Health Care Bill Passes 219-212

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4 responses to “Health Care Bill Passes 219-212”

1. 

   ceemac

   March 22, 2010

   I was curious about this last fall so looked up the same info(an intj thing?). I’d like to read more about the history of the process of adopting those 2 programs and how they were able to have such a large bipartisan majority.
   I suspect a key thing is that the culture of Congress has changed a lot since 1965. I don’t think it would be like comparing apples and oranges. More like comparing apples and anvils.
   It is my understanding that in 1965:
   * The parties were more diverse.
   * There were close relationships across the party lines. Dem and Rep members actually socialized and took family vacations together. They debated policy and had serious disagreements but they were not enemies.
   * The leadership of both houses was much more powerful. And so the rank and file fell into line. There was a price to be paid for telling an LBJ or a Sam Rayburn no.
   * No news channels meant they were able to go about the negotiations quietly.
   A tidbit:
   * I read that the bill that was adopted yesterday is pretty close to proposals advocated by Nixon era Republicans. But the Dems rejected it because they thought they could pass something “better” in the near future. If this is accurate information hmmmm.

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2. 

   ceemac

   March 22, 2010

   A couple more thoughts
   * I wonder if this kind of bipartisan support for a major bill was a common occurrence in 35 and 65 or were the medicare and SS votes and oddity.
   * If you could ask them in an anonymous survey I wonder how many R’s in congress today think that if they had been in congress in 35/65 they would have voted against SS and Medicare. (I have a hunch that the number would be very high). I also wonder how many current R’s in congress would vote to repeal SS and Medicare (not amend or “fix” but repeal) if they could do so and still get reelected.

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3. 

   Peggy

   March 22, 2010

   Thanks for this analysis, Michael. I’m still ruminating about the implications for our Republic when the leadership doesn’t listen to the people or even the States.
   The ends do not justify the means … and the means are much more important. The medium is the message, I have heard … and I don’t like the message I’m hearing. I know I’m not alone. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

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4. 

   Michael W. Kruse

   March 22, 2010

   Good questions, ceemac. I do think there was much higher public support for previous pieces of legislation and I think the politicians made there case, building support for a bill before passing this.
   I think Obama has horribly mismanaged the entire process, the 11th hour rescue of the plan notwithstanding. I seriously question his leadership skills. He wants to be a quiet dispassionate policy developer holed up somewhere solving problems, or leaving politics to congress, and not be the nationwide consensus builder in chief. Roosevelt had this ability. Kennedy/Johnson had this. Reagan had this. I see virtually none of this with Obama.
   Peggy, it will indeed be interesting to see what happens next.

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