Brody's Notes... President Obama On the Passage of Health Reform

Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama

Official White House Photo By Lawrence Jackson

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Mar 22 | The President, with Vice-President Joe Biden at his side, last night offered his perspective on the passage of the historic Health Care reform bill by the House. He noted; 

"Now, it probably goes without saying that tonight’s vote will give rise to a frenzy of instant analysis. There will be tallies of Washington winners and losers, predictions about what it means for Democrats and Republicans, for my poll numbers, for my administration. But long after the debate fades away and the prognostication fades away and the dust settles, what will remain standing is not the government-run system some feared, or the status quo that serves the interests of the insurance industry, but a health care system that incorporates ideas from both parties -- a system that works better for the American people."

Mr. Obama carefully avoided any mention of the acrimonious partisan debates and anger that has driven the issue over the past few months and in particular over the last few days as House Democratic leaders and the President himself lobbied recalcitrant members of their own party to pass the legislation. He acknowledged that: 

"...this isn’t radical reform. But it is major reform. This legislation will not fix everything that ails our health care system. But it moves us decisively in the right direction. This is what change looks like.

Now as momentous as this day is, it's not the end of this journey. On Tuesday, the Senate will take up revisions to this legislation that the House has embraced, and these are revisions that have strengthened this law and removed provisions that had no place in it. Some have predicted another siege of parliamentary maneuvering in order to delay adoption of these improvements. I hope that’s not the case. It’s time to bring this debate to a close and begin the hard work of implementing this reform properly on behalf of the American people. This year, and in years to come, we have a solemn responsibility to do it right."