1.   Some people involved in the planning said they thought as recently as a week ago that the effort to get the idea passed Thursday could become contentious.

2.   When it became obvious that the Senate would pass the bill, the House leadership began furiously pushing an alternative.

3.   When it became clear that the measure would pass in a landslide, the state Massachusetts Legislature decided not to wait.

4.   But as he moved into the heavier traffic toward the front of the field, passing became more difficult.