1) Just about the only thing on my mind over the weekend was the health-care bill. I'm relieved that the House passed it last night, but that doesn't end the tension.

In his Times column this morning, Paul Krugman celebrates what he says is the Democrats' defeat of the Republicans' message of fear. Krugman's right, of course - for the moment. Despite the Republicans' fabrications and exaggerations and horror tales, President Obama and the House leadership managed to hold enough Democrats together to pass this historic piece of legislation.

The question, though, is what happens next - specifically, what happens in the November election. Voters won't see much effect from the health-care bill before then, which gives Republicans a pretty big period in which to peddle new fears and accusations. Will a message of fear and anger win? Or will voters grow sick of it?

2) It was tiring, frankly, to listen to Western New York Representative Chris Lee raising the same old stuff in an interview on WXXI this morning. Thanks to the Democrats' bill, Lee said, the federal government will hire more IRS agents, who will police Americans!

The bill will raise taxes! (As opposed, of course, to the Bush administration, which launched a war, expanded prescription-drug coverage, and cut taxes, ensuring that we would have an enormous deficit for years to come.)

3) An NPR report this morning highlighted a dilemma facing Obama: does he push ahead on other bold, controversial measures, or play it safe? Immigration reform's a prime example: if he doesn't push for it, Latinos may stay home in November, further jeopardizing Democrats running for Congress.

But Democratic voters, including Latinos, face a dilemma as well. If they stay home because they're disillusioned with Obama's pace, they'll assure the election of conservative Republicans. And that will doom reforms that they're passionate about.