Demcrats Lose a Seat to the Republicans

A victory for the Republicans on Captiol Hill has pushed the Health Care Reform Bill to the brink of defeat. On Wednesday, Republican Scott Brown won the Massachusetts seat in the Senate after defeating Democrat Martha Coakley. This victory creates an unusually situation for the Democrats in that they no longer are able to stop fillbusters and delay tactics by the Republicans. Now, Democrats only have 59 votes, one short of what is needed to pass the bill. This strips the Decromats of their 60 seat Senate majority and gives the Republicans enough votes to block most political measures imposed by the Democrats. This is a stunning blow to the Democrats just prior to the midterm elections.

There are a few options that the Democrats have to proceed with the health care bill. The House of Representatives can pass their version of the bill and send it directly to the President to be signed into law. The lawmakers could construct a new scaled-down draft of the bill that is capable of getting passed by both of the chambers. The Democrats could also try to push the health care bill through the Senate with only a 51 vote majority. This opens the door for Republicans to delay the process with technical and procedural issues. Republicans have already released a statement that requests proceedings to stop until Republican Brown has been sworn in and can vote on further legislation.

An Issue Divided

As of right now, the Healthcare Reform Bill has passed the House of Representatives and the Senate. It is currently awaiting further discussions to be merge it into one consensual bill that both parties must agree upon before it gets to President's desk. Democratic leaders hope to get it signed by early February before President Obama's State of the Union address. Although, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has admitted that this might be a tight deadline. Pelosi met with Democratic leaders in her office Tuesday afternoon to discuss politically contentious health care issues that might arise in the coming days between the two parties. They are excepting a vigorous fight from the Republican side to derail their efforts with additional amendments and lengthy debates.

The bill is passed, but where is it going? It seems as though there are many issues that need to be ironed out before the bill will be legisalation and the American people can benefit from it.

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