Ohio’s Senator George Voinovich was the only U. S. Senator to not cast a vote yesterday on moving the historic health care bill. It didn’t make a difference since his would have been the 40th Republican vote against moving the bill to a floor vote.

Democrats had 60 votes to overcome a filibuster by Republicans. The vote was 60-39.

Voinovich didn’t want to waste time voting, as the Plain Dealer explains here: http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2009/11/sen_george_voinovich_why_waste.html

According to a Huffington report Voinovich was celebrating at a party marking his 30 year victory over Dennis Kucinich in 1979: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/21/sealed-with-a-kiss-dems-u_n_366626.html

Here’s a man who, with his family, has enjoyed public health by virtue of his service in various government positions at least half his life. I figure more than 40 years since he was a state representative.

Yet, he would have voted to delay health coverage to some 40 million other Americans, if he had been at the job yesterday.

But he had more important things to do.