an end, finally, and a beginning

It's not nearly as bold a move as passing Medicare was in 1965, and initially things are not going to change that much because of it.

And it's certainly not the "government takeover of health care" the delusional one-third claims it to be.

However, as Robert Reich maintains, it's the biggest thing Congress has managed to do in decades, and considering that, it has enormous political implications for the future.

Now we can begin. In terms of policy, this is just the beginning, nothing more.

In order to remedy this bill's policy shortcomings, we need to move on immediately to Alan Grayson's "Medicare for all" bill (HR 4789).

But this vote was a lot more about power than policy.

It signals the final defeat of John Birchism, which has enjoyed a last-gasp mini-renaissance due to the health care reform debate, but is now no longer a viable political movement.