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By Dan Balz Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was quoted Sunday as saying that President Obama and the Democrats, by passing comprehensive health care legislation, “will have destroyed their party much as Lyndon Johnson shattered the Democratic Party for 40 years” with the passage of civil rights legislation. The article went on to note how Johnson’s support for civil rights legislation broke apart the North-South coalition in the old Democratic Party and led to the realignment of the South into solid Republican territory. Gingrich responded with several emails saying that the context misrepresented his views by implying that he believed Johnson was wrong to sign the major civil rights legislation of the 1960s. To the contrary, he said, the civil rights revolution of 1956-1965 was “morally absolutely necessary” for the country and Johnson was correct in pushing for the legislation. Other Johnson actions, he said, inflicted more damage to the

Your Browser DoesNot Support IFrames. By Michael D. Shear Moments after the final House vote, President Obama hailed passage of his health care legislation, saying the hard-fought milestone proved that “we are still a people capable of doing big things and tackling our biggest challenges.” In brief remarks that ended just before midnight on Sunday, a tired-looking Obama praised lawmakers for pushing back against special interests and refusing to give in to the opposition. “Today’s vote answers the dreams of so many who have fought for this,” he said. “Long after the debate fades away and the prognostication fades away and the dust settles, what will remain standing … is a health care system that incorporates ideas from both parties.” Obama described the new health-care law as not “radical” but “major” and said it “moves us decisively in the right direction. This is what change looks like.” But in a

Updated 12:12 a.m. By Paul Kane Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.) acknowledged late Sunday night that a Republican yelled “baby killer” as Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) urged his fellow Democrats to vote down a Republican amendment on abortion services in the health-care legislation. The remark drew immediate shouts of derision from the Democratic side of the aisle, as Stupak is considered the leading anti-abortion Democrat and held out his support for the legislation until President Obama issued an executive order restating the ban on federal funding of abortion. Campbell, initially suspected as the lawmaker who shouted the phrase, told reporters that he didn’t say it and believed that it came from a member sitting a row behind him, where the Texas Republicans usually sit. Campbell said he heard “a Southern accent”. “The people who know won’t give it up,” Campbell told reporters. He said the remark was “clear as a

The latest single-serving site, didtheypasshealthcarereform.com, has a very simple answer to the question it poses: “Yes!” The visual background is all unicorns and rainbows and Blingee-style sparkles. Clicking on or reloading the site changes the arrangement of happy imagery.

By Ben Pershing The House rejected Republicans’ last procedural shot at derailing health-reform Sunday, defeating a GOP motion designed to split Democrats on abortion. The Republican “motion to recommit” would have sent the package of reconciliation fixes back to committee with instructions to add the antiabortion language previously promoted by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and included in the original House bill. The measure failed, 199 to 232, with 21 Democrats crossing the aisle to vote with the GOP — 13 fewer than had just voted with Republicans on the Senate health bill. Stupak and a coalition of antiabortion Democrats struck a deal with party leaders and the White House on Sunday on an executive order reaffirming that federal funds would not be spent on abortion, clearing the way for those lawmakers to vote “aye” on the Senate health bill and the package of “fixes.” Because of that agreement, many

By Paul Kane The House has passed health-care reform, and despite the trials and tribulations along the way, Democrats actually had a slightly wider margin on this vote than on the first go-round on Nov. 7, when the vote was 220-215. Here’s how the 219-212 vote broke down: • 219 Democrats voted for the legislation. That’s the exact same number of Democrats who voted yes on Nov. 7, when the House first took up its version of the bill. • All 178 Republicans voted no. Back in November, only 176 Republicans voted no. On Sunday, Rep. Joseph Cao (R-La.), who previously cast the lone GOP vote in either chamber for any version of the legislation, opposed the bill. The GOP also added to its no tally because, since the November vote, Rep. Parker Griffith (Ala.) switched parties to become a Republican. He initially voted against the bill as a Democrat

By Ed O’Keefe Just a few hundred people remained on the South lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Sunday evening as the sun began to set, following two days of coordinated chanting, taunting of lawmakers voting for the bill and spirited conversation between people for and against the health-care measure. “We’ll remember in November!” some chanted, while others yelled, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Obamacare has got to go!” One group used their bodies to spell out their protest, forming a human “NO” in front of the member’s balcony. Signs included “Obamanomics: Trickle Up Poverty” and “Why die waiting for a procedure? Kill the bill!” The mostly anti-reform crowd was joined however by a few supporters, eager to engage the protesters. One man in favor of the bill engaged a woman opposed to it in a heated discussion in sight of reporters, Hill staffers and Capitol Police.

In the midst of Sunday night’s House health-care debate, CBS aired a “60 Minutes” interview with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. Understandably, the bulk of his discussion with Katie Couric centered on the long reform fight. Asked about reports that he had pushed for more piecemeal reform, Emanuel said he wanted whatever the president wanted. He argued that opposition to the bill and displeasure over parliamentary procedures would fade. “The process does not trump the product. And if we get pre-existing conditions banned as discriminatory process, if we get people who are uninsured, health care that they never had, get senior citizens complete coverage of their prescription drugs… people will see the immediate benefit. Right now, it’s kind of out there. It’s not touching their lives.” Emanuel also rejected the idea that Washington is broken. “Let me say this. You can get bipartisanship to get certain things done.

Updated 10:20 p.m. By Garance Franke-Ruta The president of the National Organization for Women said her group is “incensed” about the impasse-breaking deal between President Obama and a group of anti-abortion Catholic Democrats that seems likely to allow historic health-care reform legislation to pass the House later Sunday night, saying the planned presidential executive order “breaks faith with women.” Other reproductive rights groups, as well as abortion opponents, are also displeased with the compromise. In 2007, then-Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign had promised abortion-rights supporters that he would work to overturn the Hyde Amendment, which NOW President Terry O’Neill said Sunday would instead be given fresh weight by Obama’s executive order. “Through this order, the president has announced he will lend the weight of his office and the entire executive branch to the antiabortion measures included in the Senate bill, which the House is now prepared to pass,” she said.

Associated Press Your Browser DoesNot Support IFrames. A Democratic lawmaker says a protester stood up in the House gallery, yelled “Kill the bill” and was cheered by Republicans. Angry demonstrators opposed to the health care bill gathered outside the Capitol on Sunday. Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts says that one stood up in the House gallery and shouted, “Kill the bill. The people don’t want this.” As the man was yelling and ushers tried to escort him out, several Republicans stood up on the House floor and cheered. Said Frank: “I’ve never seen this – for the Republicans to stand up and cheer the guy on.” Frank called the Republicans “clowns.” The cheering could be heard from outside the chamber. ad_icon Disruptions from the gallery are banned.