Filibuster Defeated - Health Care Final Vote This Week

On a raw party line vote, the Republican filibuster to the Senate health care bill was defeated at 1am this morning. All 58 Democrats and the two independents who caucus with the Democrats provided the 60 votes needed to end the block. Not one of the 40 Republicans voted with the Democrats.

While there are still several procedural things that need to take place, the bill looks to be on track for final official passage sometime this week.

And despite all that is wrong with this bill, that is a huge step forward. There's still some work to do, but we're heading in the right direction. For the first time since a health care overhaul was first proposed in 1917, a bill will go to the president's desk for signature.

UPDATE: Sen. Al Franken (Democrat-MN) explains why is supporting this bill over at DailyKos.

UPDATE 2: Krugman is pleased:

Unless some legislator pulls off a last-minute double-cross, health care reform will pass the Senate this week. Count me among those who consider this an awesome achievement. It's a seriously flawed bill, we'll spend years if not decades fixing it, but it's nonetheless a huge step forward.