Arm-twisting on bailout bill begins

Democratic and Republican leaders are furiously whipping their members to win passage of a massive Wall Street bailout bill that faces an uncertain future hours before a vote. 

Fractures appearing along non-traditional lines in both parties are forcing leaders to scramble in patching together an ad hoc arm-twisting strategy.

{mosads}“The normal whip operating has completely broken down,” said one Democratic member. “It’s tribal in there.”

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) both could be seen talking adamantly to each other outside the Republican cloakroom as a series of suspension calendar votes unrelated to the bailout package took place.

The two leaders then retreated to their respective sides of the aisle, with Hoyer huddling individually with many members of the Congressional Black Caucus. He appeared to speak in soothing tones to a number of CBC members who have said they are opposed to the bill.

Blunt and Deputy Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) worked in tandem, at one point approaching Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) only moments after Blunt left his side.

A wane Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), the ranking Republican on Financial Services who GOP leaders undercut by replacing him as their negotiator on the bailout package, sat with Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.). He will oppose the bill that he once supported, sources said.

As leaders worked hard to bring members around, a bipartisan group of dissenters caucused in the front of the chamber near the Speaker’s rostrum.

The trio of Reps. Darrel Issa (R-Calif.), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), and Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) spoke briefly before returning to their respective sides.

Bachmann offered note-card sized invitations to a briefing later in the morning by former Federal Deposits Insurance Corporation Chairman William Isaacs. 

There were additional signs of trouble, as well.

For a brief moment, it looked as though a block of no votes from the CBC was going to erupt into a full-scale revolt when a slew of their caucus voted for a Republican protest motion to adjourn the chamber. The CBC and a handful of liberal members who initially voted aye eventually switched their votes, and the motion failed.

As the House was preparing to open three hours of debate on the bill,­ which members only saw on paper for the first time Sunday night,­ Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) rushed down to the floor and put together her own whipping operation, dispatching Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) to work lists of members, which Pelosi handed out.

Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) was seen rushing from huddle to huddle with newer members of the Democratic caucus.

“They are whipping hard,” a Democratic member said. “But it’s not like it usually is. A lot of their whips just aren’t for this thing.”