PETER BROWN: "They like Obama personally. They think he is trustworthy and honest. They think he is a strong leader. They say they don't necessarily agree with him on the issues they are most concerned about. They wish he would spend more time on the economy. They don't like the health care bill."

The Senate and House of Representatives have each passed their own health care legislation. But there is no final bill. And the Democrats have a new problem they had not expected.

A newly elected senator is a Republican who opposes the legislation. Scott Brown won a seat in Massachusetts that had been held by Democrat Ted Kennedy for almost fifty years.

But more importantly, Senate Democrats lost their sixtieth vote. Senators can threaten a bill with unlimited debate unless sixty senators vote to prevent it.

President Obama had campaigned for the Democratic candidate in Tuesday's special Senate election in Massachusetts. Experts say one of the lessons is that even though the economy has improved, it demands more attention.

David Wasserman from the Cook Political Report in Washington was a guest on VOA's "Encounter" program.

DAVID WASSERMAN: "I don't think President Obama and the Democrats were expecting to have to spend so much time on health care because it is dragging on. And in the eyes of a lot of Americans, this is not really dealing with the economy. This isn't bringing back jobs."