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Charge! With Bipartisan Hurdle Cleared Democrats Will Finish Off Health Care (VIDEO)
Vice President Biden, President Obama, Secretary of Health and Home Affairs Sebelius, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
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President Obama challenged Republicans to do some "soul searching" on whether they will support the Democratic health care plan, using the final moments of his health care summit to ask them to put up or shut up. If they don't want to cooperate, the two parties can battle it out at the polls this November, the president said.
Obama's statement and Democratic reactions after the summit were the clearest signal yet that the majority party is charging ahead and abandoning attempts at bipartisanship.
Interest groups closely watching the summit said as much, and Republicans confirmed they won't be voting for any Democratic plan that doesn't start with a blank sheet of paper.
The attendees at the summit read statements about the need for reform and complained about process, but came to no agreement and spoke little about the substance of the bill up for consideration on Capitol Hill. The seven-hour marathon refereed by Obama gives Democrats political cover to press ahead and finish this up.
"We are going to move forward, the ball is in everybody's court," Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters after the summit.
At the summit, there was minor tension and some talking point smackdown, but Republicans raised no new objections and presented no new ideas, giving the Democrats the clear path ahead to go their own way.
"I'd like the Republicans to do some soul searching," Obama said. "We cannot have another year-long debate about this."
He said if there was "significant movement and not just gestures" from the GOP there would be no need to start over because there is so much agreement on the broad issues.
Obama said:
So the question that I'm going to ask myself and I ask of all of you is, is there enough serious effort that in a month's time or a few weeks' time or six weeks' time we could actually resolve something?And if we can't, then I think we've got to go ahead and some make decisions, and then that's what elections are for. We have honest disagreements about -- about the vision for the country and we'll go ahead and test those out over the next several months till November.
He admitted that "politically speaking, there may not be any reason for Republicans to want to do anything," but said he would sure like to try.
"I don't need a poll to know that most Republican voters are opposed to this bill and might be opposed to the kind of compromise that we could craft. It would be very hard for you politically to do this," he said.
Obama said there won't be another summit like this one in the interest of time.
The president criticized Republican charges the bill is too long, saying he would have done something uncomplicated if that were possible. "We'd love to have a 5-page bill," he said.
Watch part of Obama's closing remarks:
Democratic leaders said after the summit they aren't optimistic the GOP will sign on to their health care plan.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said there was "so much agreement, yet every Republican used the same talking points and we want to do a bill for the American people."
"Time is of the essence ... it's time we did something and we're going to do it," Reid said.
Republican leadership after the summit repeated the same claims that Obama challenged inside the meeting and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell declared, "I do not believe there will be any Republican support for this 2,700-page bill."
Obama may have provided a window, but Republicans all but announced they wouldn't be climbing through. And Democrats and reformers aren't playing dumb.
"I am disappointed that based on what many of the Republican participants said today and said in advance of this meeting, it seems clear that Republicans are stuck on the same talking points and same playbook they started off this debate with last year - which is to oppose the President's effort to reform health insurance in America, no matter what," said Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.
"While Democrats worked hard to include ideas we have consensus on, Republican rhetoric would seem to be stuck in park. They want to start over and delay these reforms further, doing nothing to help families' health and financial security, small businesses' competitiveness, and our nation's fiscal future. Doing nothing is the last thing the American people want," Miller said.
Likewise, the nations largest reform campaign, Health Care for America Now says it's time for the dog and pony shows to end.
"We appreciate President Obama's attempt to reach out to Republicans one more time, but today's bipartisan summit proved the GOP is committed to little else than repeating the same stale talking points."
Check out all of our summit coverage here.
Additional reporting by Brian Beutler
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slb
February 25, 2010 7:19 PM
Now let's just hope Democrats stick to that position!
The GOP had plenty of input into the Senate version of the bill, which is largely what it looks like is going to be adopted. They might have managed even more influence if they hadn't been so keen on saying "no" to everything. So they're lying when they say they have been shut out. They have had influence on this bill that is greatly disproportionate to their willingness to cooperate in fashioning it.
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Tommy Douglas
February 25, 2010 7:45 PM in reply to slb
Pass the HOUSE Bill! 5 million more people are covered than the Senate's, which is about the population of Vermont, North Dakota, Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, Delaware, and South Dakota COMBINED.
