Did you watch it?  For those of us who watch the happenings of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate frequently, yesterday’s happenings were just about normal.  It was not historic or anything like the Democrats told us it was a few minutes after they had hung three votes on the defeated GOP to pass healthcare reform.

Although it was painful, I actually did watch the U.S. House of Representatives pass the healthcare legislation Sunday night.  I grew a little tired of this phrase, “Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks in opposition to this flawed health care bill” which seemed every Republican read from a sheet of paper, like sheep.   

I watched President Obama give his victory speech later.  I saw a tear in Vice President Biden’s eye.  He almost made me cry – not because it was so good, but because  it made me wonder, “What’s next?”

Obama delivered the “Change” he promised he would.  For those of you who voted for Obama, you must be proud of what he accomplished.

By the way, I wonder who the person was who walked out into the hallway behind the President when he was giving his speech.  It was uh-oh moment for him, whoever he is.  Funny.

I am for healthcare reform, but some of what is contained in the Democrats’ bill is just too much for me to swallow.  The Democrats are running the show now, so America will get what they voted for.

We were still a country on Monday morning – I saw no tanks in the streets.  I have not received word that my insurance is canceled, nor was there a death panel waiting for me when I stepped outside this morning to go pick up my prescription at my local pharmacy.  It cost me $1.82.  Is this a great country or what?

So, for my right leaning friends out there, this is not the end of the world, but if you stand on your toes, you just might see it from where you are standing – or you can pretend you do.  You might even see Russia from your window, too.

Breaking Bad for the GOP:
During all the debating and speeches, I took some time off to watch “Breaking Bad” which seems to be what the GOP must have been feeling last night.

Boehner:
I missed the part when the Republican Minority Leader (John Boehner) gave an impassioned speech, but I watched it later.  When I saw a clip of it, I said to myself, “That Boehner is such a goof ball, besides being a poor leader.”

Some may remember that he was voted in by his colleagues as the House Majority Leader in early 2006 and is one of the main reasons the Republicans lost the majority in the House to begin with.

The Cry:
Have no fear, we get to vote in November was their cry as they went down to defeat not one, not two, but three times during the votes on the healthcare legislation.  Three strikes and you’re out GOP.  Get some new leaders and try again in November.

I think Sarah (death panel) Palin and Rush Limbaugh are leading the cheers.  Glen Beck will join later after he cleans his chalk board.  Newt Gingrich is talking about the good old days.  Dick Morris is analyzing the whole thing wondering how to make a buck off it.  Sean Hannity’s ratings will go up.  Fox News will dominate for another two years in the cable news ratings and MSNBC will undoubtedly go off the air because their mission is accomplished.

The Democrats are basking in the victory and worrying about their re-election chances in 2010 and 2012.

If you are a Republican, don’t count on Senator Republican Leader Mitch McConnell to do anything.  He’s a lost cause in the leadership category.  He, along with Boehner, helped create the majority for the Democrats in the House and the Senate.

Seriously, this bill was actually good for Republicans:
The Republicans raised tons of money off this issue, so they can’t be all that mad.  They will continue raising money, because that’s what they do.  The Republican National Committee (RNC) was sending out Twitter updates calling for the firing of House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, during the evening – of course they wanted donations to do it.

Refreshing:
For sure the Democrats who voted for this measure have stuck their necks out.  I find it somewhat refreshing for a politician to do that – to actually cast a vote that they know may cost them re-election.

If the Republicans would have cast a few votes to cut spending in 2006 and 2008 and showed some fiscal responsibility in leading the country, they (and America) might not be in such bad shape today.

Lawsuits:
So now it looks like some states may file lawsuits against the Federal Government (United States of America) to stop the healthcare.  I wonder if Montana will join in this lawsuit.  I would not bet on it because it will pit a Democrat state attorney general against his two Democrat U.S. Senators who are up to their eyeballs in support of it.

The Future:
Who knows if the legislation passed by the U.S. House on Sunday will stand up to the test of time, lawsuits, legislative wrangling, not to mention elections.  As I said before, it was refreshing to see some elected officials stick their necks out and do what they felt was right, but that was not necessarily popular.

As some of my fellow veterans say, “If you’re gonna go down, you might as well empty your magazine” and the Democrats have done just that.