MMDB: Health care passes the House

Monday Morning Douchebag Report

Health care passed the House by 2 votes: 220-215. Huzzah.

It should never have been that close, and it's a sign that there's far more work to do. Of course, it really wasn't that close, but in the end House leadership had to let Dems in competitive districts vote 'no' to try to save their electoral skins.

Doing so - trying to not get hurt by voting for health care - makes it seem like the House voted to shave Hannah Montana bald. In reality, this should be an easy sell. It's freaking HEALTH CARE. At what point has ensuring that people are healthy become controversial?

As Bob Cesca points out:

If you can't make a solid case for "your life will be easier" and "I voted to reduce the deficit by over $100 billion," you have no business holding elected office.

This has all been so blurred by conservative obfuscation and outright lies that it's hard to see it for what it is. Every American NOT in the top 5% of wage earners should support this. Voting against it votes against your own personal interests. That 35% of America supports something that benefits them AND THE COUNTRY goes to show that there's something else at work here. It's my belief that Jimmy Carter nailed it on the head, but that's another piece.

Here's Congressman George Miller (D-CA) on the floor during the debate summing it up pretty well.



And then along comes Joe Lieberman pledging a filibuster. Joe doesn't want a filibuster, and in fact it's not even likely he wants to kill the bill. He just has his hand out to Reid, Obama and the Democratic leadership. Again.

That this is an issue at all goes to show the level of hatred, stoked by the conservative media, for the President.