The differences in these bills effect a huge part of population. The House should not back down and just trust the Senate.
We NEED a bill that has real competition by means of a PUBLIC OPTION. You can't force people to buy PRIVATE health insurance. We need to have choice to keep Wellpoint, Aetna, etc from ripping off the American people.
By the way, GO PELOSI! She's the only Dem leader with cajones.
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emears
February 25, 2010 8:48 PM in reply to Tommy Douglas
I support a public option but we would be forcing people to purchase that, as well. It's not free and won't be cheap.
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Lok52
February 25, 2010 10:02 PM in reply to Tommy Douglas
They can't pass the House version at this point. There would be no way to get it through the Senate, even with reconciliation. But they can do a lot to fix the Senate bill, if it is passed by the House. And that can probably include a public option of some kind, if they can get sufficient evidence that it would lower costs.
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TheRealFish
February 26, 2010 1:38 AM in reply to Lok52
Absolutely. A brief look back at the history of passing Medicare into law in 1965 shows that, when it passed, there were some poison pills that needed swallowing just to get Medicare into law. Like the fact the Social Security COLAs died (they tried an adjustment in that bill and that part got squashed just to get Medicare through; though it's never been perfect, the COLAs were added at a much, much later date).
Even though they're talking about using it in a less typical (though not unprecendented) manner, Senate Budget Reconciliation usually works best fixing laws already on the books. One huge exception to that principle would be COBRA — which stands for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act.
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masanf
February 26, 2010 7:39 AM in reply to Tommy Douglas
How in the hell is forcing people to buy public insurance any different?
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JNagarya
February 25, 2010 8:16 PM in reply to slb
"So they're lying when they say they have been shut out."
They aren't lying that they've been shut out. They're lying about who has shut them out by choice: themselves.
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TheRealFish
February 26, 2010 1:42 AM in reply to JNagarya
Well, come on: It's a double lie. You are most correct that they shut themselves out. However, just look at the nearly 170 Republican proposed amendments that are included in the Senate bill that passed. The premise that they were not listened to or were shut out is not just a lie in fact, but a lie in deed.
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MyMy
February 25, 2010 10:15 PM in reply to slb
I was absolutely infuriated by McCain's sleazy implication that the 'process' was done by Democrats behind closed doors.
Were there not Republicans on EVERY congressional committee? Didn't Reid give them 50/50 representation on the key Senate Finance Committee (where the least popular parts of the bill were forged through compromising with the Republicans there?).
I wish the press would not let them get by with their trash talk.
And what's with this slamming majority rule???
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mophan
February 25, 2010 11:53 PM in reply to MyMy
Let us not forget to mention two out of the three Republican representatives on the "special" finance committee openly admitted to doing everything they could to delay as long as possible any bill. Publicly and blatantly used obstructionist tactics while pretending to negotiate in good faith.
SCUM!
And they have the nerve to say they were shut out of the process. How they conveniently forget!
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masanf
February 26, 2010 7:37 AM in reply to slb
Christ how many times does the ridiculous "this bill has plenty of Republican ideas" bullshit have to be rebutted before morons quit using it. Start naming the ideas that are in the plan as envisioned by the Republicans. The idea of allowing individuals to buy insurance across state lines was rendered useless when the Democrats added to it the part about all plans having to be the same. There are no Republican ideas in this bill.
Good luck mustering the 217 votes needed to pass this piece of shit in the House. As Kent Conrad stated so succintly, the House has to go first. Good luck getting the votes needed for that one. Ain't gonna happen. If they were there, Obama wouldn't be talking about six weeks.
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worthy9
February 26, 2010 9:45 AM in reply to masanf
Nervous much?
http://www.tnr.com/blog/jonathan-chait/the-coming-conservative-health-care-freakout
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DownriverDem
February 26, 2010 10:01 AM in reply to slb
Yes, they must just do it and not wimp out.
If they do, watch the poll numbers rise. They must include a Public Option though and the base (who the Dems need in November) will vote in mass. Come on Dems! Just do it and you will go down in history as the Congress who stood up for the American people. Just do it!!!!!!
