Liveblogging the HCR Debate

10:38 p.m.: The reconciliation bill passes 220-211 and now goes to the Senate. Looks like one Democrat had a change of heart. I wonder what the story is behind that.

And that ends the liveblogging. But I’ll continue to blog about health care reform for a long time to come. As eventful as the last year has been, this is only one big step on a long journey.

9:55 p.m.: Roughly ten minutes ago, the House passed the Senate bill 219-212. It now goes to the President for his signature. Still up for a vote is the companion bill that would amend the Senate bill.

Even though the outcome became clear earlier today, I’m still a little stunned. This is, by far, the most significant piece of social legislation passed in my lifetime. We can still do big changes in this country. And now begins the long process of making this law even better.

5:28 p.m.: The House will soon begin actual debate on the bill themselves. Based on the procedural votes held so far, it appears that the Democrats have the votes for final passage. I expect that the debate will still be underway when I get back from the play, but I have no doubt I’ll miss some hyperbole and demagoguery of the highest form. And that makes me a little sad.

4:17 p.m.: The New York Times is reporting that President Obama will address the nation after the House completes its work tonight. My bedtime may have to take precedence.

3:32 p.m.: A little while ago on C-SPAN, Republican Representative Devin Nunes said this in defense of Tea Party activists who hurled the n-word and “faggot” at Democratic congressmen.

NUNES: Yeah, well I think that when you use totalitarian tactics, people, you know, begin to act crazy. I think, you know, there’s people that have every right to say what they want. If they want to smear someone, they can do it. It’s not appropriate. And I think I would stop short of characterizing the 20,000 people protesting, that all of them were doing that –

As long as Republicans continue to shrug off the darker impulses of their racist and homophobic base, it’s going to be very difficult for them to cobble together a ruling coalition in a nation with such rapidly changing demographics.

3:11 p.m.: Stupak votes yes after the President agrees to issue an executive order that says what the bill already says. Whatever works, I guess.

2:45: The actual votes on the bills themselves may not occur until later tonight. And I have theater tickets for 7:00. Liveblogging may be temporarily interrupted. And C-SPAN is now reporting that the White House and Bart Stupak, the leader of a pro-life bloc of Democrats, has reached a deal to secure their votes. That should make passage a nearly sure thing.

2:27: Representative Jim Langevin, who has quadriplegia, just made a speech on the floor in favor of the bill, saying everyone deserves health care coverage that he received and enabled him to give back to his community.

2:13 p.m.: And another procedural challenge from the Republicans. This is going to get tedious pretty quickly.

2:00 p.m.: Debate on the House floor has been underway for about an hour. Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan seems to be the point person for the G.O.P. delegation. He’s already claimed that the bill brings us closer to U.K.-style socialism. Expect to hear this sort of thing a lot today.