Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle (60-39 vote to advance bill)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 11/21/09 | David Espo - ap

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON – Invoking the memory of Edward M. Kennedy, Democrats united Saturday night to push historic health care legislation past a key Senate hurdle over the opposition of Republicans eager to inflict a punishing defeat on President Barack Obama. There was not a vote to spare.

The 60-39 vote cleared the way for a bruising, full-scale debate beginning after Thanksgiving on the legislation, which is designed to extend coverage to roughly 31 million who lack it, crack down on insurance company practices that deny or dilute benefits and curtail the growth of spending on medical care nationally.

The spectator galleries were full for the unusual Saturday night showdown, and applause broke out briefly when the vote was announced. In a measure of the significance of the moment, senators sat quietly in their seats, standing only when they were called upon to vote.

In the final minutes of a daylong session, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused Republicans of trying to stifle a historic debate the nation needed.

[Psycho_Bunny]

Treason.

[cleveland gop]

I would have thought a few Dems wouldn’t have voted yes tonight. Guuess I was wrong.

We have to hope there are enough to vote the right way when the debate is over.

But we also have the possibility of Screed using the executive priviledge and forcing it through.....

[NormsRevenge]

Yup,, Pay no attention to Amalgamated Propaganda..
&
Here’s to.. The uglier the better.. ;-)

It’ll make for a lot of good clips&quips for the next couple elction cycles.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Senator Voinovich, Republican from Ohio, didn’t vote.

Now there's a profile in courage. LOL! Ohio, the "We're voting "present"" State?

[deport]

Grouped By Vote Position

YEAs ---60
Akaka (D-HI) Baucus (D-MT) Bayh (D-IN) Begich (D-AK) Bennet (D-CO) Bingaman (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Burris (D-IL) Byrd (D-WV) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Conrad (D-ND) Dodd (D-CT) Dorgan (D-ND) Durbin (D-IL) Feingold (D-WI) Feinstein (D-CA)	Franken (D-MN) Gillibrand (D-NY) Hagan (D-NC) Harkin (D-IA) Inouye (D-HI) Johnson (D-SD) Kaufman (D-DE) Kerry (D-MA) Kirk (D-MA) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI) Landrieu (D-LA) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lieberman (ID-CT) Lincoln (D-AR) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ) Merkley (D-OR)	Mikulski (D-MD) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Nelson (D-NE) Pryor (D-AR) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sanders (I-VT) Schumer (D-NY) Shaheen (D-NH) Specter (D-PA) Stabenow (D-MI) Tester (D-MT) Udall (D-CO) Udall (D-NM) Warner (D-VA) Webb (D-VA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---39
Alexander (R-TN) Barrasso (R-WY) Bennett (R-UT) Bond (R-MO) Brownback (R-KS) Bunning (R-KY) Burr (R-NC) Chambliss (R-GA) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Collins (R-ME) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX)	Crapo (R-ID) DeMint (R-SC) Ensign (R-NV) Enzi (R-WY) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Gregg (R-NH) Hatch (R-UT) Hutchison (R-TX) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Johanns (R-NE) Kyl (R-AZ)	LeMieux (R-FL) Lugar (R-IN) McCain (R-AZ) McConnell (R-KY) Murkowski (R-AK) Risch (R-ID) Roberts (R-KS) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Snowe (R-ME) Thune (R-SD) Vitter (R-LA) Wicker (R-MS)

Not Voting - 1
Voinovich (R-OH)

[rawhide]

Sorry, this bill will pass the Senate. It doe not matter if some Dems vote no, Reid and the White house have bribed enough Dems to secure that it passes. The next big battle will be for enough votes after the conference between the two houses of Congress come to a compromise. But that, too, will pass. The Dems have plenty of money to bribe the holdouts with. Anti-abortion Dems do not exist when there is enough money to bribe you.

The Pubs ought to just go home and let the Dems have complete control of Congress. What a worthless damn party!!!!!!

[stephenjohnbanker]

Bring Back Al Capone!!

Sure he would have stolen 10 billion, but Obama has stolen 40 billion and trashed us here and abroad to boot!

[carjic]

Lieberman could have stopped this...But didn’t

[Ticonderoga34]

Lieberman voted yea. Thanks for nothing, Joe. You’re still a ‘rat after all these years.

[ncalburt]

Screw the AP cheerleading crap.

If the desm had to battle to get the piece of crap to the floor for a vote then its going to be bloody.

Not even the amnesty bill had this much trouble getting to the floor.

[Kenny]

Thanks for the positive input, I needed that.

[pandoraou812]

I feel sick...

[Windflier]

"Oh well, American prosperity was nice while it lasted."

It sure was. I feel bad for my adult children and grandkids. They are facing a tough future.

ATTENTION!

"If you agree with that line of thinking, you are a pathetic dumb ass!

See if you can tear yourself away from your 'reality' TV and Starbucks for a minute, pull your head out of your flabby ass -- and LISTEN UP!!

To ALL those whining, panty-waist, pathetic maggots, it's time for a little refresher course on exactly why we Americans occasionally have to fight wars.

These sons-of-bitches are plotting, as we speak, to destroy our country and our way of life any way they can.

You've fallen asleep AGAIN, maggots, and you may not get another chance!

NOW GET OFF YOUR SORRY ASS! - and pass this on to any and every person you give a damn about... If you ever gave a damn about anything."

General George S. Patton

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

Lieberman plans to filibuster any bill with a public option so its going to get real ugly.

I don't trust Lieberman any more than any of the rest of these lying bastards.

BTW, Thanks, third party voters in MN!!

[Windflier]

See tagline.

Get lost, quitter.

[cleveland gop]

The being paid not to work crowd(AKA WELFARE)is in full celebratory mode now.

It isn’t enough we pay for homes, food, clothes, cars, TV’s, Nintendo Wii’s, and health care but now we get to even pay more?????

Tell me someone like MLK wouldn’t see a wee little problem with this picture.....

[Windflier]

In related news, we’re screwed.

Bullshit. Knock off the defeatist drivel. It irritates the troops.

[Iron Munro]

The real cost of the stolen election in Minnesota becomes clear.

[Kenny]

BTW, Thanks, third party voters in MN!!

And thank you Coleman and the gutless Republican party for not letting that election go to the Supreme Court. I can't imagine why he pulled out unless they bought him off too.

[Dubya-M-DeesWent2SyriaStupid!]