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DownriverDem
February 26, 2010 10:08 AM in reply to slb
This should be pointed out at every chance:
The Repubs have controlled the government 28 of the last 30 years. They are to blame.
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Robert Feeley
February 25, 2010 7:20 PM
Never mind all this talk about REconciliation - just regular conciliation already got Barack in trouble:
http://stupidassnews.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/furor-erupts-over-obama-remark-on-gays/
Keep smiling. :-)
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Forrest
February 25, 2010 7:29 PM in reply to Robert Feeley
Would you like to discuss health care reform or the results of this summit? If so, please contribute to the discussion. If not, please troll somewhere else. The Internet is a big place.
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ohyeathatsright
February 25, 2010 7:22 PM
Democrats haven't been listening to Republicans. They keep saying they want to start with a "blank sheet of paper". Really all they're asking is that their version of the HCR bill be incorporated. Why is it so hard for Democrats to add a blank sheet of paper to the legislation?
Bipartisanship ftw!
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mrut
February 25, 2010 7:26 PM in reply to ohyeathatsright
I never thought of that. The solution is so beautifully simple and it's been staring us in the face all along.
We need to send them a blank piece of paper to insert to make it a bipartisan bill.
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mophan
February 25, 2010 11:56 PM in reply to mrut
Simply ingenious.
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Forrest
February 25, 2010 7:31 PM in reply to ohyeathatsright
The sad thing is Democrats DID start with a blank sheet of paper in the Senate - more like what, four of them? Four different committees had input. Republicans were on every committee. They had their chance for input, and frankly their fingerprints are all over this thing.
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jsfox
February 25, 2010 9:43 PM in reply to ohyeathatsright
LOL
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Dave Adams
February 25, 2010 11:01 PM in reply to ohyeathatsright
Good idea, but the blank sheet should be the first page of the bill. It can be one of those government document-type pages that says:
"This page intentionally left blank."
See, then the Democrats can say that they DID start with a blank sheet.
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TheRealFish
February 26, 2010 1:49 AM in reply to ohyeathatsright
LOL. You know, if they publish this thing, bindings and all that, there are always blank pages to make the page count even for the binding process. They could print "Republican Health Care" at the top of all the blank pages, really showing a spirit of bipartisan inclusion!
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mrut
February 25, 2010 7:23 PM
Right. Now pass the bill and the reconciliation measure and get out there and start beating up the Republicans with it.
The healthcare summit showed that most of the measures in the bill have bipartisan support, yet the Republicans refuse to support it for purely political reasons.
That's their strategy, to oppose any action on America's problems in hopes that opposition will win them elections. The Democrats' strategy is to take on tough issues and get something done while in office.
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expat46
February 25, 2010 7:31 PM
Pass the damn bill!
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lousgirl84
February 25, 2010 7:44 PM
Good job Mr. President. Personally you've given the thugs more time than they deserve. Now pass the fucking bill and move on.
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cawleybo
February 25, 2010 8:18 PM in reply to lousgirl84
Funny how every time someone points out that Obama has not shown enough leadership vis the PO, etc., you jump up to shout that its not the President's fault. He can't do anything because he can't pass legislation. But here you are congratulating him.
Hmmmm, it seems like he CAN show some leadership and influence the debate when he wants to ...
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gharlane
February 25, 2010 11:55 PM in reply to cawleybo
Bub....bub...but... Obama Can Do No Wrong.
Back in the old days of 2008, I used to pooh-pooh the people (journalists included) who were writing about an "Obama is the Perfect Messiah" faction within the Democrats. I thought it was just a bunch of overwrought Hillary PUMA folks bitching and moaning about the upstart black guy who shoulda gotten in line. But damn, you see it here in the flesh, in an ever-smaller number of the TPM Commentariat. (My favorite, from FreeRider: "I, for one, have never stopped believing." Faith-based politics!) These people can't seem to grasp the idea that in America, as in other democracies, politicians -- even their Messiah -- are fair game for criticism. Even -- gasp -- from their supporters.
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mophan
February 25, 2010 11:59 PM in reply to gharlane
BLASPHEMY!
