CELEBRATING

Seven-fifteen a.m. on Friday, Christmas Eve Day, we poured the coffee. We were sleepy -- we'd been shooting one of my blogs for our A.I.R videocasting project till two a.m. (We're planning to podcast the videos once a week, as of mid January.)

Before retiring, we noticed that the refrigerator wasn't cold enough. Uh-oh! We turned up the dials.

Sipping coffee, that a disaster might be looming over the holiday weekend was still on our minds. We avoided the topic, didn't check the fridge, and exchanged a few words about last night's shoot -- should we, or shouldn't we do another "take?"

As I put the toast on a plate, I said, "John, aren't they're voting this morning?"

He turned on the television set.

There they were -- the smiling-weary Senators congratulating each other, the smiling-weary commentators up-dating us -- sixty Democrats, thirty-nine Republicans. SIXTY WINS!

If you haven't seen it too many times, have a look.

After the house bill and the senate bill are reconciled, we'll be done whether we should we have Health Care reform? We'll have it.

"Yay!" I hooted. We watched for a while, and heard comments from faces and names that have become familiar.

What does it mean?

It will be many days, lots of comments, attacks on Obama and the Democrats, from the Democrats who want more, who want concessions, improvements, who want to be re-elected.
And comments and attacks -- the kind we've been hearing from Republicans who have negated everything that Obama's done, and has tried to do throughout the year.

Is this wrangling, attacking, blaming, dissecting a healthy thing -- a good thing that's part of what Democracy is today -- the news conveying all the opposition messages, ads -- some expressing real issues -- others using Swift-Boating Truth tactics to prove that Health Care is harmful, dangerously wrong?

I don't know. But I don't like it.

I'm closing my eyes , still celebrating, because progress was made on December 24th, but I'm tightening my belt, bracing myself to rah-rah, cheer on the team.

We're not done yet -- hold that line, guys -- fight team fight.

Hey Hey - you get out of our way.
Today is the day --
We put you away!
You might be good at basketball,
You might be good at track
But when it comes to health care --
You might as well step back.
Might as well step back!
Say what?
Thirty-Niners might as well step back!
Can't hear us?
Might as well step back!
Go SIXTY go!

(P.S. We gave the refrigerator 24 hours to adjust and it seems to be holding its own.)