Politics swirl around approaching House repeal vote

As the House proceeds toward its scheduled Wednesday vote to repeal the health law, Republicans hope to draw more Democratic votes this time around -- even though they have not offered any clear alternatives. Although the measure will die in the Senate, the White House issued a veto threat.

The New York Times: Cracks Appear In Republican Unity On Health Law Repeal
A House vote to fully repeal President Obama's health care law was supposed to be the coup de grâce for "Obamacare," a final sweeping away of a law that Republicans thought the Supreme Court would gut and leave for dead. Instead, the House on Wednesday will take up the repeal measure after the Affordable Care Act's constitutionality was upheld, and amid growing misgivings that relitigating the issue now will make Republicans seem out of touch -; especially when party leaders are still without an alternative (Weisman, 7/9).

The New York Times: Parties' Tactics Eroding Unity Left And Right
President Obama and Congressional Republicans pressed ahead on Monday with politically charged proposals on tax cuts and health care, in competing efforts to frame the election-year debate. But each risked opening fissures in their own ranks, as lawmakers played up alternatives to the aggressive approaches of their leaders (Landler and Weisman, 7/9).

Politico Pro: Health Vote: Will Pro-Repeal Dems Flip?
This week's House vote on repeal of President Barack Obama's health care reform law could have all the suspense of a summer re-run -; unless additional Democrats defect to support repeal. … Only three Democrats supported full repeal in January 2011: Reps. Dan Boren, Mike McIntyre and Mike Ross. Since then, several other Democrats have supported partial repeal or have made other moves to align themselves with conservatives as they enter difficult reelection battles. So far, only one Democrat, Rep. Larry Kissell of North Carolina, has said he will join the pro-repeal ranks when the House votes this week (Haberkorn, 7/10).

The Hill: GOP: Vulnerable Democrats Will Back Health Care Law Repeal Vote
Only three Democrats voted for repeal after the GOP took control of the House last year, but Republicans are confident they can add to this number on Wednesday in spite of the Supreme Court's ruling that the law is constitutional. Already, one politically vulnerable Democrat, Rep. Larry Kissell (N.C.), has said he will vote to repeal the healthcare law after opposing the same measure a year ago. The GOP's hope is that a strong House vote -; and fresh Democratic opposition -; will thwart the White House's effort to boost political support for the law in light of the court ruling, said one House Republican leadership aide (Viebeck and Berman, 7/10).

The Hill: House Plans Five-Hour Debate On Health Care Repeal, WH Warns Veto
The House will hold five hours of debate on Tuesday and Wednesday on legislation that would completely repeal the 2010 healthcare law, which is being called up by Republicans in light of the Supreme Court's decision that the individual health insurance mandate is constitutional. The House Rules Committee approved a rule late Monday setting out the lengthy debate on a bill that is expected to pass with Republican support, but very little if any Democratic support. The Repeal of Obamacare Act, H.R. 6079, was formally introduced by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) on Monday (Kasperowicz, 7/9).

The Associated Press: White House Threatens Veto On Health Care Repeal
The White House has issued a veto threat for a House bill to overturn President Barack Obama's health care law. The White House says the repeal would cost millions of American families the security of affordable health coverage (7/9).

Meanwhile, in related news -

The Washington Post: Americans Still Divided On Health-Care Reform: Poll
Americans are as evenly divided as ever about the health-care reform law, but more voters say it won't be a factor in their vote this November, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Thirty-seven percent of registered voters say it wouldn't make much of a difference whether a congressional candidate supports or opposes the Affordable Care Act. But the poll shows a close divide among other voters: 30 percent of registered voters say a candidate's support for the health law would make them more likely to support a candidate; 31 percent say it would make them more likely to oppose a candidate (O'Keefe, 7/10).