history," the aide said.