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TheRealFish
February 26, 2010 2:24 AM in reply to gharlane
I'm a supporter of the O, but have felt no problem criticizing him for some huge, horrible choices he has made (and is still making). On the other hand, I'm not certain which is more in line with messianic thinking:
1) Those who fail to join the Republican and Corporate Mass Media constant din of criticism of his every breath or
2) Those who criticise him for being unable, in a single year, to fix a country effed-up by 30 years' activity turning this from a democracy into a corporatocracy?
So, let's say he maybe wasted most of a year playing the Rodney King "Can't we all just get along?" meme — until it has become crystal clear, completely transparent that, no, so long as the neocons still have influence in congress, indeed, we can not all get along. And now he can spend the remaining 3/4 of his time in office just ignoring them and getting things done.
But, before he can get on with the remaining three years of his first term, he also had to make it so blatantly obvious to the DINOs and cut through the obscuring haze of the Corporate Mass Media who support neocon talking points, so people don't make the horrific mistake of allowing those democracy-hating neos more power in the fall.
Maybe it has taken all of this to accomplish that one task, to underscore that one point. And that task is not done, by a long shot.
The Republicans have dedicated themselves to contribute no governing principles or policy. They want this duly elected government to fail, just to make them look better. And yet the CNNs and MSNBC/NBCs and ABCs and CBSs keep having Repug guests on their shows, as if they have anything meaningful to say. The fact the Rs want this government to fail has to be so excruciatingly emphasized that even the CMM finally understand they look foolish and lose viewers when they allow those power mad individuals to sully our airwaves.
Even the thick CMM gets it with other terrorist regimes. When was the last time CNN or ABC invited an al Qaeda operative to give his opinion after tossing a bomb in a supermarket filled with children and the frail? And yet these power mad neos get to pontificate dead principles when they doom another 45,000 people to death in every year because they want to deny them health care of any kind?
Maybe this year-long kabuki tapdance is needed to cut through the CMM neo megaphone's deafening din.
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cawleybo
February 26, 2010 7:58 AM in reply to TheRealFish
I'm not complaining that he has taken no action. I'm concerned about the actions he has taken on State Secrets, Human Rights, and the Fourth Amendment.
I have also been greatly disappointed by what he - and the rest of the democrats - have done with the financial bail out, stimulus and now (maybe) HCR.
Rahm himself has said that you can't waste a crisis. But that's exactly what they've done. The "kabuki" dance has resulted in: the transfer of hundreds of billions to the financial industry with no new regulations to show for it; a stimulus that was too small and full of ineffective measures to work - a result which will not only lead to prolonged unemployment but will make it significantly more difficult to pass stimulus measures in the future (which we have already seen with the pathetic "jobs" - or is that "job" - bill); HCR that, while doing some very good things that needed to be done, will result in a massive transfer of private and public wealth to insurance companies - and good luck fixing it.
The theory of the crisis is that it is an opportunity to do great things - make structural changes. The crisis makes these things possible because people are motivated to avoid catastrophe. Once the crisis has passed, inertia will set in and smother reform.
Yet, Obama and the democratic leadership squandered these crises by giving away the store in a futile attempt at bipartisanship - or by your explanation, a cynical show of partisanship.
And if you think that this kabuki dance has resulted in a greater recognition of republican obstructionism, have some more kool aid. Due to the failure to actually make republicans filibuster - I mean get up on the floor of the Senate and talk forever - the casual voter doesn't understand that its republican obstructionism. All they understand, thanks in part to the corporate media, is that the democrats have huge majorities and either can't get things done or have passed a huge bail out of Wall Street while they exploded the deficit.
Anyone who cared to see republican obstructionism, saw it long before the HCR farce.
So, bottom line: Obama's kabuki has wasted incredible opportunity and accomplished nothing in the way of exposing republicans.
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rbe1
February 26, 2010 10:05 AM in reply to cawleybo
Agreed.
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Schmed
February 26, 2010 10:44 AM in reply to cawleybo
Nicely summarized.
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gharlane
February 26, 2010 7:33 PM in reply to TheRealFish
2) Those who criticise him for being unable, in a single year, to fix a country effed-up by 30 years' activity turning this from a democracy into a corporatocracy?
