House passes healthcare bill!
Once the president came out and did his speech, and went to bed, you had to know Nancy and Clyburn had delivered. They did, by the skin of their teeth. The House Democrats passed the bill with exactly the number they needed: 220 to 215. 39 Democrats voted no, and one Republican voted in favor of the bill. Can’t wait to find out who that was!
The Democratic side erupted in applause when the bill reached the required 218 at 11:08 p.m.
Mother Pelosi just gaveled in the final tally, at 11:15. You go girl! The bill ain’t perfect, by any means, but it’s the most that has been done on this issue since the 1930s.
UPDATE: The Republican cross-over was Ahn Joseph Cao of Louisiana, according to MSNBC. Makes sense. Cao’s district is majority Black, and not traditionally Republican. (He beat William “Dollar Bill” Jefferson — you know, the guy with all that illegal cash in the fridge? — he’s soon to be sentenced, btw…) Cao had touted his return to the District to read the bill on the homepage of his official website, and he had been under tremendous pressure back home, first just to say where he stood on the bill, and then, to buck the GOP leadership and support it. The DCCC put him on their target list, and threatened to run radio ads on Black targeted stations against his position on healthcare. Cao had finally gone on record, saying his Catholic beliefs would prevent him voting for any bill that spent public money on abortion, so I’m assuming he was one of the votes — though it was on the other side of the aisle, that Speaker Pelosi gained by putting the Stupak amendment on the floor. Makes that move sound pretty smart in retrospect. No doubt Cao’s going to catch HELL from the teabaggers, who will probably try to primary him as punishment for his vote. The great news for Democrats is that given the makeup of his district, whatever they do will only return the District to Democratic hands.
UPDATE 2: Hot Air leads the charge on slapping around Republicans for not going along with the Shadegg “present” gambit. With the vote turning out as close as it did, and given Cao’s defection, it’s hard to argue with this point:
A smart minority party would have voted present and made the Dems choke on it. Alas, this is our minority party:
Boehner’s not gonna hear the end of this one…
UPDATE 3: President Obama called Speaker Pelosi to congratulate. Harry Reid, who wussed out and made the House go first, also issued a warm statement (now let’s see if you can be as tough as the gentlelady from California, bub…) Happiest man in Washington tonight: John Dingell, who presided over the Medicare vote back in 1965, and whose dad introduced the first universal healthcare bill like, 100 years ago. Second happiest man: President Obama. Now he can get a good night’s sleep. Man of the hour: Jim Clyburn. Way to whip that vote, Mr. Congressman. Unsung workhorse: Henry Waxman, whose committee drafted the bill. (Steny Hoyer gets a gold star, too, especially for his fiery speech tonight.) Go team!
UPDATE 4: RedState’s site is down. I guess their heads exploded. (Good thing they’ll soon have access to affordable health coverage!)
UPDATE 5: The White House released this statement on the vote:
Tonight, in an historic vote, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would finally make real the promise of quality, affordable health care for the American people.
The Affordable Health Care for America Act is a piece of legislation that will provide stability and security for Americans who have insurance; quality affordable options for those who don’t; and bring down the cost of health care for families, businesses, and the government while strengthening the financial health of Medicare. And it is legislation that is fully paid for and will reduce our long-term federal deficit.
Thanks to the hard work of the House, we are just two steps away from achieving health insurance reform in America. Now the United States Senate must follow suit and pass its version of the legislation. I am absolutely confident it will, and I look forward to signing comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year.
The roll call for the healthcare vote has been posted to the House website.
UPDATE: Politico has more on the backroom dealing with Louisiana’s Ahn Joseph Cao, who may wind up with disaster loan forgiveness and help for hospitals in his district in exchange for his vote. Good horse trading, Congressman!
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