Tuesday, October 13, 2009

14-9

in this political bubble that i live in, today was a watershed moment...the senate finance committee passed comprehensive health reform by a vote of 14-9, with the honorable senator from maine crossing partisan lines to vote with history.

after a historic two week markup in committee, 70-80 hour work weeks, countless late nights, and unhealthy amounts of stress later...we've come to this point. never in history have we come so far on health care reform. though we're not there yet, it is inching its way forward and the anxiety and anticipation of progress is palpable in our little corner in the dirksen building.


looking back, my high point of the markup would have to be hearing senator snowe give her closing statement: “Is this bill all that I would want? Far from it. Is it all that it can be? No. But when history calls, history calls. I happen to think that the consequences of inaction dictate the urgency of Congress taking every opportunity to demonstrate its capacity to solve the monumental issues of our time.” those few words, so eloquently delivered, brought satisfaction to the hours and effort put into securing her vote. of course she is far from guaranteed to stay with us through the end, for this moment, we can stand tall and breathe a sigh of relief.

a close second to this closing moment of redemption would be senator rockefeller's heartwarming recanting of his dedication to the needy. his command of the audience, senators among them, hanging onto his words as he emotionally told the story of an immigrant worker he once tried to help get a job. and though with all his efforts, with his family name, and with his heartfelt dedication, this man faced the tragedy of insurmountable challenges placed upon a hardworking immigrant's shoulder, and he couldn't break through. tearing up, senator rockefeller gave the speech of the markup.

these are just a couple of the very memorable and unforgettable moments during the past few weeks. i know it is something that is hard to comprehend for those existing in the real world, but for us policy junkies living and breathing by every vote count and cbo dollar lost or gained, today was one giant leap forward in our ultimate goal. hopefully the coming months will bear fruit to our labors and we'll see our president of change penning his name to the largest domestic reform of our generation.

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