# The Repeal of Obamacare/ACA: Step-bystep, Inch-by-inch **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 2, 2017, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146 "2017-01-02T17:06:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 578
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2017, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146/578 "2017-04-20T21:16:17Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And even back in 2009, Democratic control of Congress only lasted for less than two months (July 7 - August 25). _Nitpick:_ I assume you’re talking about the period that the Dems had a filibuster-proof Senate majority. (That’s not the nitpick.) Their period of full control, by that definition, was later, and closer to four months: > [@Are you satisfied with the job Obama has done as president of the US?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-satisfied-with-the-job-obama-has-done-as-president-of-the-us/625586/29): > > A filibuster-proof majority is 60 votes, present and voting; the Dems started off 2009 with 58, then Ted Kennedy’s cancer got the better of him and he ceased being able to show up for votes around March: 57. In late April, Arlen Specter switched parties: 58. In early July, Al Franken was sworn in: 59. Teddy died in late August: still 59. His successor, Paul Kirk, was sworn in on September 25: 60 at last. Four months later, Scott Brown won the special election for that seat: 59 again. The special election was on January 19, 2010. > [@](#): > > That’s barely enough time to pass the original bill (and that they managed to do so at all is nothing short of heroic), but it’s not enough time to see what issues came up after it was implemented and to fix those too. This part’s still all too true. Especially because it didn’t pass the Senate until December 24, 2009, less than four weeks before the Dems lost full control of Congress. Due to GOP opposition, there was no opportunity for the House and Senate bills’ differences to be ironed out in conference committee and passed once again by the respective houses, let alone time for shortcomings to be realized and fixes passed. The House had to pass the Senate bill _exactly as it was_, in order for it to become law without another Senate vote that the Dems no longer had the votes to break a filibuster of. Some minor changes that reduced the cost of the bill were passed via reconciliation, but no other changes were possible. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-repeal-of-obamacare-aca-step-bystep-inch-by-inch/776146)._