BREAKING NEWS: Senate Democrats win key vote to begin debate on health bill.

[jefferson_dem]

:applause:

Senate Dems win key vote to advance health bill
Democrats overcome first hurdle; debate to begin after Thanksgiving

The Associated Press
updated 8:19 p.m. ET, Sat., Nov . 21, 2009

WASHINGTON - Sweeping health care legislation has cleared its first hurdle in the U.S. Senate on a party-line vote.

The 60-39 vote clears the way for a historic debate after Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday on the legislation. The measure is designed to extend coverage to an estimated 31 million Americans who lack it and crack down on insurance industry practices that deny benefits.

The vote came in a rare Saturday session in the Senate. Democrats posted 60 votes in a Senate showdown, precisely the number needed to overcome Republican delaying tactics.

The vote was a major victory for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, and the White House in a year-end drive to enact the most sweeping changes to the nation's health care system in a half-century or more.

Two final holdouts, moderate Democratic Sens. Mary Landrieu and Blanche Lincoln, announced in speeches a few hours apart on the Senate floor they would vote to clear the way for what is expected to be a bruising, full-scale health care debate after the Thanksgiving holiday.

"The country suffers when there is a failure to act on serious challenges that millions of ordinary Americans face in their daily lives," Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy said during the rare weekend session.

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34080216/ns/health-health_care/

[Cha]

1. No small feat to

even be able to talk about it..Congratulations, Dems~

[jefferson_dem]

2. 60-39. All Dems + Lieberman and Sanders voted yes. All Reps voted no.

Voinovich did not vote.

[Phx_Dem]

5. LOL. I can't believe chickenshit LIeberhole abandoned his self-proclaimed

"principles" and vote yes. He's still a huge piece of shit for threatening to fillibuster debate.

[goclark]

11. Bet his grandchildren will be set for life ~

He is such a jerk someone must have offered him a lot of money over the table.

Does his wife work for the Insurance Industry?


PS/Did I miss something., shouldn't DU be extremely happy that we got the votes? :shrug:

this is the first real thread that I found this morning about getting this far with Health Care.

[Surya Gayatri]

3. Praise the Higher Power!

:bounce: :fistbump: :woohoo: :applause:

Good, bad or indifferent, what a historic moment! SG

[Phx_Dem]

4. Hey, Joe Lieberman! Fuck you.

[stlsaxman]

6. Whoo hoo!

[Phx_Dem]

7. The media really should learn not to proclaim bills "dead" before they

actually are. I wonder how they'd feel if a doctor proclaimed their family member dead while they were in intensive care. Ah, what the fuck, they''re dead! They'll probably die anyway so let's just get it over with and move on.

:crazy:

[JimWis]

8. Alright, another step.

[alsame]

9. .....

:toast:

[dtotire]

10. Voinovich Did Not Vote

I would give even money that he will vote in favor of the final bill after it is reconciled with the House version. He was a good mayor of Cleveland and a good Governor of Ohio. He is not running for reelection and has criticized the domination of the Republican party by Southern right-wingers.

[freddie mertz]

12. Big (fake) Victory. It was all "Democrats" and is NOT over by a long shot...

At least two, probably four or five of them at minimum will support the Puke filibuster if anything remotely identifiable as a "public option," including the lame-o. worse than nothing versions in the present House and Senate bills, remains in the legislation.

This process represents the final unmasking of the impotence and corruption at the heart of our so-called government.

The Democratic party, as it is currently constituted, cannot govern; or at the very least, cannot deliver the change we all hoped for to the American people.