votes-needed
News Analysis: Obama, Denied Full Victory on 2 Issues, Takes Validation
From Copenhagen to Capitol Hill, the president determined the outer limits of what he could accomplish on climate change and health care and decided that was enough, for now.
Negotiating to 60 Votes, Compromise by Compromise
To get the 60 votes needed to pass their bill, Democrats scrapped the idea of a government-run public insurance plan, cherished by liberals.