You surprised me, Harry. I didn't think you'd get this far. Keep it up.Sixty senators voted to invoke cloture on the Democrats' healthcare bill Saturday evening. The vote allows debate on the bill to continue, thus nullifying a potential Republican led filibuster. Fifty-eight Democrats and two independents, Joe Lieberman (CT) and Bernie Sanders (VT) voted to keep the bill alive. Blanche Lincoln (D-AK) was the 60th senator to pledge her vote.

"Although I don't agree with everything in this bill, I believe it is important to begin debate," Lincoln said. "The issue is very complex. There is no easy fix."

Lincoln likely faces a tough 2010 re-election and opposes the government-run public insurance option among other provisions in the bill. Other senators made similar assessments. The whole "I'm voting for debate, not for the bill" bit is a common theme amongst moderate Democrats.

However, there's a harsh reality to consider. Most of these moderate Democrats were recently elected in districts that have been red, historically. They were likely only voted in due to the cumulative ineptitude of the previous administration. Basically, these moderate Democratic senators really shouldn't have won their respective positions. Their constituents' politics hadn't changed prior to the Democrats' congressional takeover, only their attitudes toward the administration. So, as much as I believe these senators should vote with their constituents' views in mind, it's unwise to ignore the fact that many of them won't survive the 2010 election, regardless of their vote.

One other part about Saturday's vote troubles me. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) was another moderate Democrat that Harry Reid had to cattle-prod into voting with the caucus. And by "cattle-prod" I mean "edit the bill's language so her state receives $300 million." Of course, she asserted the money was "not the reason [she is] moving to debate" but we all know that's hogwash. At least for me, her actions draw into question the integrity of these last few Democratic healthcare reform hold-outs. Just why are they holding-out? Before I thought it was just to get re-elected -- play to your constituents' politics. Then I thought Landrieu just wanted to wire some cash back home. Now I figure it's all the same, sort of. Landrieu brings money home to her constituency in the hopes that it will offset her vote to continue the healthcare reform debate (really she just sold her vote since her receiving the money is contingent upon the bill's passage; yeah, she'll be voting for it in the end).

So the big question is, "how genuine are senators like Mary Landrieu who claim to have problems with how liberal the healthcare reform bill is?" Are they all out to extort Harry Reid and the Democratic caucus, pledging their vote only for cash incentives? Harry must either play ball or watch his bill fail, so I can't really blame him for making sketchy deals. Conversely, should the Democratic caucus take any responsibility for those senators behind enemy lines? These senators are risking quite a bit of political capital by voting for this bill. The RNC is already targeting Landrieu and those like her in a 60-second video that's to be emailed to over 5 million people.

These are tough questions, but in the end, I'm siding with the DNC. They're the ones who helped get these senators elected in the first place. That doesn't mean you fall in lock-step all the time like the RNC requires these days, but for major legislation, it's obvious your party needs you. If you're Mary Landrieu, try to make a pact with the DNC to help you get re-elected but don't pollute the healthcare reform bill. It's bloated as-is. Understand you were lucky to serve your state in the first place and do as much as you can to help your party's cause. After we've dragged the Republicans, kicking and screaming, toward change and people start reveling in their freedom from medical insurance companies (knock-on-wood), the Dems will be in a better position to aid candidates in Congressional swing-states. Large moves, like the healthcare reform bill, create changes in ideology. "We get positive results" is a way better argument than "we're better than the previous guy." So, the Mary Landrieus of the world need to place short term goals aside and focus on passing this bill. The Democratic party's future hinges on its success.