Your Abbreviated Pundit Round-up

Lots of opinions, even on weekends.

WaPo:

In victory for Hill Democrats, historic legislation is approved by vote of 220 to 215; Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao of Louisiana is the sole Republican supporter.

Pre-vote "Divided Democrats" in trouble on House vote story, because Democrats are always divided. Oh, wait... Sweeping Health Care Plan Passes House

The Arena on passage of House version health reform, including comments by Georges Benjamin (APHA), Meizhu Lui ("Teddy, are you watching?"), Bradley A. Blakeman, Pejman Yousefzadeh, David Biespiel and this guy:

The House has taken a historic and difficult step towards health reform, 220-215. It’s a not a bill to please everyone. This is a Democratic bill, passed by Democrats alone (save one lone Republican, Cao-LA, and I wonder what his email looks like this evening) after considerable and lively debate. Next up is the Senate, the place where health reform traditionally goes to die. It won’t be easy there, either. And while there are many bumps in the road ahead, congratulations are in order tonight for Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats for their work in doing the people’s business.

Frank Rich on NY-23 (with cautions to Democrats):

If the tea party right can’t win there, imagine how it might fare in the nation where most Americans live. Some G.O.P. leaders have started to notice. Mitt Romney didn’t endorse Hoffman despite right-wing badgering to do so. On Wednesday, Michael Steele dismissed the right’s mantra that somehow Hoffman’s loss could be called a victory and instead talked up the newly elected Republican governors who won by appealing to independents and moderates. Chris Christie and Bob McDonnell are plenty conservative, but both had rejected Palin’s offers to campaign for them. They also avoided the tea party zanies, the fear-mongering National Organization for Marriage and the anti-abortion-rights zealots Hoffman embraced. They positioned themselves as respectful Obama critics, not haters likening him to Hitler.

and

The G.O.P. establishment’s one-size-fits-all panacea is tax cuts — thin gruel for those with little or no taxable income. The administration’s answer is the stimulus, whose iffy results so far, it argues, can’t be judged this early on.

Fair enough. But a year from now the public will register its verdict in any event. Meanwhile, both parties have their own delusions, not the least of which is the Republicans’ conviction that Tuesday was a referendum on what Obama has done so far. If anything, it was a judgment on just how much he has not.

Nicholas Kristof: On BPA in food and the need to be cautious.

Robert Reich: Why We Need Even More Stimulus

Kathleen Parker: Passion in the newsroom and fighting over words.

The so-called "newsroom brawl" between an editor and a writer at The Post recently has been a fine distraction for the health-care weary.

The two men apparently came to blows over, of all things, words. Not ad hominems necessarily, or at least not exclusively, but words as in the quality of writing. So began the argument that led to the scuffle heard 'round the Internet.

Be still, my fibrillating heart.