The problem is that this is a classic strawman argument. NOBODY is expecting that he magically fix things in a single year. But there are concrete choices that have been made that IMHO (and I doubt I'm alone) have been spectacularly bad, both from a policy and from an optics standpoint (e.g: two words: Timmy Geithner), or that could have been made, but weren't. No time now to detail them -- cawleybo has listed some of them. But unless you can characterize people's arguments fairly, you stand to lose a lot of credibility.
That said, if a year's worth of kabuki really does finally expose the repukes for what they are, maybe it would be worth it in the long run. The idea that he's been doing that all along is a bit too eleventy-dimensional chessy for my liking, but maybe he really is playing the long game. I'm agnostic. It would sure be nice if he were equally willing to take on the corporatists within his (and my) party. Not much evidence of that so far.
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lousgirl84
February 26, 2010 8:23 AM in reply to cawleybo
I make no bones about my support for this President. I feel so lucky we have a man of integrity and honesty in the White House and a President who is trying to make things better for ordinary Americans.
I shudder to think where we would be today if John McCain had been elected. It's been a year and I feel he has accomplished a lot and I look forward to another 7 years.
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Brownbagger
February 26, 2010 9:48 AM in reply to lousgirl84
As Bush junior said, "It's hard work." Now we have a President with the brains and the courage to do the work no matter how vile the opposition.
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Elwood
February 25, 2010 7:48 PM
It was like the republicans were a broken record with regard to starting over. They also kept mentioning the Poll numbers.
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FredB
February 25, 2010 7:49 PM
It feels so great to be able to say "Good job Mr. President!!" Finally getting into the repugs faces.
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Brownbagger
February 26, 2010 12:09 PM in reply to FredB
So did Harry and Nancy. Fox and the rest of the Fox-lite MSM would have you think they were monsters. Let's hope America saw yesterday who cares about them and who the adults are...and who the monsters really are.
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traitorjoe
February 25, 2010 8:06 PM
6 weeks? So they can run some more ads funded by their masters Big Pharma and the healthcare lobby? Give these turds 6 hours then pass the damn bill without them.
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Brownbagger
February 26, 2010 12:11 PM in reply to traitorjoe
JUST DO IT!
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twirling fartknocker
February 25, 2010 8:09 PM
maybe we'll have a productive legislative time through november, and then the precedent set that obstructionist repugs are not true partners for leading this country will carry through into 2011 with a dem majority even if repugs win a few seats this fall.
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XRayD
February 25, 2010 8:24 PM
" Republicans confirmed they won't be voting for any Democratic plan that doesn't start with a blank sheet of paper."
GREAT, that should cover everyone. Or did they mean that a blank sheet should be the first page of the existing "2800" page bill?
Anyway, a blank sheet matches what is in their heads re. healthcare ;)
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labman57
February 25, 2010 9:04 PM
Obama gave the American public an opportunity to witness the magnitude of Republican obstructionism. Now more rational minds can proceed to get health care reform legislation passed, with or without the support of the corporate-owned Congressional GOP.
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JimmyBobby
February 25, 2010 9:05 PM
If "stale" was the only problem with Republican talking points. They're worse than stale, they're rotten lies that stink to the heavens. My favorite today was Boner with his "job-killing" bullshit. Jobs are being lost because hiring people entails paying for their insurance, and that insurance is getting more expensive and will continue to get more expensive. That's the job-killer, you fake-tanned freak! Arrgh!
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mans_best_friend
February 25, 2010 9:09 PM
Republicans confirmed they won't be voting for any Democratic plan that doesn't consist of a blank sheet of paper.
There. Fixed that for ya.
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roufamatic
February 26, 2010 2:21 AM in reply to mans_best_friend
Beat me to it. They want a plan that starts -- and ends -- with a blank sheet of paper.
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sTiVo
February 25, 2010 9:32 PM
take the 2,000 whatever page plan, add a blank sheet at the beginning, and tell them to shove it where the sun don't shine,
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CranialRectalLoopback
February 25, 2010 9:57 PM
By all means, let us start with a blank sheet of paper.
Let us write the words "Medicare for all."
Let us pass it through Majority Rule.
Let us wave bye-bye to the Grand Old Poopchutes in 2010.
