Senate Passes Health Care Overhaul on Party-Line Vote
By Robert Pear
December 24, 2009
New York Times
The Senate voted Thursday to reinvent the nation's health care system... TheThe 60-to-39 party-line vote, starting at 7:05 a.m. on the 25th straight day of debate on the legislation, brings Democrats closer to a goal they have pursued for decades and brings President Obama a step closer to success in his signature domestic initiative. When the roll was called, with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. presiding, it was the first time the Senate had gathered for a vote on Christmas Eve since 1895.