Dante

Rep. John Boccieri announced he's flipping to Yes today. Let's hope he's enjoyed his time in Washington -- it's probably going to end pretty soon! Boccieri, a freshman, is the first Democratic representative his district has elected since the 1950s. The district voted for McCain. Better visit all the monuments while you can, congressman.

Boccieri's decision brings the total of Democrats who have flipped from No to Yes to four. The others include Reps. Kucinich of Ohio, Markey of Colorado, and Gordon of Tennessee. A Fox News headline says the Democrats are one vote away from passing the Senate bill with fixes, but that doesn't seem right. Firedoglake has the bill at 204-211.

A vote is likely Sunday. But one should note that the process doesn't end there. The Senate still has to pass the reconciliation bill, and the Republicans will raise points of order to strip measures that don't fall under the Byrd rule. If they are successful, then the revised bill would have to go back to the House for another vote. Where is Dante when you need him? America has fallen into health care purgatory.