Obama Announces Big Summit With GOP On How To Move Forward On Health Care
Racheting up efforts to call the GOP’s bluff on bipartisanship, Obama made a surprise announcement moments ago that he’ll be holding a summit of sorts with leading Republicans at the White House to discuss their ideas on health care reform — and possibly to move forward on legislation with them.
“They’re gonna be coming into the White House next week,” Obama told CBS’s Katie Couric moments ago, in a reference to Republicans, adding that they will be asked to “put their ideas on the table.” This meeting had already been announced.
But then Obama continued that after the recess, he would hold a second “large meeting” of “Republicans and Democrats” to see if there’s a way to find common ground on health care.
At this second meeting, Obama said, the White House, Dems, and Republicans would determine whether there was a bipartisan way forward on specific legislation. He said he wanted to “look at the Republican ideas that are out there” on lowering costs and insuring the 30 million uninsured.
“If we can go step by step through a series of these issues,” Obama said, then “procedurally there’s no reason why we can’t do it a lot faster than we did last year.”
A lot to chew on here. Republicans will spin this as proof that Obama has shelved reform, wants to start again, and will only pursue a bill that GOPers sign onto. Liberals will be dismayed at the apparent suggestion that Obama seems to actually be saying that such common ground could form the basis of anything approaching real reform — and that he’s leaving open the possiblity of doing “compromise” legislation with Republicans.
It’s possible, though, that this is all about laying the groundwork for pursuing a Dem-only reconciliation solution later. Such an effort, should it happen, will inevitably be portrayed as yet another partisan back-room effort to ram reform through. So perhaps the White House hopes a very public gesture of bipartisanship and transparency now will undercut those attacks and allow Dems to argue that they had no choice but to move forward alone.
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Update: Maybe the game plan is to give skittish Congressional Dems cover to support a Dem-only reconciliation (i.e., “back-room” and “partisan”) approach later.
Update: Nancy Pelosi, who’s been much more realistic throughout this process than the White House or the Senate about the likelihood of bipartisan cooperation ever happening, endorses this in a statement:
“I welcome the President’s call for a bipartisan, bicameral discussion in front of the American people on fundamental health insurance reform that will make quality care affordable for all Americans and American businesses. The House and the Senate will continue to work between now and February 25th to find a common approach between the House and the Senate on these solutions.
“The House-passed health insurance reform legislation included a number of Republican amendments – added as the bill worked its way through three committees. In the last Congress, we worked with President Bush in a bipartisan way to pass initial economic recovery legislation, a bill to deal with the financial crisis and historic energy legislation that increased our nation’s fuel efficiency standards for the first time in more than 30 years. We remain hopeful that the Republican leadership will work in a bipartisan fashion on the great challenges the American people face.”
Either this is a coordinated cave, or it’s a coordinated effort to lay the groundwork for a Dem-only solution later.
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Bernie:
I always try to do you the courtesy of answering your questions to me. Why do you so consistently ignore mine to you.
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/white-house-pushes-back-says-obama-didnt-concede-health-reform-could-die/comment-page-3/#comment-176312
Bernie:
I always try to do you the courtesy of answering your questions to me. Why do you so consistently ignore mine to you?
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/white-house-pushes-back-says-obama-didnt-concede-health-reform-could-die/comment-page-3/#comment-176312
# tao9 | February 7th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
Good on the Saints and NOLA.
What’s the political equivalent of an on-sides kick?
2nd run @ VP? Could be, good point. Top of the ticket would have to be…? {I may regret this}
…………………..
Nothing to regret. I think it is too soon to read the Tea leaves(no pun intended) as to who might emerge at the top of the ticket.
Here is a wild one to consider: I am not convinced that John McCain has shed the bug, and if he wins his Senate race, and the polls show Obama to be vulnerable, McCain might try again.
I know he is very old, but old politicians don’t ever seem to take that into account.
I think that the election of Scott Brown has diminished Mitt Romney’s standing. It has made him so yesterday; but, since you are closer to that situation; I would like your thoughts on Mitt’s prospects.
Mr. Sargent:
“Either this is a coordinated cave, or it’s a coordinated effort to lay the groundwork for a Dem-only solution later.”
It’s neither. It’s the response of a President who has finally realized that he doesn’t have the numbers to run over, through, or around the status quo.
Only NOW does he ask the GOP if they would kindly come in and talk about Health Care Reform.
Y’know, if he’d tried this approach in April or May of last year, he just MIGHT have had SOMETHING passed by now. But he listened to Pelosi and Reid and the flatulent glazed-eye moonbat chieftains in his entourage, and by this late date has p!ssed a bunch of the electorate off.
