The United States House of Representatives has made history by approving President Barack Obama’s controversial health care reform package. The bill was fully backed by members of the president’s own Democratic Party; all the Republican representatives voted against it. Responding to news of his victory, President Obama said:
"Tonight, at a time when the pundits said it was no longer possible, we rose above the weight of our politics. We pushed back on the undue influence of special interests. We didn't give in to mistrust or to cynicism or to fear. Instead, we proved that we are still a people capable of doing big things.”
But as the House of Representatives debated the reforms, angry demonstrations were taking place outside the Capitol. Among those opposed to the bill are the populist right-wing Tea Party movement, which regards the package of medical insurance and other reforms as an attack on the individual freedoms and liberties of American citizens. They claim the legislation will turn their country either into a Communist ‘Soviet Union’, or a ‘Nazi Germany’.
Heated
Republican members of Congress distanced themselves from the racist and homophobic insults being hurled by some of the angry demonstrators outside, but the discussion inside was heated too. The Republican leader in the House of Representatives, John Boehner, had the following to say, just before the final, decisive round of voting:
"Hell, no, you can't! Have you read the bill? Have you read the reconciliation bill? Have you read the amendment? Hell, no, you haven't.”
But the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, had the final word, emphasising just before the final vote the historic nature of the radical reform package. She made a comparison with the reforms brought in generations ago by two other Democratic presidents, Franklin D Roosevelt and Lyndon B Johnson.
“It's with great humility and with great pride that we tonight will make history for our country and progress for the American people. Just think, we will be joining those who established social security, Medicare and now, tonight, health care for all Americans...”
Abortion deal
The Democrats managed to produce a decisive majority for the bill after President Obama made a deal with the anti-abortionist element within his own party, promising a presidential order that will guarantee no federal government funding for abortions.
The president commented on Sunday:
“Long after the debate fades away and the prognostication fades away and the dust settles, what will remain standing is not the government-run system some feared, or the status quo that serves the interests of the insurance industry, but a health care system that incorporates ideas from both parties - a system that works better for the American people”
What will now become law following the vote in the House of Representatives and subsequent signing into law by the president is the health care reform bill approved by the US Senate in late 2009.
Failure to victory
Since the surprise election victory of Republican Scott Brown, who took the ‘safe’ Massachusetts’ Senate seat of late Democrat Edward Kennedy in January this year, the Democrats no longer have the ‘supermajority’ of 60 seats in the 100-seat Senate. This made it look for a time as if Mr Obama’s plans were doomed to fail. But clever political manoeuvring by the Democrats managed to turn potential defeat into a victory for the health care plans.
The Senate still has to vote later this week on certain amendments which the House of Representatives ‘attached’ to the bill on Sunday. However, that vote requires a simple majority of 50-plus-one votes - a number which the Democrats are quite capable of mustering.
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I'll aslo be interested to see what happens when his plans come into effect. Buy NRG-1
Great information and very well presented. Obama is doing a great job and this policy will be vaild. Keep up the great work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdpzEiAxsLo
Great article and very well written, I hope everything goes through well!
Keep up the excellent work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdpzEiAxsLo
I am really interested to see what happens in the next few years when his plan comes into efect.
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Obama administration got a good victory when the health-care reform bill was passed in the senate even after strong objection from Republican leaders.This was a moral victory of ruling democratic party.But the implementation of this bill should be made properly so that people could actually get benefits from it.buy naphyrone
Whatever step taken for the health care insurance is welcome. President Obama did a great job of bringing in the public health insurance to the US population. Public health care being such an important issue, every effort to ensure this personal right of citizen should be encouraged. It is good that due diligence has been exhibited both by the treasury benches and opposition alike for this historical incident happen. Thanks for a public utility post.medifast diet
We are weary, weary of war. The trillions that will have gone to these two wars have helped to bankrupt us as a nation -- financially and morally. To think of all the good we could have done with all that money! Two months of the War in Iraq would pay for all the wells that need to be dug in the Third World for drinking water! Obama is moving too slow for most of us -- but he needs to know we are with him and we stand beside him as he attempts to turn eight years of sheer madness around. Who could do that in nine months? Superman? Thor? Mitch McConnell?
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Yes it's a great achievement for Obama administration because Republicans have voted against the health care reform bill.
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I think that Obama has done a great job in bringing the US population public health insurance. I think that it is an integral part of the UK and other nations' public life. In many ways, access to healthcare is a basic human right. I have been following developments at the online insurance index that lists health insurance sites at http://www.dozeninsurance.com recently. I feel that Obama is doing a good job for the USA overall, it has only been a year. So let's stop giving him a hard time and let him get on with his job. After all, he is a doing a lot better than the previous President ever did.
The final outcome of these policies are not only affecting the future of America but as the whole world feels a leader in America, these certainly will affect their future plans and policies also. So Mr Obama must take the steps considering the whole world in mind.
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Nice information. But it is too early to say anything about the success or failure of Obama administration. Hope his policy will give a new direction to the world.
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I read here yesterday that 34 Democrats also voted against the bill. Was that wrong?
Let's hope that there will be no more gouging by health insurance corporations, hospitals,and pharmaceutical industries.
this is a nice collection of info and I have read an article regarding Barrack Obama in the following blog also and found it to be different...
http://currentworldstatus.blogspot.com/2010/03/barack-obama-was-he-wrong...
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