Bullish Blue Dogs Oppose Health Care Repeal

But of the 13 Democrats who voted against the health care bill last year and who remain in the House of Representatives, just three — Dan Boren of Oklahoma, Mike McIntyre of North Carolina, and Mike Ross of Arkansas — joined the Republicans in supporting its repeal.

Conservative websites are already gloating over the electoral consequences for the other 10. Many of the 10 — like Jim Matheson of Utah and Heath Shuler of North Carolina — are from conservative-leaning areas. Others, like Ben Chandler of Kentucky, won re-election by the slimmest of margins last year. There’s fairly strong evidence, meanwhile, that the health care bill hurt Democrats who voted for it last year. And there’s not much sign, yet, that the bill has become any more popular. So what were these Democrats thinking?