OFA: Early Reactions to the Senate's Historic Vote

[jefferson_dem]

Early Reactions to the Senate's Historic Vote
By Cloe Axelson - Dec 24th, 2009 at 9:50 am EST

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Washington Post, “Senate approves landmark health-care bill”:

The Senate passed a landmark health-care bill Thursday morning that would provide coverage to more 30 million people and begin a far-reaching overhaul of Medicare and the private insurance market. Vice President Biden presided over the 60-39, party line vote. Thursday's vote -- which came on the first Senate session on Dec. 24 in more than five decades -- brings Democrats closer than ever to realizing their 70-year-old goal of universal health coverage. For the first time, most Americans would be required to obtain health insurance, either through their employer or via new, government-regulated exchanges. Those who can't afford insurance plans would receive federal subsidies. And Medicaid would be vastly expanded to reach millions of low-income children and adults.

AP, “Senate OKs health care measure, reaching milestone”:

Senate Democrats passed a landmark health care bill in a climactic Christmas Eve vote that could define President Barack Obama's legacy and usher in near-universal medical coverage for the first time in the country's history. The 60-39 vote on a cold winter morning capped months of arduous negotiations and 24 days of floor debate. It also followed a succession of failures by past congresses to get to this point. Vice President Joe Biden presided as 58 Democrats and two independents voted "yes." Republicans unanimously voted "no." The tally far exceeded the simple majority required for passage.

Los Angeles Times, “Senate OKs sweeping healthcare bill”:

Senate Democrats this morning passed a sweeping healthcare overhaul bill, setting the stage for reconciliation early next year with similarly historic legislation passed by the House last month… The bill, which is President Obama's top domestic priority, would extend insurance to about 30 million people who now lack it, expand the reach of Medicaid for the poor, and impose new rules on health insurance companies. It would cost about $871 billion over 10 years, but raise more than that in new taxes and fees and cuts in Medicare… The Senate bill would lead to the largest transformation of the country's healthcare system since the creation of Medicare in 1965. It would require all Americans to have health insurance, either through their jobs, through the government or through the private market, and it would penalize those who do not comply.

Wall Street Journal, “Senate Passes Sweeping Health-Care Bill; 60-39 Vote Is Landmark in Effort to Expand Insurance Coverage”:

The Senate approved sweeping health-overhaul legislation on Thursday, a landmark moment for White House-led efforts to expand insurance coverage to more than 30 million Americans. The bill, approved by a 60-39 vote, would deliver on a long-promised Democratic goal of extending coverage to nearly every American, and would represent the biggest expansion of the federal safety net since the 1965 creation of Medicare, the health-insurance program for the elderly and disabled. Thursday's vote was a victory for President Barack Obama, who made the issue his top domestic priority despite lingering divisions among Democrats and the fierce opposition of Republicans.

PBS, “Senate Passes Historic Health Care Reform Legislation”:

The Senate passed historic health care reform legislation in an early-morning vote Thursday, just making Democratic leaders' self-imposed Christmas deadline after a marathon 25 straight days in session. ‘This morning isn't the end of the process, it's merely the beginning,’ Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said on the Senate floor before the vote. ‘But that process cannot begin unless we start today.

Talking Points Memo, “DONE DEAL Senate Passes Health Care 60-39”:

Presiding over the Senate, in a rare appearance, was Vice President Joe Biden. As Senate chair, the Vice President can serve as the tie-breaking vote in the event of a 50-50 deadlock. But tonight's victory for Democrats was never in doubt. Over the course of this week, Democrats have passed several test votes--set at a 60-member, supermajority threshold. The only question this morning was, would they keep all of their members united for the final vote. In the end they did.

Ron Brownstein, Atlantic Media, “Historic achievement...Largest Democratic legislative achievement since Medicare”:

Well I think there are two big points about it. First, this is - whatever you think about the underlying bill - an historic achievement. Up until this year no universal coverage bill had ever even reached the floor of the House or the Senate, much less passed it. It has defeated every other President who has tried it. Truman, Nixon, Clinton, FDR. This will be, as it now seems inevitable to reach the President's desk, this will be the largest Democratic legislative achievement since Medicare in 1965 and it will be achieved in an atmosphere that is very difficult to operate in simply because you now need 60 votes to do almost everything. There have been more cloture votes in the Senate this year than there were in the entire decade of the 1960s.

Ezra Klein, Washington Post, “No previous health-care reform bill has come anywhere near this far”:

On December 24th, in an early morning vote, the United States Senate voted to pass health-care reform. It was the first time the body had been in session on the 24th since 1963. That's fitting, as it's arguably the most important piece of legislation the body has passed since 1963. It's become difficult to write these milestone posts. Health-care reform, by this point, has had a lot of milestones. It has cleared five committees. It has come through the House of Representatives. It has been merged into a single bill in the Senate. It has passed through the Senate. No previous health-care reform bill has come anywhere near this far. But there are more milestones left to achieve: The House and Senate need to agree on a bill. That bill has to pass both chambers again. And then the president has to sign the legislation.

Politico, “HISTORIC VOTE”:

Before the sun comes up on Christmas Eve, Senate Democrats will gather to pass a sweeping health reform bill, then scatter to long-delayed holiday vacations with a victory for the party and President Barack Obama in hand.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/CloeAxelson/gGG5rK

[NJmaverick]

1. Outstanding thanks for sharing

[and-justice-for-all]

2. "most Americans would be required to obtain health insurance..."

and off to jail I go.

[jefferson_dem]

3. Buh bye.

Make sure you put down your cross before going under lock and key.

[Arkana]

4. Hey look, a bullshit right-wing talking point with no foundation in reality.

Did I stumble into FR by mistake?

[HopeOverFear]

5. K & R

[lamp_shade]

6. Right or wrong, win or lose, and having watched them closely for years, I can only say

that nobody worked harder on getting this done than Harry and Max. This is my opinion.