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oleeb
February 25, 2010 11:13 PM in reply to CranialRectalLoopback
Hear! Hear!
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MoCrash
February 25, 2010 10:06 PM
Oh, I wish Obama had some Truman in him. The do-nothing Turnip Congress was a political masterstroke that won the 1948 election. Beat the Republicans over the head for obstruction; American voters historically hate gridlock and take it out on the party with can be tarred with responsibility for it.
Give the Republicans nearly a blank page, with only one item: Medicare for All! Let them argue against Medicare.
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motopilot
February 25, 2010 10:21 PM
The Republicans want to start with a blank piece of paper.
The biggest problem with this is that they want to finish with a blank piece of paper.
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erica
February 26, 2010 11:57 AM in reply to motopilot
Very good!
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oleeb
February 25, 2010 11:12 PM
Now, finally, at long last, will Obama give up on his naive and foolish insistence on trying to please the Republicans instead of trying to please the American people? I hope so, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Thus far he seems not to have learned a thing.
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musgrove
February 26, 2010 12:00 AM in reply to oleeb
Its not him that was holding it up, the blue dogs and republicans are the ones that are standing in the way.
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masanf
February 26, 2010 7:39 AM in reply to musgrove
Yeah, that and the fact that the majority of the country doesn't want the piece of shit he is pushing. That is why the thing is never going to pass.
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lousgirl84
February 26, 2010 8:19 AM in reply to masanf
Go peddle your lies somewhere else. The majority of americans want health care reform. You're coming here saying it isn't so, just repeating the same talking points from McConnell, Bohner, Cantor and the rest of the insurance company shills.
As Harry Reid said to lamar alexander yesterday, you are entitled to your opinion but not entitled to your own set of facts.
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eclecticbrotha
February 26, 2010 12:10 AM
Every progressive organization should take the excepts from this summit, cut ads that highlight the GOP obstruction/cluelessness and run them from now until November. We can't expect the corporate media to do their jobs after the way CNN let the GOP shills talk but cut away to commercial whenever a Democrat had the mic, or when MSNBC thought an Olympic hockey game between Sweden and Norway was more important that bringing health care to 30 million Americans. Its time for us to go back to being the new media.
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mcc
February 26, 2010 1:32 AM in reply to eclecticbrotha
Every progressive organization should take the excepts from this summit, cut ads that highlight the GOP obstruction/cluelessness and run them from now until November
We'll see, but they're probably too busy designing ads about how the Democrats deserve to lose for leaving out the public option.
Does anyone know if Dick Durbin's beautiful rant about tort reform made it to Youtube or whatever? I can't find it anywhere but I kind of want to send it to everyone I know.
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mophan
February 26, 2010 1:51 AM in reply to mcc
I haven't been able to find a video for it either, but here is a transcript of Sen. Durbin's remarks.
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fpie
February 26, 2010 4:34 AM in reply to mophan
Thank you for pointing that out and providing the link. Senator Durbin told the common sense truth sprinkled with some very interesting statistics.
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musgrove
February 26, 2010 1:57 AM in reply to mcc
Here you go, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHqhCbxu2wk&feature=player_embedded
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mcc
February 26, 2010 2:14 AM in reply to musgrove
Awesome, thanks so much!
Good to see FDL doing something like this.
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justaJ0e
February 26, 2010 9:36 AM in reply to musgrove
Wow!
Clarity.
Thanks for sharing that.
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FreemanW
February 26, 2010 2:11 AM
The overwhelming majority of the population wants single-payer health care. The overwhelming majority of the population will settle for a comprehensive public option.
We shall see what the masters of the Democrats and the Reprobates will have us all get in the end.
Something tells me it begins with an "s" and an "h" and rhymes with draft.
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Gilead
February 26, 2010 3:56 AM
Pass the bill!
Please, do something right for the vast majority of the American people who pay taxes and get nothing in return. Pass the bill, lower the eligibility age for Medicare, fix and expand Medicaid...just do something!
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willia451
February 26, 2010 6:44 AM
This was all about two things:
1. Olympia Snowe
2. Scott Brown
A final attempt to try to get at least one or two Republicans in the Senate to listen to reason and vote "Yes" on what really amounts to a Republican, private insurance industry friendly Bill.
