THE HOUSE PASSES HEALTH CARE REFORM

House health care bill gets votes needed for passage. 220 members of Congress -- including one Republican, Rep. Joseph Cao of Louisiana -- voted in favor of health care reform, advancing the legislation by the slimmist of margins. Thirty-nine Democrats voted against the bill, along with 176 Republicans.



Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) cast vote #218, solidifying passage. Speaker Pelosi was "near sobbing," HuffPost"s Ryan Grim reports LinkHere

"Dean of the House" delivers final health care speech. Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), the longest-serving member of the House of Representatives, who has introduced a national health care bill at the beginning of every session of Congress since he came into office, received a standing ovation as he began the final Democratic health care speech of the night.

greatlardini

This one goes out to Rep. Boehner. Gram Parsons, and the great one"s version of Merle"s "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down".

Michele Bachmann wears a lei, critics go to town. Outspoken Minnesota Republican Michele Bachmann (somewhat inexplicably) was sporting a Hawaiian lei when she spoke out against health care reform tonight. She said she was doing so because people in Hawaii told her to vote against the bill.



A Democrat blasted out an email: "I feel it is my duty to point out that Hawaii has a health care mandate where EVERY employer has to provide health care benefits to ALL employees who work over 20 hours a week."

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