Pence: 'Democrats didn't get the message'

Leading Democrats and Republicans differed sharply Sunday on the message sent by the slim passage of the healthcare reform bill late Saturday night by the House.

"The message was clear -- it's time to fix what has been a broken healthcare system for millions of Americans," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.) said on "Fox News Sunday."

But chairman of the House Republican Conference Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.), referencing Tuesday's elections and August town hall protests, said Satuday night's "narrow partisan vote" -- only one Republican voting in favor of the bill -- showed that Democrats were out of touch with Americans.

"I think the message from last night is that the Democrats didn't get the message," Pence said on "Fox News Sunday."

Pence referenced Speaker Nancy Pelosi's contention that Democrats were "making history" with the bill's passage.

"If the Democrats keep ignoring the American people, their party is going to be history in less than a year," Pence said.

"There's no perfect bill out there, but this bill is what we need," Gov. Ed Rendell (D-Pa.) said on "Meet the Press," adding that the lack of bipartisanship is "something we just have to look beyond."

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, responding on "This Week" to the argument that fight for healthcare has stretched back to Teddy Roosevelt, said, "This [bill] would have been one of the things he'd have hunted on the big range and shot dead."