The Republicans would not even let Snowe in the room.
Go figure.
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masanf
February 26, 2010 7:37 AM in reply to willia451
Get your facts straight genius. They invited Snowe and she turned it down because of prior commitments.
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willia451
February 26, 2010 9:23 AM in reply to masanf
Like what? What was more important?
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willia451
February 26, 2010 9:28 AM in reply to masanf
Also:
http://congress.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/02/24/sen-snowe-rejects-white-house-healthcare-summit-invite/
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willia451
February 26, 2010 9:34 AM in reply to masanf
And also:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/02/snowe-says-obama-never-gave-he.html?wprss=44
And of course, after the fact, both sides are trying to act like it never really happened.
Again, go figure.
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jim43
February 26, 2010 7:56 AM
The bottom line is that the summit accomplished little legislatively, but it did frame the arguments of both sides in the clearest terms possible.
Obama and the Dems are accusing the Republicans of siding with the insurance companies and ignoring the uninsured and those struggling with bills. The GOP still insists this is a government takeover and that taxes and premiums are going up, despite what the CBO says.
It's up to Americans to decide who is right.
http://www.political-buzz.com/
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bill
February 26, 2010 9:21 AM
If Obama knows so much about what's best for us, then why doesnt and didnt he support single payer?
Here’s what the people wanted when the Democrats started:
“A mere seven months ago (that would be around June 2009), The New York Times/CBS poll found that 72% of Americans ‘supported a government- administered insurance plan—something like Medicare for those under 65— that would compete for customers with private insurers.’”
From then until now, Obama has:
1. Rejected single payer;
2. Stiff-armed the government option;
3. Mandated individuals and families pay premiums to private sector insurers;
4. Assured billions in tax payer subsidies for private sector insurers;
5. Stipulated actual health care service at 80 cents of every dollar, while insurers can spend 20 cents of every premium dollar on lobbying, ‘sympathetic’ candidates, CEO bonuses, ‘administration’, fighting claims for treatment and, now we can add, participating on the new Federal ‘rate review’ Board.
The substance of the President’s proposal is the current costly, inefficient and ineffective insurance system on Federal steroids.
If Obama wanted to cast himself as a leader, this was surely his last chance, and he blew it with a plan to keep the current system in place, while supplementing it with taxpayers’ money in the form of mandated premium payments and Federal ‘subsidies’. That’s no reform at all.
When the Democrats turn their backs on voters, they can hardly blame voters for turning away from them.
"Change you can believe in" is inspiring; "It could have been worse" is not.
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Lok52
February 26, 2010 9:45 AM in reply to bill
Because he is a pragmatist. The Democrats can't herd the cats together long enough to pass a public option in the Senate, and you want them to try and get a Single-Payer system through?
The Medicare compromise that Lieberman shot down would have been a good start to one, but the idea that they could have ever gotten a single-payer system through as such, is pure fantasy. No matter how much the public would want such a system, the politics won't allow it. The current bill is filled with things that poll well, but if you ask them if they like the present bill, they don't. That is politics, that is what the President has to work with, not the reality, but the perception. And the Dems have really sucked at perception for decades.
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T Groan
February 26, 2010 10:39 AM in reply to Lok52
This entry clearly and unequivocally tells why the dumbocrats and rethuglicans must be removed. Neither works for the American people. Honestly this whole health care debate almost seems like a contest of who can give the insurance companies more.
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Lok52
February 26, 2010 4:02 PM in reply to T Groan
It would not make a difference. Who ever is in charge, will eventually factionalize and politics will ensue. If the Republicans or Democrats won every seat in both houses of Congress, before a year was out (and I am trying to be optomistic here) they would be at each others' throats, arguing about how to do things and what to do next.
Humans are social animals, so they will group, and groups of humans will result in politics. And when you have politics, and leaders, others will try to influence them. That is why we end up with so many laws and regulations, trying to limit that influence.
I think one of Obama's strengths is, he knows all of this and does his best to get conflicting positions to align on something they have in common, to be able to achieve some progress. Unfortunately for him, and the nation, too many of the people in office are not able to rise above their self-interest and make decisions that help both sides.
