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Article: After Medicare vote, republican feels queasy.(Commentary)
- Article from:
- Los Angeles Business Journal
- Article date:
- December 15, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 CBJ, L.P. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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IN the end, it doesn't really matter if it was a bribe, a strong-arm or a good old-fashioned threat. What happened recently to a Michigan congressman was enough to make you give up on politics--if you haven't already.
Nick Smith is not a major domo in Congress. You probably haven't heard of him unless you live in his district in south-central Michigan. But he counts. One district, one vote.
And recently, the 69-year-old Smith--who plans to retire next year and, presumably, knows something about seniors' health benefits--wanted to vote against the Medicare bill. He thought it was too expensive.
But Smith is a Republican, and most Republicans ...