Senate vote on Health Care Reform President Obama's victory

In less than one year President Barack Obama has managed to do what's never been done in 60 years: spearhead the passage of the reform of the American Health Care System. A nice Christmas present delivered from 60 of Santa Claus' elves in the U.S. Senate, plus one.

Somewhere in Heaven, Senator Ted Kennedy is smiling, and giving a thumbs-up.

(Where's Santa? Well, he's in his sleigh traveling around the World, and you can track him here.)

New Jersey Sen. Bob Mendendez is one of Santa's helpers. Senator Mendendez sent an email to me announcing this moment in history this morning. What he wrote says it all:

Today Senate Democrats passed the most sweeping health care reform package this country has ever seen, and we couldn't have done it without your help.

I can't emphasize enough what this legislation will mean for millions of Americans without adequate health care. It reduces costs for families, increases access, adds choice and competition, and forces insurance companies to put patients first. "Pre-existing conditions" will no longer exist. And seniors will enjoy reduced drug costs and the assurance that Medicare will continue to provide the great care they deserve. Strident GOP objection won't change any of these facts.

The measure will be reconciled with the House version and then signed by President Obama. And not one moment too soon. It's fundamentally wrong that Americans who get sick or injured can be kicked off their insurance, become bankrupt and lose their homes. We're better than that, and this legislation proves it.

Senator Mendendez is right. Some wrongheadedly wrote we should forget health care reform and fix are economy. What they don't understand is our social safety net is so badly damaged that people without jobs could not have health care. That has to change. It has.

Our economy is so badly damaged that it will take years to repair if the objective is a restoration to the kind of economic power America enjoyed in the 60s. I personally think we can do it, but it takes a jettisoning of any idea that Federal Government spending is bad, period. Our economic competitor nations have no problem using government subsidy to help business, and they have taken our position as the export leader away from us. I'm referring to China and Germany and the European Union. It's time for America to wake up and stop this tom-foolery nonsense about spending.

Now that we're on our way toward a health care system that's workable, we can do that.

The Health Care Reform bill passed this morning is called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  According to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the reform will result in the coverage of 94 percent of all Americans, including those estimated 31 million not insured.  But what's best in addition is that it provides tax credits to small businesses.

The plan is really centrist - neither really left or right wing.  It takes care of a long-standing problem that's caused many to question America's direction: it's ability to take care of its own.

The Death of the Republican Party

The passage of Heath Care Reform means the death of the Republican Party. Can you immagine any Republican effectively explaining to an electorate why they voted against help for the uninsured? And with the electorate becoming more ethnically diverse, Republicans asking for the vote of members of racial groups who've been shut out of health care coverage is going to be an uphill battle.

Even with this, Democrats can't lose focus. The next step is the merging of the House and Senate bills into one. Some Republicans may discover logic and realize they don't want to be on the wrong side of positive change, so getting a good bill should not be a big problem.

But this is Congress.

Stay tuned.