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Dorn76
February 26, 2010 11:03 AM in reply to bill
The people don't get to pass the bills, no matter how overwhelmingly they support something. People on the left sometimes act like they don't get basic civics. The only poll that matters in this case is how many votes you have in Congress.
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justaJ0e
February 26, 2010 9:26 AM
"I don't need a poll to know that most Republican voters are opposed to this bill ..."
The Republican voters I have daily interaction with do not actually oppose the bill. They oppose what they have been told is in the bill and THAT is very different than what is actually in the bill itself.
The far right just keeps repeating the same lies over and over again about HCR and after a while the middle just accepts these lies as truth.
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SocialJusticeForAll
February 26, 2010 10:22 AM
If you truly believe that there is no funding of abortion and no promotion of abortion in current HCR, then there should be no problem including the Stupak language.
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=5564
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brewmn61
February 26, 2010 10:53 AM in reply to SocialJusticeForAll
My wife and I really want to have an abortion. But we've had trouble getting pregnant.
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Seahawk01
February 26, 2010 10:56 AM
So we finally saw BOEHNER-CARE yesterday, and today being opposite day - here is how Fox News reported on it...
BOEHNER-CARE kills 40,000 Americans per year!
With the statistics showing that 44,000 Americans die each year due to no health care, and BOEHNER-CARE only covering 10% of the un-insured, we can now report that this program will kill the remaining 90% who die each year due to no insurance...
or
BOEHNER-CARE for takeover of State Courts!
BOEHNER-CARE is a massive take over of the state courts by federally mandating tort reforms to the states! As a southern Tea-party member stated at a rally "keep your damn government hands off my bought and paid for county judge!"
or
BOEHNER-CARE is massive 300 page monster!
BOEHNER-CARE has now been shown to be much less efficient than the Democratic Plan that is 2700 pages but covers 33 million Americans or 81.8 pages for every 1 Million covered. The massive BOEHNER-CARE comes in at 100 pagers per Million covered!
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SocialJusticeForAll
February 26, 2010 11:01 AM in reply to Seahawk01
Abortion kills 3,400 each day, over 1 million per year in the US.
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Brownbagger
February 26, 2010 12:21 PM in reply to SocialJusticeForAll
Big Brothers is looking for volunteers every day, every year in the United States. Make yourself useful.
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expat46
February 26, 2010 12:26 PM in reply to SocialJusticeForAll
There seams to be a bit of a disconnect between your user name and your rhetoric. Perhaps you can point us to a link on catholicculture.org where they recommend the use of birth control to reduce unwanted pregnancies.
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Seahawk01
February 26, 2010 1:27 PM in reply to SocialJusticeForAll
I am always amazed how deep the emotions run for the unborn... yet we have LIVING BREATHING Children alive today who aren't getting medical care, living in poverty, going hungry, being abused etc. Perhaps if we would give our attention to the children today... they won't become the desperate or unwed mothers of tomorrow...
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shadyforever45
February 27, 2010 10:55 PM
Actions speak louder than words. Let the Republicans accomplish something concrete -- actually taking on the lawyers to effect significant tort reform would be nice -- and I might rethink things a bit. Until then, they're going to have to prime their own pump as far as I'm concerned. They've already spent all the credit I might have given them. I use to think the opposite but your this article and this article http://scragged.com/articles/the-welcome-death-of-bipartisanship.aspx has changed my views...
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Tosh
June 6, 2010 7:06 PM
The problem is that this is a classic strawman argument. NOBODY is expecting that he magically fix things in a single year. But there are concrete choices that have been made that IMHO (and I doubt I'm alone) have been spectacularly bad, both from a policy and from an optics standpoint (e.g: two words: Timmy Geithner), or that could have been made, but weren't. No time now to detail them -- cawleybo has listed some of them. But unless you can characterize people's arguments fairly, you stand to lose a lot of credibility.
That said, if a year's worth of kabuki really does finally expose the repukes for what they are, maybe it would be worth it in the long run. The idea that he's been doing that all along is a bit too eleventy-dimensional chessy for my liking, but maybe he really is playing the long game. I'm agnostic. It would sure be nice if he were equally willing to take on the corporatists within his (and my) party. Not much evidence of that so far.
m65 kamagra
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