Senate Advances Health Care Bill to Floor

MarketWatch (Wall St. Journal): Senate moves health care bill forward for debate, by  By Robert Schroeder & John Letzing:

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The Senate voted late Saturday night to advance a sweeping health-care reform bill to the full floor for debate, vaulting a key procedural hurdle and handing an early legislative victory to Democrats and President Barack Obama on his top domestic priority.

The vote came only hours after Senate Democrats won the support of two lingering holdouts, Louisiana's Mary Landrieu and Nebraska's Blanche Lincoln, who reluctantly committed to help their party move the legislation forward.

It also sets up the Senate for a heated debate across party lines, with Republicans and many Democrats demanding significant changes to the bill.

Huffington Post: It's Too Early to Celebrate the Senate Health Care Vote, by Mitchell Bard:

I swear, I find no no joy in being Debbie Downer. I really wish I could celebrate the Senate's 60-39 vote to begin the debate on health care legislation, narrowly holding off the blocking tactic of the Republicans. I am 100 percent in favor of health care reform (I'm a fan of Rep. Anthony Weiner's proposal to extend Medicare to everyone). But a realistic view of what happened (and what has happened leading up to the vote) reveals far more things to be concerned about than to cheer for. . . .