Health Care Summit
After reading the following blog, it appears to me the president is really trying to have a discussion about how to fix this thing but the idiots in the Senate are screwing it up with talking points. I'm sure I am wrong and you guys will tell me, so what are your opinions.
WASHINGTON (Feb. 25) -- Political theater doesn't get more dramatic than today's bipartisan summit on health care. But who has six hours on a weekday to tune in? AOL News does. Watch this space for a rundown of the very best -- and worst -- moments you won't want to miss as we watch the Blair House project so you don't have to.
HOUR 1) Reality Strikes Immediately President Obama kicked off the summit with a plea: "Make sure this is a discussion and not just us trading talking points." But they are pouring forth already:
Sen. Lamar Alexander's Republican opening statement provided just that: "We have to start by taking the current bill and putting it on the shelf and start with clean sheet," he said. As the Tennessee senator called the president's proposal "the mother of all unfunded mandates," a purse-lipped Obama scribbled notes as his fellow Democrats sat stock-still.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid repeated his own talking points, telling his "friend Lamar" that, "You're entitled your own opinion but not your own set of facts." Then, in the same breath he parried back that "no one has talked about reconciliation," he went on to say that the legislative maneuver requiring a simple majority in the Senate has been used 21 times - mostly by Republicans.
HOUR 2) Key Disagreement: Who Is in Charge? In the first section on health care costs, Democrats pursued a strategy of kumbaya, suggesting that there really wasn't much difference between the two sides. "We are on the verge, on the cusp of bridging a lot of gaps," argued Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus.
Minutes later, though, Obama disagreed, saying that the devil wasn't in the details at all. Instead, it is rather dramatic: Democrats and Republicans simply have different worldviews. "This is a philosophical debate," he said. But, "This is not a government takeover."
Republican Sen. Jon Kyl put it this way: "We do not agree on who should be in charge," adding later that there was "just a fundamental disagreement. Does Washington know best about what coverage you should have or do you?"
That didn't sit well with the president. "Anything phrased, 'Does Washington know better' is just tipping the scales because we know eveyone is angry at Washington," he said. "It's a good talking point but doesn't address the issue."
HOUR 3) Finally, a Few Flashpoints Sen. John McCain finally chimes in and he's all about process. Hearkening back to the campaign when they both "promised change in Washington," the one-time Republican standard bearer talked about how the House and Senate bills were "produced behind closed doors" where "unsavory deal-making" was the rule.
Obama tried to interrupt but, in a scene reminiscent of a presidential campaign debate, McCain insisted he be allowed to finish. "My constitutents overwhelmingly reject this proposal. They want us to go back to the beginning," he said. "Remove the special deals for special interests and the favored few. Treat all Americans the same."
The president replied in a stern tone: "We're not campaigning anymore. The election's over. We can spend the remainder of the time with our respective talking points (but) We were supposed to be talking about insurance." He then reiterated the "exhaustive process" that went into writing the bill and said if Republicans wanted to rehash that, "We're essentially on Fox News on the split screen just arguing back and forth. My hope would be that we focus on the issue of how we get the bill done."
The president's patience appeared to fray a bit when it was Rep. Eric Cantor's turn. "Lemme guess," the president said of the stack of paper in front of the Virginia Republican. "That's the 2,400 page health bill," he said with intended sarcasm. Later he scolded Republicans for using "props," saying, "These are the kinds of political things we do that prevent us from having a conversation."
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