Obamacare Passes 219-212

At 10:45 p.m., the Democrats got the 216th vote necessary to pass Obamacare in the House of Representatives amidst shouts of "Yes We Can!!!" "Yes We Can!!!"

Two minutes later the voting was complete. The final tally was 219-212.

Earlier in the day, Michigan Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak voted for Obamacare when President Obama agreed to issue an Executive Order prohibiting federal funding for abortion. This appears to have been the clincher in the passage of the bill.

So where do we go from here? That's the $64 trillion question.

Well, if Republicans gain control of the House and the Senate in November they can work to repeal Obamacare. It won't be easy. But if they get control of both houses they have to try. If they don't do at least that then GOP opposition will have been little more than a paper tiger.

Of course, for repeal to be a possibility the Republican have to win both Houses of Congress. Now, there are many who think tonight's vote automatically ensures a GOP triumph this fall. But a lot can happen in 7½ months. Now, let's suppose the GOP only has a partial victory. They take control of the Senate but the Democrats hang on to the House. A repeal might pass the Senate but would get nowhere in the House.

Needless to say, unless some other matter supplants health care, the Republicans number one promise for the mid-term elections has to be to repeal Obamacare.