Weary applause
House Passes Healthcare Reform Measure By 219-212 Tally.
In what media reports and analyses are casting as a historic development and a major win for President Obama, the House Sunday night passed the Senate-approved healthcare reform measure by 219-212.
The AP (3/22) notes that after passing the bill, the House proceeded to approve "key changes" to it, "part of a prearranged agreement to guarantee passage of the historic legislation. The changes passed by a 220-211 vote. That bill now goes to the Senate for final approval, where it only requires a simple majority to pass."
Most stories are describing the bill in largely favorable terms -- and the vote as a triumph of the political system as a whole. The vote, reports USA Today (3/22, Wolf, Fritze), "assured that about 32 million Americans will gain health insurance coverage, and millions more will win protections against losing theirs." The Los Angeles Times (3/22, Levey, Hook, Silva, Muskal) reports that "House Democratic leaders proved they could hold the majority caucus together," though "thirty-four Democrats opposed the bill, as did all Republicans." An AP (3/22, Woodward) story observes, "Rarely does the government, that big, clumsy, poorly regarded oaf, pull off anything short of war that touches all lives with one act, one stroke of a president's pen. Such a moment has come."
It was, Bloomberg News (3/22, Litvan, Rowley, Jensen) notes, "the most sweeping US healthcare legislation in four decades," and "the biggest victory yet for...Obama." The AP (3/22, Espo) notes that the President "watched the vote in the White House's Roosevelt Room with Vice President Joe Biden and about 40 staff aides. When the long sought 216th vote came in -- the magic number needed for passage -- the room burst into applause and hugs. An exultant president exchanged a high-five with his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel."
The Hill (3/22, Swanson) notes that the President addressed the nation saying, "Tonight, at a time when the pundits said it was no longer possible, we rose above the weight of our politics. ... This is what change looks like."
The Los Angeles Times (3/22, Nicholas) reports, "Rarely does a president bet everything on a single card, but...Obama did it on healthcare," and "what became clear in the...debate is that Obama is a president with a combative stubbornness, one that was not often visible in his cool, above-the-fray public demeanor."
In a front-page story, the New York Times (3/22, A1, Bernard) reports, "The uninsured are clearly the biggest beneficiaries of the legislation, which would extend the healthcare safety net for the lowest-income Americans." Meanwhile, "for people already covered by a large employer -- most Americans, in other words -- the effect would not be as significant. And yet, just about everyone might benefit from tighter insurance regulations." The Times adds, "There is no question that the legislation should benefit consumers in various ways." In a separate front-page story, the New York Times (3/22, A1, Pear, Herszenhorn) notes that "Democrats hailed the vote as historic, comparable to the establishment of Medicare and Social Security and a long overdue step forward in social justice."
In a front-page analysis, the New York Times (3/22, A1, Sanger) adds that "Obama is now assured, whatever the ultimate cost, of going down in history as one of the handful of presidents who found a way to reshape the nation's social welfare system."
In what media reports and analyses are casting as a historic development and a major win for President Obama, the House Sunday night passed the Senate-approved healthcare reform measure by 219-212.
The AP (3/22) notes that after passing the bill, the House proceeded to approve "key changes" to it, "part of a prearranged agreement to guarantee passage of the historic legislation. The changes passed by a 220-211 vote. That bill now goes to the Senate for final approval, where it only requires a simple majority to pass."
Most stories are describing the bill in largely favorable terms -- and the vote as a triumph of the political system as a whole. The vote, reports USA Today (3/22, Wolf, Fritze), "assured that about 32 million Americans will gain health insurance coverage, and millions more will win protections against losing theirs." The Los Angeles Times (3/22, Levey, Hook, Silva, Muskal) reports that "House Democratic leaders proved they could hold the majority caucus together," though "thirty-four Democrats opposed the bill, as did all Republicans." An AP (3/22, Woodward) story observes, "Rarely does the government, that big, clumsy, poorly regarded oaf, pull off anything short of war that touches all lives with one act, one stroke of a president's pen. Such a moment has come."
It was, Bloomberg News (3/22, Litvan, Rowley, Jensen) notes, "the most sweeping US healthcare legislation in four decades," and "the biggest victory yet for...Obama." The AP (3/22, Espo) notes that the President "watched the vote in the White House's Roosevelt Room with Vice President Joe Biden and about 40 staff aides. When the long sought 216th vote came in -- the magic number needed for passage -- the room burst into applause and hugs. An exultant president exchanged a high-five with his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel."
The Hill (3/22, Swanson) notes that the President addressed the nation saying, "Tonight, at a time when the pundits said it was no longer possible, we rose above the weight of our politics. ... This is what change looks like."
The Los Angeles Times (3/22, Nicholas) reports, "Rarely does a president bet everything on a single card, but...Obama did it on healthcare," and "what became clear in the...debate is that Obama is a president with a combative stubbornness, one that was not often visible in his cool, above-the-fray public demeanor."
In a front-page story, the New York Times (3/22, A1, Bernard) reports, "The uninsured are clearly the biggest beneficiaries of the legislation, which would extend the healthcare safety net for the lowest-income Americans." Meanwhile, "for people already covered by a large employer -- most Americans, in other words -- the effect would not be as significant. And yet, just about everyone might benefit from tighter insurance regulations." The Times adds, "There is no question that the legislation should benefit consumers in various ways." In a separate front-page story, the New York Times (3/22, A1, Pear, Herszenhorn) notes that "Democrats hailed the vote as historic, comparable to the establishment of Medicare and Social Security and a long overdue step forward in social justice."
In a front-page analysis, the New York Times (3/22, A1, Sanger) adds that "Obama is now assured, whatever the ultimate cost, of going down in history as one of the handful of presidents who found a way to reshape the nation's social welfare system."