House passes bi-partisan health insurance reform bill (Part 2)

November 8, 1:05 AMWorcester County Progressive ExaminerThomas Deusser

Previous Next

4 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Worcester County Progressive Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (house.gov)

Click Here for Part 1

The Boehner Amendment, otherwise known as “The Republican 'Alternative'” had some contentious debate as well, featuring a 20-minute closing speech by Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) which consisted mainly of reading passages from the bill that he didn't like.

Not a single Democrat voted for the amendment, and the final tally was 176-258, with Rep. Tim Johnson (R-IL) joining the Democrats to vote down the amendment.

Just before the final vote was to be taken, Minority Whip Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) launched for a motion to re-commit. This didn't appear to go over very well, even on the Republican side of the aisle. Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) gave an impassioned speech amounting to “shut up already and let's vote”.

The motion failed 187-247, with three Republicans joining the Democrats. They were Rep. Johnson (R-IL) who also voted against the Boehner Amendment, Rep. John Duncan (R-TN), and finally, and not surprisingly, Rep. Dr. Ron Paul (R-TX) who wouldn't really ever vote for a bill like that.

After all the ceremony, it was time for the final vote, and it was a true nail biter, going down to the last minute. There was much speculation as to whether or not the Democrats actually had the votes to pass, even with the backing of the Stupak Amendment. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) finally cast vote 218, and the Democratic side of the aisle erupted in cheers and applause. The final tally was 220-215, with 39 Democrats voting no. However, President Obama's dream of “bi-partisanship” continues, as Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA) joined the Democrats, becoming one of the key votes in the bill's narrow passage. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) unsurprisingly voted against this bill, because he said he would only vote for a single-payer bill.

As far as the House is concerned, this is finally over; and there is celebration amongst Democrats which is probably well-deserved. However, this is far from over, as now the Senate will begin their debate, and health insurance reform is still as much in flux as it was before today.

However, the Senate cannot ignore that this bill contains a public health insurance option, and much stronger reforms than anything passed by the Senate Finance Committee; so Sen. Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has his work cut out for him to abide by the wishes of the majority of America, and pass true health insurance reform.

Click Here for Part 1