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Boustany: We Agree with 80 Percent of Obama's Plan, which Should Be Scrapped
Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA)
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Maybe President Obama's health care speech yesterday did have an impact on Republicans. For instance, earlier this afternoon, Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA) told MSNBC "of course there's common ground. There is plenty of common ground."
"In fact," he said, "I would venture to say that we agree on about 80% of the issues right now. It's just a matter of hashing out those few areas where we disagree, but there's really not been that kind of real discussion, and it needs to happen."
That's downright Obama-esque language right there.
And it's a significantly different message from the one articulated in official GOP response last night, which urged "it's time to start over on a common-sense, bipartisan plan focused on lowering the cost of health care while improving quality."
Who gave that speech? Why, the very same Charles Boustany. What a difference a day makes!
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CT Voter
September 10, 2009 3:24 PM
What a difference a day makes!
Yes indeedy.
I figured whoever gave the response last night was the equivalent of a sacrificial lamb. Someone with no aspirations for national office. I mostly missed Boustany's response, simply because it started so soon after Obama concluded. And initially I thought "Wow: smart move on the part of the Republicans. Get in there right away, and take some of the oxygen out of the reaction to Obama". And I thought Boustany sounded like a reasonable Republican (at least the part that I heard). So I figured his response would get more attention.
Thanks, Joe Wilson, for sucking up all the spotlight. For Republicans, it couldn't have been a more inopportune time to have a Republican behave badly.
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fkaZk0sm0
September 10, 2009 4:44 PM in reply to CT Voter
even if it weren't for joe wilson the GOP response wouldn't have gotten much attention. it was (to be generous) less than dynamic. not as comically awful as jindal but just as anemic. and seemingly written without the benefit of having heard or read anything that obama had just said.
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Schmed
September 10, 2009 3:34 PM
Great Moments In GOP History:
1492, some 100 miles east of the Bahamas, armada commadore Lord Boustany turns to 1st Mate Columbus and says, "Oh, f**k it! It's probably flat anyway. You can go on if you want, Chris. I'm outta here!"
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Walter Mitty
September 10, 2009 3:35 PM
If there is agreement on 80% shouldn't the other 20% go to the folks who won the election. I mean winning the election has to count for something.
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Jim H
September 10, 2009 4:17 PM in reply to Walter Mitty
Which would have been the obvious follow-up question. Any surprise that that thought didn't cross the mind of the "professional" performing the interview?
Or did it? There's no video or transcript...
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blmack
September 10, 2009 4:18 PM in reply to Walter Mitty
Exactly
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Jonathan Swiftboat
September 10, 2009 6:15 PM in reply to Walter Mitty
Good point, WM.
Forget about 60 votes for cloture. Dems should go on offensive now on talk shows, in op-eds in local papers, etc. and ask Senate Republicans to promise a straight up or down vote on the final bill. The morning talk shows should then begin putting the question directly to Republicans "why won't you permit a straight up or down vote?"
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Indie Pro
September 10, 2009 3:55 PM
and yet, I am not in a position to take them at their word.
Actions speak louder than words.
Otherwise, I'm betting on continued stall tactics.
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Kristin126
September 10, 2009 4:15 PM
I don't believe a word of it. Republicans have no desire to reform anything. If they did, they had plenty of time when they were in charge of congress from 1994-2006. They are perfectly happy with the status quo.
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Fuzzy Drum Dude
September 10, 2009 8:07 PM
I found it more than obvious that the rebuttal was written, in-part, without Obama's speech in mind. So it doesn't surprise me that we are seeing a little waffling on the right. The right is on its heels right now and Obama needs to go in for the close, Johnson style. It is time to channel FDR and LBJ more than JFK and Clinton. The silly season of discourse is over. Wilson was the punctuation. It is time for the policy wonks to take over. C-Span anyone?
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Leftflank
September 10, 2009 11:01 PM
So much for consistency. It's 1 step forward & 2 steps back no matter whom they let speak/sacrifice. Oh, that's what's cosistent.
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Leftflank
September 10, 2009 11:03 PM in reply to Leftflank
that's "consistent" HELLO.
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Berkana
September 11, 2009 7:05 AM
I watched Obama's speech, and then the Republican response came on, and it soon became clear that they weren't responding to the speech. They settled into the same old rhetoric, apparently ignoring everything Obama had clarified. It didn't seem to me to be worth watching to the end.
If they had sat down and considered what Obama had actually said, and responded to that, maybe there might be something there worth listening to, but they failed at even that. GOP: Don't give me a "me too!" speech and call it a response; actually respond! I can understand if the GOP has a difference in political philosophy, but right now, they're not even debating that; they're just lying and denying and obstructing while claiming to sympathize with those who want reform.
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