Liberal Burblings

The US Senate has finally passed their Health care reform bill by 60 votes to 39. Particular congratulations go to the 92 year old Senator Byrd, who obviously voted – at about 7 o’clock in the morning.

The New York Times puts it very well:

If the two chambers can strike a deal, as seems likely, the resulting product would vastly expand the role and responsibilities of the federal government. It would, as lawmakers said repeatedly in the debate, touch the lives of nearly all Americans… If the bill becomes law, it would be a milestone in social policy, comparable to the creation of Social Security in 1935 and Medicare in 1965.

Now comes the weird bit for British minds, used to the same bill going back and forward between the Commons and the Lords. The two US chambers have now passed their own separate two bills. They’ll now have to get together in a huddle and do a sort of “mash up” or reconciliation of the two bills, so they become one bill which they can both pass and send to the Prez for signature.