Will North Country lawmakers decide the fate of the health care bill?

It’s a little exhausting how often North Country lawmakers wind up at the epicenter of national politics.

And now two of the region’s Democratic lawmakers, Mike Arcuri (who represents the area around Old Forge) and Scott Murphy (who represents Glens Falls and much of the eastern Adirondacks) are pivotal figures in the health care debate.

In an interview this week with NCPR, Murphy insisted that he remains truly unsure of the merits of the bill. It’s not politics, he insists, but a desire to be thorough.

But according to the Oneonta Daily Star, both men are getting hammered with political pressure and calls from constituents.

Arcuri spokesman Mark Cornell asked reporters to contact him by cell phone Wednesday, as the Washington, D.C., office number was tied up with health care callers.

“Yesterday alone, just in our D.C. office, we received about 450 calls from constituents,” he said. Others with an interest in the issue also called on a day when the phone rang about 1,000 times. Cornell said the callers were about evenly divided in their advice on how to vote.

Murphy spokesman Josh Schwerin said the situation is similar in the 20th District, as residents and others with an interest in the issue are on the airwaves and telephone.

That pressure can only build in the hours and days ahead. And there’s really no way either politician can get this right politically.

President Barack Obama is suggesting now that his entire agenda could be crippled by a defeat on health care.

If either Democrat votes No, they could enrage a big chunk of their base — including key union supporters.

A Yes vote, on the other hand, could alienate many independents and energize Republican opposition.