Well, looks like Democrats got their 60 votes and are on their way to pass the health care bill. It is still not a done deal, it could still come unraveled. The bills passed by the House and the senate are very much different from each other and it will be a Herculean task to reconcile the two, to try to come up with a blended bill which will be acceptable to a majority of House members and a majority of senators.
However, now it is doable, I would put chances of health care reform being passed at around 80%, not 100%.
Anyway, so how is it an act of God? Well, at the beginning of the year, it looked highly unlikely that there will be a health care reform. After the election, Democrats had 57 Senate seats, three short of the 60 needed. Then Mark Begich defeated Ted Stevens of Alaska in a very close race and Democrats got 58 seats.
Then unexpectedly, Arlen Specter bolted from the Republican Party and joined the Democrats, giving them 59, still short of the 60 needed. The election between Franken and Coleman in Minnesota dragged on for months, with neither side giving up. Finally Al Franken won, giving the Democrats the 60 needed.
But then Ted Kennedy died, leaving Democrats again with 59. In Massachusetts, a senate vacancy has to be filled by an election (in November) the Governor cannot appoint a replacement. So it looked as if Democrats would end up with 59 after all.
Then Democrats changed the rules in Massachusetts and gave the governor the power to appoint a senator. That gave democrats 60 seats once again and they could try for health care reform.
So the health care reform is the results of all these gyrations and unlikely, chance occurrences. So the question is, would you call it an act of God (or an act of the Devil, depending upon your point of view)?
However, now it is doable, I would put chances of health care reform being passed at around 80%, not 100%.
Anyway, so how is it an act of God? Well, at the beginning of the year, it looked highly unlikely that there will be a health care reform. After the election, Democrats had 57 Senate seats, three short of the 60 needed. Then Mark Begich defeated Ted Stevens of Alaska in a very close race and Democrats got 58 seats.
Then unexpectedly, Arlen Specter bolted from the Republican Party and joined the Democrats, giving them 59, still short of the 60 needed. The election between Franken and Coleman in Minnesota dragged on for months, with neither side giving up. Finally Al Franken won, giving the Democrats the 60 needed.
But then Ted Kennedy died, leaving Democrats again with 59. In Massachusetts, a senate vacancy has to be filled by an election (in November) the Governor cannot appoint a replacement. So it looked as if Democrats would end up with 59 after all.
Then Democrats changed the rules in Massachusetts and gave the governor the power to appoint a senator. That gave democrats 60 seats once again and they could try for health care reform.
So the health care reform is the results of all these gyrations and unlikely, chance occurrences. So the question is, would you call it an act of God (or an act of the Devil, depending upon your point of view)?