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A Morning of Glee and Glumness
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| Contributor | ArmyDem |
| Last Edited | ArmyDem Dec 25, 2009 11:48am |
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| Category | News |
| Media | Newspaper - New York Times |
| News Date | Thursday, December 24, 2009 05:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | By CARL HULSE
Published: December 24, 2009
WASHINGTON — The last time the Senate voted on Christmas Eve, in 1895, it represented a moment of national reconciliation, as lawmakers agreed to lift a ban on federal officers who had joined the Confederacy from serving in the post-Civil War military.
“No Animosity Remaining,” proclaimed a celebratory headline in The New York Times the next day.
The same could not be declared about Thursday’s vote approving a bitterly contested health care overhaul at the end of an exhausting 25-day legislative journey. It was the second-longest consecutive stretch in Senate annals and one that severely strained the traditions of collegiality that underpin the institution.
Beneath the bright red jackets, blouses and holiday ties donned to signify the exceedingly rare occasion of a sunrise session the day before Christmas, real tension remained over the merits of the proposal passed along hardened party lines as well as over how the debate unfolded, with its odd postmidnight and early morning votes.
Democrats and their allies rejoiced at realizing an achievement that had eluded them for decades, saying they were on the verge of enacting an expansion of health care coverage that would provide security for millions of Americans. But the excitement was tempered with the reality for some that they will now have to persuade skeptical voters that the measure, which has been subjected to a blizzard of partisan analysis, is in the public’s best interests. |
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