60 votes in favor of bringing the bill to the floor and 39 votes against.
So who voted against it?
There are 58 Democrats in the Senate and two independents who meet with the Democrat caucus. Those would be the 60 who voted in favor of moving the bill forward.
39 Republicans voted against bringing the bill to the floor.
Ohio Republican Senator George Voinovich was not present and did not vote.
Sen. Voinovich's website has statement released on Nov. 2oth that reads “Americans watching the health care debate in Washington should know that the actions of Congress will have far-reaching consequences on their lives and our entire economy."
During a speech given shortly after the Senate vote tonight, Vice President Joe Biden said "Those who voted for reform with be rewarded and those who voted against it will be held accountable," The speech was made at the Jefferson Jackson Dinner, the Iowa Democratic Party's largest fundraiser.
Sen. Bernie Sanders issued the following statement:
"I voted to proceed on health care reform because our current health care system is disintegrating and must be reformed. Forty-six million Americans are uninsured, and 45,000 die every year because they don't have access to a doctor. We have almost one million Americans going bankrupt because of medically-related diseases, health care costs are soaring and we end up spending almost twice as much per person on health care as any other nation. It is clear that we need real health care reform."
"While I voted to proceed to the health care legislation tonight, I have made it clear to the administration and Democratic leadership that my vote for the final bill is by no means guaranteed. In the weeks to come I intend to do everything I can to make this legislation stronger and more effective for working families and taxpayers in Vermont and America and something all Americans can be proud of."
The vote does not insure passage. The vote only allows the Senate to start the debate process and begin working on possible amendments to the legislation.
This process will take weeks and those that want to see this bills passage come about in time to be seen as a gift to the American people as a Christmas gift may not see it happen in time.
The bills final passage will depend on the strength of the 60 votes which are absolutely necessary for the final passage.
How many amendments and how long will it take for this bill to come to final vote?
Where do you stand on Health Care Reform?
Are you for it or against it?
Do you even care anymore?
Or are you among many millions of Americans who are more interested in finding a way back into the workforce so we can all consider paying for health care. After All, if we aren't working than nothing is affordable is it?
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http://www.usnews.com/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2009/11/25/the-staggering-rise-of-the-filibuster.html
ReplyDeleteAbove is an article about how much the filibuster has changed over the years. While I do think that the filibuster gets used more often now and often just for political show, it does seem ridiculous that it takes something 60 votes to get to the floor of the Senate for debate. That's like telling someone that their opinions can't be voiced. That I think is unhealthy, but I do think there is still room for a filibuster.