THE MORNING AFTER PILL – AT 8:08 A.M. ET:  The dust hasn't cleared, and may never clear, over the House's passage of health-care "reform" last night.  A bill that very few lawmakers have actually read was passed by a narrow margin, with not a single Republican supporting it.  Thus we march forward united...not.

Fox News reports on the bill and the start of the aftermath:

A bloc of pro-life Democrats turned out to be the linchpin to passage of the Senate's massive health insurance overhaul Sunday night, as President Obama cemented a 219-212 victory with a pledge to issue an executive order "clarifying" abortion language in the Senate bill.

The leader of the so-called "pro-life" bloc, Bart Stupak of Michigan, caved in the end, accepting a presidential statement that "clarified" the president's position that the bill doesn't permit the funding of abortion, except in specific cases.  Stupak now faces Republican opposition in November for what had been considered a relatively safe seat. 

The House also voted 220-211 to support a "reconciliation" bill aimed to "fix" provisions in the Senate bill that many House Democrats opposed but viewed as better than nothing.

The Senate was scheduled to begin debate on those "fixes" on Tuesday, the earliest day that Obama would sign the original legislation.

Republicans will use parliamentary devices to try to block the fixes, forcing Democrats to accept the Senate version whole.

Republicans remain passionate in opposition to the bill, and did not budge, even when the outcome of the House vote appeared inevitable.  They were lead by Minority leader John Boehner:

Clearly angered by the impending vote, Boehner shouted at lawmakers that they can not go back to their constituents and claim to have read the bill, saved money, created jobs or acted openly in their pursuit of the legislation.

Saying the actions taken by the House to get the bill passed discredits the Congress, Boehner, R-Ohio, slowly raised his voice as he demanded lawmakers answer simple questions.

"Can you go home and tell your senior citizens that these cuts in Medicare will not limit their access to doctors or further weaken the program instead of strengthening it? No, you can not," Boehner said to shouts of support from his GOP caucus. "And look at how this bill was written. Can you say it was done openly, with transparency and accountability without backroom deals struck behind closed doors, hidden from the people? Hell, no you can't."

Boehner warned lawmakers that they will have to face the music if they vote for the legislation.

"In a democracy you can only defy the will of the people for so long and get away with it," he said.

COMMENT:  There is no sign that the bitter divisions will heal soon, or ever.  What should have been a bipartisan effort turned into a very partisan affair.  The big question now is whether Americans, who opposed the bill in every public-opinion poll taken, will now accept it.

March 22,  2010