Brian Baird to Nancy Pelosi: Don't Count On Me

The mainstream media's assumption that retiring Democrats are "free" to vote for Obamacare because they can't be held accountable by the voters ignores the fact that retiring Democrats are also free to vote against Obamacare because Nancy Pelosi can't bully them either.

Rep. Brian Baird went on CNN's "State of the Union" yesterday and told Democrats something they didn't want to hear. Just because the Washington state Congressman isn't running for reelection--and thus doesn't have to worry about a potential backlash from voters-- doesn't mean he'll vote for his party's health care bill.

He said he was still "troubled" by the expense of the bill, the complexities in it that nobody really understands and the incohesive "hodgepodge" of programs it would create--reasons that he voted against a similar bill last November.

Hearing that, CNN host Candy Crowley asked the big question: "You would vote against it [the bill] if you come to the conclusion that you don't like it, even if it meant health care went down?" Baird's response, which has been generating buzz in the blogosphere was: "Yes." But Baird also said enough to suggest that the Dems shouldn't count Baird out either.