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Yesterday, Obama called for another bipartisan sit down about health care reform. This time, his bipartisan sit down will be televised.
The half-day meeting will take place on 25 February, after a congressional break between 15 to 19 February.
The move comes after complaints that Mr Obama’s efforts have been too partisan and secretive.
Republicans welcomed the debate, but suggested that the only way to reach agreement would be to scrap the existing bill.
The logic behind this move is strange at best. The hope of getting serious bipartisan support is basically zero. It would seem the only chance, and a very tiny on at that, for Obama to get real Republican buy-in would be for him to offer up a radically different bill, but that is off the table.
When asked by Ms. Couric if he would agree to discard the bill and start over, the president said he would not. The starting point, aides said, would be with the proposals that passed the House and Senate.
What is the point of a meeting that is unlikely to provide any real results? That is tough to say. The idea that Obama will get five Republicans votes in the Senate because he sat down with them and added a few of their small changes to the bill is absurd. Max Baucus already wasted three months trying to craft a bill that could get a large number of Senate Republican votes, and he failed.
Most likely, Obama is hoping to make it look like he tried really hard to be bipartisan, hoping to embarrass Republicans by pointing out how terrible their ideas on health care really are. For instance, Paul Ryan’s proposal to privatize Medicare and just give old people vouchers to buy less and less private insurance each year is a terrible and frightening idea, and Democrats should make a better effort at publicizing it.
After a year of ineffectual governance, if Democrats hope to survive the midterm, they need to show that the insane ideas of the Republican party make them a completely unacceptable alternative. Having Obama always talk about the GOP’s “good ideas” is not helping. Having Obama publicly tear apart Republican ideas on health care might.
It is possible that Obama is trying to create political cover for a purely partisan reconciliation measure. Either way, this bipartisan meeting is going to add weeks to the health care debate. Clearly, Democrats will not pass a bill before February 25th. It would now look like bad form if Democrats even start officially marking up a reconciliation sidecar bill in committee before February 25th. In light of this newest information, we should not expect a health care bill until March at the earliest.
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OMG!! Democrats BFFs changing minds. eeuww!! Those Democrats could be forced to turn to the
people!
In a Message to Democrats, Wall St. Sends Cash to G.O.P.
#humor #sarcasm
No one in their right mind could think that Repub’s are going to compromise. So he is obviously trying to win votes in the center by shaming them. Re-winning votes on the left by amending the Senate bill with Medicare buy-in, drug reimportation, and the rest of the list of legitimate reforms that Rahm fritted away to try and get 60 votes, would get so many more votes than this interminable pansy-ass bipartisanship crap. How many times do they have to say “No” before you get it? You’re now losing votes even in the center for just proving you’re stupid.
There, I feel better.
Probably is an attempt at political cover. Problem is that he thinks an event like this creates a narrative that is effective. Reaction over water cooler in Obama’s mind: “Did you see the televised policy discussions between the Dems and the GOP? Boy I had no idea that Republicans were posing such ineffective ideas. Obama really proved his mettle when it came to discussing bending the cost curve. All I needed was the facts laid out in an honest debate. My mind is now changed.”
“Me too. Once I heard the statistics and various policy points I realized it was the best thing for America”
Actual water cooler reaction: “I heard they’re still arguing about health care and it was on TV. But it was on during an Everybody Loves Raymond rerun that I love. I dont’ know about this Obamacare though. I don’t want government to control my health care.”
“Let’s hope there aren’t any death panels. It sounds crazy, but you never know.”
Obama is trying to get cover to scrap healthcare altogether. I just don’t believe WH or senate dems are for healthcare. They have been bought off. Pelosi is the only elected leader who has consistently been for public option.
Senate and WH are dysfunctional, not being able or willing to get anything done. All the goodwill of the people and political capital has been squandered. Now understand what happened to Rome but they lasted a thousand years. More like France with the ruling elite.
Some dem leader has to take the reins and speak for dem principles and values and prioritize legislation that must be done and get it done and that is healthcare. Obama is not willing to take on leadership role. Bipartisanship is not a virtue which will free the people. It’s being used as the excuse to justify the sinking of healthcare. We need a leader.
Nice summary: bipartisanship ≠ leadership. Perhaps is not universally true, but certainly is when one party is acting like a spoiled child coming off a sugar high.
Isn’t one of the definitions of INSANITY doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?
Wow, this is a crazy-stupid idea. The GOP is going to send up a bunch of doctor-congressmen who will couch every argument (no matter how absurd) in terms of their medical professionalism and concern for their patients.
The only question will how many times the connection will be made between high cost of medicine — medical malpractice — John Edwards.
Oh, and tick tock, its later than you think Mr. President, the 2011 Budget Resolution is due April 15. Once both Houses pass it, last year’s Resolution’s authority for a Reconciliation Bill expires. So if the GOP can play nice till April, the Democrats can (oh who are we kidding, WILL) be lulled into letting the 2010 reconciliation authority, and at the same time refraining from the “divisive step” of adding a reconciliation authority to the 2011 Budget Resolution.
At that point, the GOP can drop the “come let us reason together” act, knowing that they can filibuster anything and everything up through the midterms.
Obama must be really smart, he must be much smarter than the republicans because he invites them to help him arrive at bipartisian solutions at the same time he goes on tv and says that he is not willing to negotiate away anything the dems have already done. Hmmm, now the question is why wld the republicans come and help him if he is already saying that he will accept it on his terms only? Obama needs the republicans to help him pass a bill so the dems wont be accused of not getting anything done. Hmmm, why wld the republicans help him do that? My guess is that he is going to beg and kiss ass and still get no republicans on board and the dems will not have the heart to pass a bill after all. Obambi does not realize that the republicans are preparing for a big feast and he is on the menu.