I never really do actual bloggerblogs anymore, but it’s worth reflecting that what became inevitable after South Carolina (if not after Iowa) is finally about to be realized. It took a lot longer than it should have, but with a few exceptions it’s more or less the only way it could have worked out. Had Obama sent a bill to the Hill, it would have been rejected. Had Senate Democrats not worked with Republicans, the “Rahm it through” claims would have resonance. And so on.

When Obama was elected, it was easy to see from the start that health care reform was the key issue that he would have to advance — he had used it as the key point on his stump speech about how special interests and partisanship failed America — and now we are here. Five committees wrote their bills, Congress worked as it should, and we even had the televised meeting to hash things out in public, as he talked about on his stump speech.

There are those who believe this is a mistake, or that we should have focused on the economy. It’s worth reflecting on the fact that overwhelming majorities oppose the stimulus bill we passed, whereas opinion on health care reform is essentially split in half. Furthermore, there are anywhere from 20 to 50 million Americans without health insurance. That’s 20 to 50 million people who are going to get health insurance from a program that was passed by a Democratic president and Congress and opposed by literally every Republican. They will remember.

I have no doubt that we’re doing what’s right for America in terms of bringing health care costs under control and taking care of the least among us. I also have no doubt that it will be extremely rewarding at the polls — no, not in 2010, which will certainly not go well and could possibly be a bloodbath, but in the long term. FDR made a generation of Democrats by passing Social Security over the obstruction of insane Republicans crying socialism. LBJ made a generation of Democrats by passing Medicare, Medicaid, and civil rights over the obstruction of insane Republicans crying socialism. And here is Barack Obama.

I can’t wait for the 112th Congress and immigration reform.