Baird says he'll vote for healthcare reform bill

It's official... After weeks of deliberation, Brian Baird has finally taken a position on H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, releasing a long and protracted statement which ends with his commitment to vote yes:

Weighing the concerns against the benefits of the legislation, and considering that the status quo is unsustainable, I will vote for this legislation.

This does not mean all of the problems of improving health care, lowering costs, reducing the deficit and others are solved by this bill. We must continue to work for further improvements in each of these areas and I am committed to doing so. But on balance, I believe this legislation will be much better than what exists today, I believe it represents a number of improvements in both content and process over the legislation as passed by the House, and, it is the best we are likely to be able to accomplish at the present time.

His decision means that Washington's congressional delegation will be strictly divided on party lines when it comes time to vote on final passage.

Fellow Democrats Jim McDermott, Jay Inslee, Rick Larsen, Adam Smith, and Norm Dicks are already "yes" votes. Dave Reichert, Doc Hastings, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers are all prepared to vote "no".

Baird's decision also means that Walt Minnick will bear the dishonor of being the only Democrat from the Pacific Northwest to vote against H.R. 3590.