Robert Gibbs: Obamacare to Be Law of the Land by Next Week

On the Fox News Sunday show, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told host Chris Wallace, "We'll have the votes when the House votes, I think, within the next week." Obama's press secretary added, that those on next week's Sunday talk shows "will be talking about healthcare not as a presidential proposal but I think as the law of the land."

Does President Obama Have Enough Votes to Pass Health Care Reform?

Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), the third-ranking House Democrat and main vote counter said, "No, we don't have them as of this morning, but we've been working this thing all weekend."

Rep. Clyburn, however, echoed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi by claiming the measure will pass.

Despite the bluster by Gibbs and Pelosi, it appears the Democrats still have work to do with in their own Party. If the Democrats had the votes secured, instead of meetings of coercion, a roll call would be scheduled.

Another indication that Nancy Pelosi did not secure the votes by this weekend is the push back against the president's deadline to call a vote on March 18. Meanwhile, the president has canceled his Asia trip to help muster more votes.

Karl Rove reminds the prognosticators, "don't count out the speaker of the House and her ability to sway votes."

How Many Votes are Needed?

The Obama team must round-up at least 216 votes.

As gleaned from The Hill: If every member votes and all GOP lawmakers vote no, the maximum amount of Democratic defections to pass a bill is 37, which would lead to a 216-215 tally. Click here for complete list of House Democrats' positions on the healthcare reform bill.

The Stupak Factor

Rep. Bart Stupak, a pro-life Democrat tells NRO, "They're ignoring me." The House leadership believes they can pass the measure without the Stupak dozen.

A group of twelve pro-life House Democrats, the Stupak dozen, privately agreed to vote nay on the Senate's health-care bill if federal funding for abortion is included in the language. Stupak reminds us that the Democratic machine was able to 'peel off one or two' from his twelve.

During the last round, the sole Republican vote for Obamacare was Congressman Ahn Joseph Cao. Cao claimed the Stupak amendment was the deciding reason for his aye.

As a result of House leaders ignoring the Stupak amendment this round, the Republican from Louisiana promises a no vote.

Stupak claims, he is a definite no vote and boasts, "I didn't cave." He reminds us, "the others are having both of their arms twisted, and we're all getting pounded by our traditional Democratic supporters, like unions."

What are Democratic leaders saying? "If you pass the Stupak amendment, more children will be born, and therefore it will cost us millions more. That's one of the arguments I've been hearing," Stupak says.

One thing for certain folks, this is a pivotal week for Obamacare. Robert Gibbs will have more to add in the coming days.

Sources: embedded in content.