The U.S. House of Representatives just passed the biggest healthcare reform bill in decades. Representatives voted 219 to 212 in favor of Obama’s biggest domestic initiative.
The day is certain to go down in American history, but it will take several months to discover who will profit politically from its passage. Democrats have the most to lose. If they’re unsuccessful in gaining voter support for the reforms by the November elections, they’ll be threatened by a fiasco and a historic comeback by Republicans. At the moment, a majority of citizens opposes large portions of the legislation.
While the important vote has already taken place, the real political battles now begin. Conservatives will dissect every detail of the legislation’s wording. Democrats will sing the bill’s praises to high heaven and hope that the public comes to see the wisdom contained in the over 2,000 pages of text.
There will be no lack of political subtext. One Republican representative has already said that Obama’s initiative is reminiscent of the dirtiest ideas put forth by the former Soviet Union. Whoever thought American domestic politics had gotten dirty over the past five months would do well to get ready for even worse.
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