Her answer was crisp and decisive.
Two votes.
Two full votes against, from within the Democratic Party.
The numbers on the electronic tally board flipped in an instant.
With all the Democrats having voted, the "ayes" were stuck at 48.
The "nays" had also reached 48, and that was before all the Republicans had even finished voting.
The bill was dead.
Sanders's face was as dark as a thundercloud.
He could accept Mannheim's betrayal; that was a conflict of interest.
But he couldn't accept Christo's backstabbing. That was a blatant deception.
But this was Washington.
Deals were always being made, and betrayals were always happening.
A promise made last night was worth less than a scrap of paper in the light of day.
"It's over."
Sitting on the Democratic side, John Murphy's palms were slick with sweat, his gaze unfocused.
Leo had told him that he'd already reached an agreement with the Republicans last night.
