Will it pass?

It comes down to this. A couple gut wrenching days of counting the votes one by one and a handful of people looking at the good and bad of this bill who still can't make up their minds after having heard every argument for both sides ad nauseum.

Presidents didn't use to do this. In the past, they seldom risk everything they had on a vote that they weren't absolutely positive they couldn't win. Everything was consensus. Maybe it has something to do with the gridlock in place, but the last two POTUS have been a lot more willing to throw it out there. Because if O can't get this through. He might not get another significant piece of legislation through his entire time in office.

Why has this been so long and painful? Part of me thinks that's just part of the process. Making legislation has never been pretty. And there have always been political trade offs here and there. But I do think everyone has better learned how to throw up roadblocks and the Democratic leaders haven't been quite as innovative in overcoming those blocks. Yeah, they're pulling out a complex reconciliation maneuver, but it would have been nice if the leaders could have had a better grasp on their votes earlier. Yeah, there were circumstances like the unfortunate passing of Kennedy and Murtha, but there were solid arguments for change that weren't made effectively.

Do people realize that without this fix, we can't afford healthcare at all? We really can't keep going the way we're going. It kills businesses more than taxes. It stifles innovation. And it leaves too many people who attempt to do the right thing on the outside.

All right, I'm not going to re-hash all the arguments here. I've got that novel class to get ready for. I'm more behind than I'd like to be.