December 24, 2009 – 7:00 A.M. As I watched C-Span coverage of the final United States Senate vote on their Health Care Reform bill, I felt that I was a part of history in the making. The Senate had been in session through weekends for 25 straight days, the second longest continuous session since l9l7 before entry into World War I. This vote required a simple majority of 51 rather than the 60 votes needed for required procedural votes that preceded it. Vice President Joe Biden was presiding and although the outcome was never in doubt, the atmosphere was tense.

Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell concluded his summary speech by saying that when the senators return home, they will “get an earful” from their constituents. He described the bill in the same vitriolic terms that Republican senators had been using in the months of acrimonious debate on the floor and over the television networks. Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid responded, “Caleb in my home district is a boy who was born without a leg below his knee. He has been denied coverage by insurance companies because of “a preexisting condition.’ His parents will give me an earful of joy and wonder that we have passed this bill.” He called the bill just the beginning of fulfilling what President Harry S. Truman started six and a half decades ago. He added, “This is the first time a political party has chosen to stand on the sidelines of progress, viewing health care through a political lens.” He spoke of “myths and misinformation” and declared that “facts defeat fear.” His conclusion was dramatic, “Health care is about morality and human suffering.”

It was exactly seven o’ôclock, and Joe Biden declared, “The clerk will call the roll.” Since this was a very significant bill, the senators remained at their desks rather than walk down to the clerk’s table to cast their “Aye” or “No” votes as is customary for most bills. In alphabetical order , the names of the senators were called, beginning with “Mr. Akaka” (Hawaii) and each senator responded from his or her desk. There were only two deviations from the simple “Aye” and “No” votes. When Senator Reid’s name was called, he replied “No,” bowed his head into his hands and then quickly changed the “No” to an “Aye” as laughter erupted from both sides of the aisle. Later he confided that during a sleepless night, he had tried to think of a way to express “bipartisan sentiment.” Senator Robert Byrd, the oldest member at 92 years, had arrived in the chamber in his wheelchair. When his name was called by the clerk, he rose to his feet with difficulty to say, “I am casting my vote this morning for my friend, Ted Kennedy. Aye.”

The final vote was 60 to 39 with only Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky absent from the Republican tally. 58 Democrats and 2 Independents had voted “Aye.” When Vice President Biden announced “HR3590 as amended has been passed,” applause broke out from the Democrats and the gallery where supporters of the bill included Vicki Kennedy, Ted Kennedy’s widow. Biden gaveled for order, “The gallery will refrain.” The Senate moved on to pass the bill raising the federal debt limit to $12.4 trillion from $12.1 trillion. For that vote, the 60 votes were needed. The Senate then recessed.

It was both fascinating and instructive to watch what happened next on the floor. There had been much comment from political observers that the “comity of the Senate” had been destroyed during the months of debate. Yet, we saw certain senators who had been fiercely at odds, for example Joe Lieberman and Al Franken, standing close together, and patting each other on the back. Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, congratulating Democrat Maria Cantwell of Washington. Other duos from opposite parties, smiling and shaking hands while they talked. Dick Durbin, Majority Whip, chatting and laughing with a group of Senate pages. The tension had evaporated and the atmosphere appeared collegial once more.

The Senate Democratic leaders held a brief press conference before the Senate adjourned until January l9. The Majority Leader spoke eloquently of passage as a “victory for the American people” affirming Health Care as “a right, not merely a privilege.” He said, “We are a step closer to making Ted Kennedy’s dream a reality.” Senator Chris Dodd called the vote, “the most important vote we’ve ever cast.” Senator Dick Durbin praised Reid’s “tenacity, strength and determination” and lauded President Obama for making Health Care his highest priority. They took no questions. The C-Span cameras showed senators outside the building running to their cars to reach planes that would fly them across the nation to be home on Christmas Eve.

The House of Representatives returns on January 12. Much work lies ahead to reconcile the two measures that have been passed. Certain major differences exist in: financing, public option or lack of one, and abortion coverage. The Conference Committee is the next step where leaders of both The House and The Senate and committee chair people will meet to hammer out compromises that will gain the approval of both houses on final votes. The Republicans vow to block passage of a final bill. They promise Tea Parties and other events for the weeks that lead up to their return on January l9.

The American people will continue to watch and listen. One hopes that they sort out the myths and misinformation – the fear tactics – and value the fact that 31 million Americans will now have health coverage who did not have it before. Health coverage will exist that cannot be stopped arbitrarily by insurance companies. And Caleb, as well as other children and adults, will no longer be turned away due to a “preexisting condition.”

Joyce S. Anderson is the author of “Courage in High Heels,” “Flaw in the Tapestry,” “If Winter Comes” and “The Mermaids Singing.” She can be reached at JSAWrite@aol.com.