Blame the GOP

The SCHIP Roll Call vote failed.

On a 273-156 vote, the House this afternoon failed to get the two-thirds majority needed to override President Bush's veto of legislation to expand and extend the State Children's Health Insurance program. Congressional leaders and Bush will now try to negotiate their differences.

Too bad for those sick kids. Too bad.

I'll have the roll out as soon as I can find it so we can see which Ohio GOPers are to blame.

UPDATE: From the Times:

Mr. Reid was asked Tuesday whether he would be willing to negotiate with the White House if Congress upheld the president’s veto. “No, no, no,” he replied. “We have negotiated.”

To win support from Republicans, Mr. Reid said, Democrats had “compromised and compromised and compromised.” Eighteen Republicans in the Senate and 45 in the House voted for the bill that Mr. Bush vetoed. Republican support for the bill today fell by one vote, to 44...

If Mr. Bush vetoes a second version of the bill, Democrats say they will send him a third version just before Election Day 2008.

Sounds fair to me. 

And before Tom Blumer pulls some magic numbers out of his butt claiming that Americans soundly reject these types of "socialist" policies. Food for thought:

Eighty-one percent of respondents, including 70 percent of Republicans, supported expanding the program. Three-quarters of those who supported expansion said they would be willing to pay higher taxes to finance it. The poll was conducted nationally by telephone Oct. 12-16 with 1,282 adults, and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

I'd like to thank Republicans for today all but ensuring the Democratic majority picks more House seats. It's just a shame that it that the GOP had to turn their back on the kids.