Obama/Pelosi Care Passes House 220-215

With only one Republican defecting

Which makes sense when one considers this is the Republican who replaced “Cold Cash” Jefferson of Louisiana.

Open thread: PelosiCare vote coming tonight;
Update: 35 Dems oppose? Update: Stupak amendment passes; Update: Bill passes, 220-215
By Allahpundit
Hot Air.com

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Update: It was closer than I thought: 220-215, 39 Dems voting no and a solitary Republican — Joe Cao, who replaced “Dollar Bill” Jefferson in a blue district in Louisiana — voting yes. Take heart, righties: Reid is incompetent, which makes the likelihood of 60 votes in the Senate, especially after a vote this narrow, very slim indeed.

But for now, we grieve.

Exit Question: Why didn’t the Republicans refuse unanimous consent and force the bill to be read in its entirety?

Bonus Question: What are the likely mid to long term impacts?

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Bonus Answer by Jerry Pournelle:

Unemployment is over 10%. It wasn’t supposed to get that high. TARP was supposed to fix that.

Meanwhile today may be the most important vote in Congress since the days of the New Deal. If the health care bill passes, it will fundamentally convert these United States into a different kind of popular democracy, which generally means rule by a unionized bureaucracy organized to vote. Once that much of the economy is run by government, economic recovery as many hope for will simply be impossible.

Permanent unemployment at 7% or so; median income perhaps 10% higher than it is now, but not much higher; and a long period of stagflation. Reluctance to take on new employees, and great incentive to export jobs. Is this a picture of the future? We will have to see, as Congress debates the health care and carbon tax bills.