Sunday, March 21, 2010

Watching the Health Care Vote

Consider this a health care vote discussion thread. I'm watching the speeches in the House on C-SPAN right now. Latest I've heard is that they'll vote on the Senate's bill after 10pm and vote on the reconciliation bill after 11pm. Both are on track to pass with votes to spare.

Listening to these floor speeches is entertaining. A little while ago I heard a Republican member say something about "the socialist ghosts" of the Eastern Bloc creeping into the House chamber. The Repubs are laying on thick the language about government micromanaging Americans' lives for "things Americans don't want or need." (Mike Pence said that. BTW, who doesn't want or need health insurance?) Their rhetoric gets crazier the closer we get to reform.

Here's what I've been saying all day:

This is what winning looks like. Slow, grinding progress. The right wing is going to shriek loudly that the sky is falling. They're going to rile up and draw confused, misinformed, and racist people to their side. And there will be an attempted counterrevolution of sorts. But like I've said before, big social gains like this bill are hard to reverse. This is a Social Security-Civil Rights-Medicare kind of thing. America is marching on to a more perfect Union, and corporate power, the right wing, and the Republican Party are kicking and screaming. This is what winning looks like.

Check the comments section for updates.

15 comments:

Becky said...

Amen brother. I've been tuning in too. I do feel this is historic.

Dave said...

They're voting on the Senate's bill right now.

M and E said...

I'm glad Pelosi FINALLY made the "life, liberty, pursuit of happiness" connection. That's what they should have led with from the beginning.

7 more to go!!!

Dave said...

216... and the Senate's version passes! 4 more Democrats still have not voted.

Dave said...

219 yea votes for the main bill and not a single Republican. I expect the reconciliation fix, which is coming up, may get several more yea votes than this one.

Marie said...

I knew you'd be watching now!
How exciting! After all the talking
....I can't believe I'm actually seeing history in the making.

Dave said...

Hi Marie! You guessed right... I'm glued to C-SPAN right now. This is a big moment.

And now the "motion to recommit" (i.e., avoid the real vote) for the reconciliation bill is going down. The nays just passed 216. Next up is the final big vote of the night.

Marie said...

The Republicans need to stop whining and start coming up with the reason the world didn't come to an end like they said it would if this passed.

M and E said...

Our Founding Fathers were socialists!!

http://open.salon.com/blog/paul_j_orourke/2009/07/22/our_founding_fathers_socialist_healthcare_system

Dave said...

That's cool, Liz. You definitely won't hear Tea Partiers talk about socialized medicine signed into law by John Adams.

And now...the reconciliation bill passes with 220 votes--one more than the Senate bill. There are going to be statements from House leadership and Obama now. So, the House stepped up and did it's job. Now the Senate has to honor its commitment and pass the reconciliation fix. I will save my victory parade until Obama signs both into law. But we just got over the biggest hurdle on the way to reform.

Amy said...

Well, Barack just emailed me and said it's done. So, booyah!

We email back and forth from time to time, Barry and I.

Dave said...

Wow Amy. He must have sent it from his blackberry right before he walked out with Biden to make a statement. But seriously... Booyah indeed! This is some of the Change I voted for.

Dave said...

Alright I'm heading to bed feeling very good about tonight.

In the president's remarks tonight, he said, "This is what change looks like." Sounds like the beginning of a re-election campaign to me. Or at least it ought to be. Delivering this health care bill is a huge accomplishment for his first term and, I think, will be a big part of why he will in 2012.

Scott said...

Wow, health care reform. Obama has done something Dems & (some) Repubs have been trying to get done for years & years. With this, he has made his imprint upon the history of our country whilst moving it inextricably to the left and will most likely (and this is not hyperbole) be remembered as one of the greatest presidents of all time.

Dave said...

Right on, Scott. Not bad for Barry's first 14 months in office. I agree that health care reform already puts him in some pretty high company historically. And since I think he's going to be our president until January 2017, so I hope there is a lot more where health care came from.