Dem bigs skip Nancy Pelosi's health-law party

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Politico:

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s not hiding under her desk— she held another press conference Thursday morning to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the health care law next week.

The only thing missing was the rest of the heavy hitters.

When the Democrats were pushing health care reform through Congress, Pelosi was always surrounded by a cast of all-stars at the big press conferences. The rest of the leadership was there, as were Rep. John Dingell of Michigan — who had gaveled the passage of Medicare in 1965 — and Henry Waxman of California, who steered the Affordable Care Act through the Energy and Commerce Committee past roadblocks from centrist Democrats.

Thursday, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer was nowhere to be found. Neither was Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, the third-ranking Democrat among House leadership. There was no Waxman. And Dingell, who sat smiling beside President Barack Obama at the signing ceremony one year ago, was gone too.

Instead, Pelosi was flanked by rank-and-file Democrats like Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina — just like the previous anniversary event she held a week ago. She did have doctors in white lab coats, and people telling their stories of insurance company hassles over pre-existing conditions.

But neither of the pressers, so far, has featured the all-stars. It’s not just a contrast with last year — it’s also a contrast with Republicans, who have been happy to gather their most vocal critics of the law to blast away at one press conference after another.
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Democrats disappear as Obamacare anniversary approaches...