Transcript.

Gee waking up this morning felt like Christmas. I ran to my computer to see what Santa left me under the tree. Maybe not exactly what I wanted, but a gift nevertheless. An historic heath care reform bill passed last night with 219 votes (only 216 were needed). And I said I wouldn’t sit this one out. It was a clumsy effort to get to the vote. But nevertheless, here we are.

Breakdown of the vote and roll call on H.R. 3590 is here.

The White House is preparing its own campaign to explain the benefits of the bill and ease the queasiness of the unknown since pundits and the media were more focused on the horse race and the spectacle vs. the contents of the bill. Pro choice women’s groups like NOW and NARAL are unhappy with the President’s compromise with anti-abortion members of Congress. To get their votes, the President promised to sign an executive order not to provide federal funds for abortion. I’d like to see the contents of that executive order. There’s talk the executive order is no different from what is on the books now about federal funding for abortion procedures. There was some debate about abortions and military a few years ago. That’s a debate for another day. More information needed.

I also understand the President got more votes on a promise to make immigration reform his next project. Don’t take your boxing gloves off just yet.

So the Republicans’ next move? – states rights. “Repeal” is the vocabulary word today. I need to read up on what happened after Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954. I suppose when the Supreme Court added “with all deliberate speed” (read “when you feel like it,” “get around to it”) they assumed this would be the salve for segregationists. Imagine if the Supreme Court had inserted “effective immediately.”