It’s all about politics and it’s always been about politics. It doesn’t matter who is in power. When are the Democrats and the Republicans going to do something for the people who put them in power? Probably never. At least that’s my opinion.

As House Democrats prepare for a floor fight over government-subsidized children’s health insurance, they are spotlighting the role of freshman Jason Altmire.

The career hospital association executive has been working behind the scenes with his leadership on legislation that would expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). When the bill (HR 3162) goes to the floor Wednesday, the newcomer has secured floor time to help make a case for its passage.

Altmire, who upset three-term incumbent Melissa A. Hart, R-Pa., is one of the freshmen that Democratic leaders have identified as rising stars among the 42 who helped the party gain control of the House last fall.

House leaders are offering the freshmen unusual opportunities to quickly burnish their legislative credentials: allowing them to serve on important committees, headline news conferences, offer popular amendments on the floor and meet weekly with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Just days into the 110th Congress, Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., baptized the Democratic freshmen as “majority makers.” To stay in the majority, he and other leaders are doing all they can to ensure that the ones who only narrowly won their seats will survive their first re-election challenges in 2008.

“We’ve had a lot of help in a very coordinated way from the leadership in . . . focusing both on the broad agenda and also on the needs of our particular districts,” said Paul W. Hodes, D-N.H., who was chosen to head the freshmen class during its early weeks on Capitol Hill.

“If we identify an opportunity that we know aligns with an area of interest, then of course we present it to them,” said a House leadership aide.

Military veterans Patrick J. Murphy of Pennsylvania and Tim Walz of Minnesota have been standard-bearers on Iraq policy. In February and again in March, Pelosi shared the stage with the two freshmen during news conferences highlighting Democratic victories.

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