The health care reform debate has left the Democratic party fractured despite the announcement by the Senate majority leader that they have reached the 60 votes needed to pass this bill. There is no doubt that they will be politically rewarded at the end of this long and painful war.

Howard Dean, the ex-Democratic party chairman, has been very vocal against this bill after the removal of the public option. The question is, what is left in this bill that can change people’s lives and reduce the influence of the insurance industry? At this point, the Democrats are not doing a good job explaining what is left and why it is better than the existing health care system.

Despite the long, bitter, and costly fight, they are very close to succeeding. As the Hausa of Mali say, “Success is a ladder which cannot be climbed with hands in your pockets.”