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Grassley: After I Trashed Health Care Reform In Multiple Venues, It's Time To Work Together
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After saying that Democratic health care reform could allow the government to "pull the plug on grandma," calling the public option a "predator," and saying he'd vote against his own compromise legislation if it didn't have overwhelming GOP support, Senate Finance Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says its time for Democrats and Republicans to work together on health care reform.
"I've said all year that something as big and important as health care legislation should have broad-based support," Grassley told The Hill.
"So far, no one has developed that kind of support, either in Congress or at the White House. That doesn't mean we should quit. It means we should keep working until we can put something together that gets that widespread support."
Grassley's entreaty may come a bit too late. Senior White House officials, including Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Press Secretary Robert Gibbs publicly admitted today that most Republicans aren't interested in health care reform. Taking Grassley at his word, that suggests there's no reason for him to continue participating in negotiations. And taking the administration at its word, it may just be the case that bipartisan health care talks are dead.
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Indie Tarheel
August 19, 2009 1:25 PM
Too little, too late, Grassyass.
BTW, we know you're going to start whining about "bipartisanship" - it doesn't matter now. You had your chance, but you had to play to your easily manipulated, intellectually-challenged base. Good luck with that.
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FreeRider
August 19, 2009 3:11 PM in reply to Indie Tarheel
Don't be so sure. Max Fuckus is such a pussy he'll say "OK, Chuck. I'm sure you really mean it this time. I'll keep negotiating with you until Christmas . . . 2010."
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shooter242
August 19, 2009 1:25 PM
That's right folks, Democrats will have to grow a spine and take responsibility for something.
It could happen.
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Ann Arbor
August 19, 2009 2:58 PM in reply to shooter242
We'll be happy to take credit when health care passes and the sky doesn't fall.
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chimpale
August 19, 2009 5:26 PM in reply to shooter242
Maybe if you paid closer attention, you wouldn't be so ill-informed:
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/07/14/1996373.aspx
Obama: I accept the responsibility
Posted: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 5:08 PM
"WARREN, Mich. -- President Obama had a message for Republican critics who want to pin the country’s current economic woes on him: 'That’s fine. Give it to me.'”
How unlike his predecessor and the partisans who enabled his predecessor.
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tosh
August 19, 2009 1:26 PM
This a day after saying he essentially couldn't support *any* bill because the rest of the GOP won't support it.
It's one thing for Dems to jerk themselves off. But they really need to remove Grassley's had from their Johnson because he simply is never going to consumate the deal.
John
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CT Voter
August 19, 2009 1:29 PM
It means we should keep working until we can put something together that gets that widespread support
And since that will happen on the twelfth of Never, we can kiss health insurance reform goodbye, according to Grassley.
Odd that he's returning to the bipartisan unicorn pony. Is he getting heat from somewhere?
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Steve LaBonne
August 19, 2009 1:39 PM in reply to CT Voter
They're trying to find a way to scuttle health care reform while letting the Democrats take the blame for doing so. Of course they're getting FAR too much help from Democrats on that.
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CT Voter
August 19, 2009 1:58 PM in reply to Steve LaBonne
Of course they're getting FAR too much help from Democrats on that.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, no?
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chimpale
August 19, 2009 1:30 PM
Too late, Chuck. How about you go fondle your teabags.
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Progressive Party
August 19, 2009 1:45 PM
This is his response to the democrats going alone for health care reform. He is counting on Baucus and Reid falling into line and follow his BS. This turd is a bottom feeder for the middle class interests and one who is immoral!
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Michael A
August 19, 2009 1:57 PM
Pathetic. Time to move on. F*ck the repukes. They will never vote for anything the dems put forward. 60 votes for dems. Way more than 51. Ram it through and ignore them. Nobody on board and they get run over.
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musgrove
August 19, 2009 2:04 PM
Aughhh i hate august, i can't wait until freakin September so they can actually do something instead of all this maybe they will do this maybe they will do that crap.
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20090120
August 19, 2009 2:36 PM
Grassley is 'being all he can be' as a Rethugnican. From Page 104 from the GOParty of NO playbook:
When you're up for reelection and your party is in the dumps, be sure you scream and holler and act like you're a big supporter of your far wingnut fringe base for several weeks, then blame everything going wrong on the administration and the opposing party (even if it includes lies referencing Hitler, Nazi's, socialism, Stalin, your Grandmother up to and including kittens). Then act like you never meant those horrible things and act like you're the only bi-partisan dirt bag in the entire GOParty of NO. Faking bi-partisanship will always look good during the up coming election in Iowa including voters you've managed to scare to death about an area that will do nothing but benefit them.
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Ann Arbor
August 19, 2009 2:56 PM
Grassley has been a partisan hack d-bag since he was a dead-ender for Nixon during Watergate.
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JohnMcCSF
August 19, 2009 3:23 PM
One crazy old white guy gets on the bus at 850 Bryant - the Hall of Justice in SF. Apparently he’d been there on some sort of citation. He kept muttering about 1200 bucks and someone trying to kill him.
Two stops later, crazy ole black guy gets on sits next to crazy old white guy. He asks the driver how to get to the Greyhound station
“I gots to get OUT of here. I’m going to Mi-ami. I am going to make nuclear bombs”
“I used to make nuclear bombs,” the crazy ole white guy offers helpfully
Went downhill from there
Come to think of it...crazy ole white guy looked a bit like Charles Grassley
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
August 19, 2009 3:46 PM
Translating Chuck.
"Okay, so that thing when I as much as admitted that I'm not negotiating in good faith and am only in it to slow things down long enough for my friends to kill it, did I say that out loud?
I did? Well, crap. Well, you fellows in the media aren't actually taking that to mean I haven't been negotiating in good faith and am only in it to slow things down enough for my friends to kill it, are you?
Well, dammit, who the hell went and change the rules and why didn't somebody tell me?"
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carlyt
August 19, 2009 8:04 PM
Why is this guy still part of getting it done? He knows that no matter what he comes up with the majority of Republicans will not vote for it and neither will he. As he himself stated. There is a related post at http://iamsoannoyed.com/?page_id=588
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