Senate election in Massachusetts changes tide of the Healthcare Bill
Timalyn Baker
Issue date: 1/27/10 Section: News
By Timalyn Baker
This past week was a pivotal moment for the Republican Party, opposing President Barack Obama's proposed Healthcare Bill. From an outsider looking in, it appeared as if President Obama's bill would be passed. Progress on getting it passed quickly was going well and with the majority of the Senate being Democrats it was almost a sure thing.
Since the death of Senator Ted Kennedy, the seat in Massachusetts has been vacated. Up for the position were Candidate Martha Coakley (Democrat) and her opponent Scott Brown (Republican). Initially Coakley was in the lead by a 29% margin but in the end, just a few nights before everything was finalized, Brown held a 3:1 edge over Coakley. Last week on Tuesday, Scott Brown won the election, taking away hope from the Democratic Party for passing President Obama's Bill.
Democrat Representative, Barney Frank, told the Associated Press, "If Scott Brown wins it will kill the health bill. Democrats will lose their filibuster-proof-60-seat majority in the Senate". This is exactly why this election was so pivotal to the passing of the Healthcare Bill. Now Brown will be able to cast the decision making vote by voting against passing the legislation. The Democratic Party was counting on that vote to get this bill passed. They've had control of that chair for the past 46 years.
President Obama said in the week, "Understand what's at stake here in Massachusetts, this is about whether we go backwards or forwards." It appears as if the President has come to grips with the defeat and announced on last Thursday in the Wall Street Journal that he would be open to Congress passing a scaled-back health-care bill, potentially sacrificing much of his signature policy initiative in a bid to subdue the chaos that engulfed Capitol Hill on last Wednesday. Only time will tell what will become of this Health Care Bill.
This past week was a pivotal moment for the Republican Party, opposing President Barack Obama's proposed Healthcare Bill. From an outsider looking in, it appeared as if President Obama's bill would be passed. Progress on getting it passed quickly was going well and with the majority of the Senate being Democrats it was almost a sure thing.
Since the death of Senator Ted Kennedy, the seat in Massachusetts has been vacated. Up for the position were Candidate Martha Coakley (Democrat) and her opponent Scott Brown (Republican). Initially Coakley was in the lead by a 29% margin but in the end, just a few nights before everything was finalized, Brown held a 3:1 edge over Coakley. Last week on Tuesday, Scott Brown won the election, taking away hope from the Democratic Party for passing President Obama's Bill.
Democrat Representative, Barney Frank, told the Associated Press, "If Scott Brown wins it will kill the health bill. Democrats will lose their filibuster-proof-60-seat majority in the Senate". This is exactly why this election was so pivotal to the passing of the Healthcare Bill. Now Brown will be able to cast the decision making vote by voting against passing the legislation. The Democratic Party was counting on that vote to get this bill passed. They've had control of that chair for the past 46 years.
President Obama said in the week, "Understand what's at stake here in Massachusetts, this is about whether we go backwards or forwards." It appears as if the President has come to grips with the defeat and announced on last Thursday in the Wall Street Journal that he would be open to Congress passing a scaled-back health-care bill, potentially sacrificing much of his signature policy initiative in a bid to subdue the chaos that engulfed Capitol Hill on last Wednesday. Only time will tell what will become of this Health Care Bill.
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