Well, was it a ripple, wave or Tsunami? My take from across this troubled pond is somewhere in between. Or, as Shaun Appleby put it, a mudslide rather than a landslide. (Though a mudslide, even if shortlived, can be pretty damn scary, as this video from Afghanistan shows)
The Republicans win control of the House, but the Democrats keep the Senate. Hey, it’s not good. But not as bad as 1994 when Clinton lost both.
How do you think this will pan out? And who should we blame the most?
So tonight (technically “last night” now?) was the long-awaited health care vote, and as I’m sure you all know, it must be a monumental event indeed to bring Kysen not only into the open, but into writing a diary… however disjointed and meandering it may be. 😉 The past few days have been the stuff anxiety attacks are made of for those of us who have invested our time, money, hopes, and passions in health care reform. The uncertainties seemed endless… would we have the votes, would something go wrong at the last minute? But much to the relief of all those holding their breath…
It passed.
This will be an open thread (surprised?). Follow me below the fold for more.
Tonight, the President and the Congress will pass comprehensive health care reform. There are absolutely no voices left to refute this fact.
At this moment – 9:39 pm ET – on FOX News Hannity is spending time to forecast the defeat of certain Democratic Congressfolks in November: a Far Right concession speech if ever there was one. On MSNBC Ed Schultz is saying that Barack Obama may just be a genius: a stronger nod from the Far Left than is usually found from that source. CNN is running its viewers through the benefits of the now-finished reform bill as they will – not “may” – unfold over coming years.
Consider this a Victory Celebration Open Thread
On March 17th, Congressman Dale Kildee of Michigan announced he will cast a yes vote on health care. Kildee, a pro-life Democrat, was considered a question mark after voting for the Stupak-Pitts abortion amendment in the House version of the health care bill.
Kildee, who has a liberal voting record except on abortion, has said he is “a staunch pro-life member of Congress.” First elected in 1976, Kildee has never faced a serious primary or general election challenge. Throughout his 33 years in office he has been an advocate for children and on labor issues. Kildee, a Roman Catholic, is known for his strong pro-life stance.
In his written statement Kildee said, “There is nothing more pro-life than protecting the lives of 31 million Americans. Voting for this bill in no way diminishes my pro-life voting record or undermines my beliefs. I am a staunch pro-life member of Congress — both for the born and the unborn.”
The announcement by Kildee adds to the growing list of House members who have committed to voting for the bill after being considered on the fence. Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) announced his support for the bill, as did Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.). Perriello also backed the Stupak-Pitts amendment in November, 2009.
While support for passage of the bill is growing in Congress, another announcement may be as significant. A consortium of 60 leaders of Catholic religious orders representing 59,000 nuns sent a letter to lawmakers urging them to pass the bill. This is in direct opposition to the stance of The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which says the bill’s anti-abortion provisions are not strong enough.
I know a lot of my friends on the right are stressed about the Democrat’s healthcare bill, so here’s a bit of positive news that might help just a tad:
“The Congressional Budget Office has determined that the health reform plan will cost $940 billion over 10 years, but will trim the federal deficit by $130 billion in the first ten years and $1.2 trillion in the second ten years, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said. Those deficit numbers should help ease the worries of deficit hawks on the fence about supporting the bill.”
Saving $1,330,000,000,000 has to be a good thing.
Consider this an HCR Open Thread.
The fight for health care reform in this country started more than 100 years ago. The current stage of the fight started more than a year ago. It has been raging ever since Barack Obama took office in January, 2009. We are now in the final days of the latest battle and the Right is bringing its full force to bear to try to prevent any changes to the status quo. 
The Right has fought against any reforms that will benefit the American people at the expense of business interests. They have labeled the effort as an attempt to take over the entire health care industry. They have told people that it will turn the country into a socialist country, even though there is absolutely nothing to justify that claim since the public option was removed from the Senate bill. They have claimed provisions in the bill will lead to “death panels” that will kill off your grandparents or disabled children. They have lied and misled to the point that some people actually fear for their lives if this bill passes. They are not above using any tactic, telling any lie, and smearing any progressive in an attempt to protect health insurance companies and pharmaceutical industry profits.
The Right knows this is the final stages of the battle and are pulling out all the stops to prevent the American people from benefiting from Health Care Reform. They are flooding the internet with emails urging people to call Congress to pressure representatives. The list below comes from one of those emails. These are the people they are targeting in Congress. Please scan the list for your representative and call with a message of support if you find them in the list. Be sure to tell whoever you talk to that you are aware that opponents of reform are mounting a deliberate campaign and that you want them to know that you support reform. Also remind them that the calls against reform are coming from people that got their name from right-wing mailing lists and those people are not going to vote for them no matter what.
This is it, people. It’s up to us now. We can win this battle, but only if we are willing to fight. Call today. Call now. Call often. Send emails. Send faxes if you have access to a fax machine. Fight for what is right.
List after the break.
The GOP has been very open about their plans to obstruct health care reform. They’ve actually laid out plans on how they intend to accomplish that feat. The only problem for them is that their obstructive efforts are as poorly thought out as most of their policy proposals.
The latest effort was an amendment cosponsored by Senator David Vitter (R-LA) and Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK).that would force legislators onto the public option if it becomes law. They thought they could make the Democrats in the Senate look hypocritical. The only problem for them is that Sen. Vitter is a proven hypocrite and Sen. Coburn is dumb as a fence post.
The whole thing began to go awry when Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) asked to become a cosponsor on the bill. He apparently put in his request to their offices four times without getting a response. This is no surprise, since Sen. Coburn and Sen. Vitter had no intention for their amendment to be anything more than a political stunt.