Late Saturday night, the House of Representatives narrowly approved the Affordable Health Care for America Act by a vote of 220-215, a much closer margin than was thought, considering the overwhelming majority Democrats hold. 39 Democrats broke ranks and opposed the bill, while there was only one Republican that supported it.
It will now be up to the Senate to vote on it’s version but that may prove an ever stiffer test. At this point it doesn’t look likely that Democrats will be able to muster the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster and end debate.
The key figures in the Senate vote may be Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, an independent and Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, a Republican. Lieberman, while an independent, sits on the Democratic caucus and would be the 60th vote needed to break a filibuster, however, he has vowed to join a Republican filibuster as long as the bill contains a “public option”.
Meanwhile, Snowe, unlike her fellow Republicans has opened the door to compromise and the White House may try to seek her support, although it’s unclear at the moment what it would take to sway her vote. At this point there are serious doubts on whether a bill will reach President Obama’s desk before the year is out.
It would be a major defeat for the President, whom has made health care reform his primary domestic policy issue. The final outcome may also have a strong bearing on next year’s midterm Congressional elections.
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