Throughout the Massachusetts Senate race, we heard the number “41” repeated over and over — as in Scott Brown would become the 41st Republican senator, whose presence would deprive Democrats of a filibuster-proof majority and stop President Obama’s national health care plan. But now that Brown actually is the 41st GOP senator, the most important number in politics is 218 — as in, can House Speaker Nancy Pelosi amass a majority of 218 votes for House Democrats to pass the health care bill already approved by the Senate, thus sending it to Obama’s desk to be signed into law.

That is the essence of what’s known as Plan B.  The Senate is out of the game, now that Democrats no longer have their 60-vote majority.  Any new version of a bill combining elements of the House and Senate versions won’t be able to get through a Senate with 41 Republicans united against it. So the only course of action available to Democrats is to have the House pass the Senate bill verbatim, and then promise to quickly make changes to satisfy the objections of lawmakers in both houses.