TAMPA, FL -- Many believe the voters in Massachusetts were speaking for the entire nation when they elected the first Republican senator in more than thirty years.
"Regardless of the outcomes of an election, as I've said many times the American people demand we work together as partners not partisans," says Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).
Today he appeared more humble as he and other Democrats begin to regroup on their single biggest domestic push, health care reform.
University of South Florida political analyst Doctor Susan McManus says Democrats could take the health care bill in one of three directions.
They could try and ram the Senate-passed version through the House, continue hammering out a compromise bill, "or they could sort of step back and say let's wait a while, the public has spoken and we need to study this a little more," McManus says.
In other words, start over. What does she believe is the best move for Democrats?
"I think the smart thing to do right now is to pull in Democrats, pour over the polls, talk to people that have to run for re-election in competitive districts, and see where there's some kind of consensus."
McManus points to issues that both sides agree on; eliminating insurance discrimination based on pre-existing conditions and purchasing insurance across state lines.
But today in Washington, there's no consensus yet.
"We are working through the best way forward as the President continues to his commitment to getting health care reform done." White House press secretary Robert Gibbs says health care is still a priority for President Obama.
"He didn't do it just because its' a hobby," Gibbs says. "He did it because traveling around the country during the election, he heard from families, he heard from small businesses."
But despite what the pPesident heard then, it will be a delicate dance now as many face mid-term elections in November.
In a statement today, Florida Senator George LeMiuex said in part, "Scott Brown's victory demonstrates the average American does not approve of the slew of big government solutions coming out of Washington. This was a referendum on the national Democratic party's agenda."
This November Florida will also elect a new senator and a new governor. And the next move from Democrats could very well dictate the outcome on Election Day.
The President told ABC news today that he's is urging lawmakers not to try and jam a bill through, but to scale it down to those elements people do agree on.
