I knew the health care debate was going on yesterday, and I decided to drop in for a bit, given that it’s historical and all. Because I have a press pass, I walked straight past the line of people waiting to get into the citizen section of the chamber and went into the press section, which overlooks the Congress. So I was about 10 feet away from the debate. No photos, videos, or recording for this entry, I’m afraid—none were allowed in the room.

The House Press Gallery is next to the room where health care was being debated. Like, right next to it. Doors opened from one room to another, and members of the press repeatedly walked in and out without ceremony. I did so every 15 minutes to check my cell phone (no cell phone in the House chamber, but overuse of them in the press gallery.) Outside the window of the press room, we could hear tea party protesters shouting “Kill the bill!” The funny thing was, no one in Congress could hear them. And they were out there ‘till 11pm or so.

A Congressman from Tennessee who was also a doctor said this: “I have never operated on a Republican or Democratic cancer in my life.”

The debate was a little boring for a while, since members of Congress kept making generic speeches as a front for all the negotiating and dealing that was going on outside the chamber, or, in some cases, inside the chamber via cell phone. That’s right. The members of Congress were texting each other. A lot.

Erich and I took a tally, and apparently around 15 to 20 members of Congress were likely to be texting at any given moment, out of the 100 or so members likely to be in the the room.

To pass the time, we also played hangman. Don’t tell anyone.

It really got interesting near the end, when the right and the left decided to devote all their energy to messing with each other.

Ohio Congressman (R): Look at this bill. Just look at it. It’s so long. Do you really think anyone can keep their existing coverage if they like it if this bill passes?

Entire left: Yes!

And later …

Republican Congressman: Can we pass such a bill?

Entire right: No! No we can’t! No we can’t! No we – (realize what they are chanting and look around bashfully)

Entire left: Yes we can! Yes we can!

Entire right: RAWR! (The right repeatedly made this booing/grumbling sound. Think overenthusiastic, privileged zombies.)

Then came the vote. Or actually, then the Democrats motioned for a vote. A Republican motioned for a roll-call vote, which, in layman’s terms, means taking about half an hour to ask each individual member of Congress how they vote on the vote to choose whether or not to vote.

Speaker: No.

The speaker was a Democrat.

Voting was pretty intense. Everyone thought Loretta Sanchez had bailed on the Congress, but she showed up to vote literally in the last second. Literally. The timer said zero when she cast her vote. The press couldn’t believe it.

The bill needed 216 votes in favor to pass. When the electronic board that is projected onto the Congress walls (really) turned from 215 to 216, the whole left side started cheering, chanting “Yes we can! Yes we can!” I had been covering the immigration march earlier that day, where the constant, ongoing chant was “Sí ses puede! Sí se puede!” I’m starting to think it’s a bit overused.

In the end, the bill passed by three votes.

“A landslide!” said an excited, and, I suspect, left-wing journalist next to me.

Altogether, pretty historic.

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