On Sunday night, I found myself glued to the television. No, I wasn’t watching the thrilling upsets in the NCAA tournament. I was watching Congress vote on legislation to extend health care coverage to millions of uninsured Americans.
What?
I am not sure why I found this so fascinating. Historic though it is, I understand little of the procedural rhetoric which occurred, yet I couldn’t take my eyes off the process. House democrats voted 219-212 to send the legislation to President Obama and cheered when the 216th vote, the amount needed, was cast. Republicans booed and heckled through testimony, shouting “baby killer” as Rep. Bart Stupak(D-Mich), an anti-abortion Democrat, explained his vote for the bill which supports federal funding for abortion in cases of rape, incest or danger to the life of the mother. The events had all the dignity of a wild frat party and none of the pomp and circumstance one might expect from elected officials.
Call it morbid curiosity, but I couldn’t look away.
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