It has cost his party two governorships and the Massachusetts Senate seat…as well as his net approval rating.
Too little, too late I’m afraid.
If the Alleged Hawaiian had had ANY executive experience in government, he might not have started his Administration by reflexively ignoring the GOP and allowing his idiot minions to insult the concerns of millions of voters.
This is a Lame-Duck Congress, at this point.
“the Alleged Hawaiian” says the guy who considers himself a Southern Secessionist!
Some where in Dixie, a village is missing it’s Idiot!
James:
“Interesting piece by Steve Clemons on the Obama insiders
Core Chicago Team Sinking Obama Presidency”
Seems like more a hatchet job against Emmanuel mixed with some valid observations on Luce’s part.
As far as tossing the CoS overboard,I ken that there’s going to be a chorus on that soon. It’s well-deserved, Rahm-bo does not play well with others.
Liam:
““the Alleged Hawaiian” says the guy who considers himself a Southern Secessionist!”
The Alleged Hawaiian could end all this unpleasantness TOMORROW morning, if he so chose to.
Can’t think of any reason that he’s not willing to do so except that he has something to hide.
“Some where in Dixie, a village is missing it’s Idiot!”
Very substantive retort from you.
Apparently, you can’t argue the point, so you’d rather call me names.
Face it, ace, Obama’s charm is thinner than a puddle of p!ss on a steel deckplate in the hot sun. Never that deep to begin with, and soon to evaporate, leaving only a bad smell and a suspicious stain.
He can get customers into the showroom, but he cannot close the deal.
That’s too bad…because I truly believe that he would have made the UberFrauFuhrer Adolf Hillary a GREAT Press Secretary.
Very smart guy. He’s a bit of a gambler. 1st heard about him when he funded the 1st Staples store down the street from where I worked (comm. real estate so we were impressed) in Newton.
At his day job, Bain Capital has been above water through all this. They just bought a piece of citibank but stayed out of the financial sector mess, the buy was a top call-center outfit in Japan.
They’re huge, $60B I think; started with $30M raised privately in the early eighties.
He could go toe-to-toe with the President in a policy debate but maybe not on style points.
Not sure about his waning to the waxing (heh) of Brown. He has always been a button/up-tight guy but he was a Latter-Day party guy at the Brown party at the Plaza. (A buddy was there texting me pix/sound commentary.)
I think the Brown win helps him and, may be naive, but hear from people that Brown is not self/star-struck (yet) and savvy enough to get some more cred under his belt–like defending the seat in 2012.
Brown’s whole senior campaign staff were Romney people and they tuned up the social media dial as much as Kos, et.al. worked the intratubes for Dean. That’s new thing for the GOP, as U know )
On issues: consider the Brown plank as a tune-up for Mitt 2012.
He’s going to be a factor. Truth: never warmed up to the guy, 2008 GOP field was gassed.
I’m an “Alleged Quebecois Akwesasne.” Ms. Tao is a “milkaholic.”
“Any serious survey of the Obama administration’s accomplishments and setbacks over the last year has to conclude that the administration is deeply in the red.”
Is Clemons joking? The proud Hawaiian’s first year record is very solid. The meme about “Core Chicago Team Sinking Obama Presidency” is beyond stupid.
“What’s the political equivalent of an on-sides kick?”
tao9
Not just any old on-sides kick, but one right after the half in a close game… IN THE SUPER BOWL! Reminds me of Obama’s speech on race or his speech in Berlin or the decision to hold his nomination speech in Denver at mile high stadium, just to name a few.
Liam,
addendum to above. Canny, or common-sense tea/leaves?:
PISCATAWAY, N.J., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ — American Standard Brands, a leading manufacturer of bath and kitchen plumbing products in North America, announced today its commitment of $1 million over a two-year period to The Nature Conservancy to increase awareness of how consumers can conserve water every day and to provide support of the Conservancy’s mission of protecting the Earth’s most vital natural resource – our drinking water.
{snip}
American Standard Brands is an affiliated portfolio company of Sun Capital Partners with a minority interest held by **Bain Capital Partners, Inc.**
Mostly a cave but also probably an attempted trap by Obama. Socialism never stops creeping and the idea I am sure will be to use the tv time to air GOP plans and their shortcomings while only discussing the mythical benefits of Obamacare (I can hear Ezra Klein lying already). That will be what Obama and his leftwing media allies will try. But now that independent voters see Obama and Pelosi for the thieves they are I bet it won’t work.
Well Greg, this is really interesting. You are the only outlet that I normally browse who seems to have caught on to this rather amazing push by the WH that was announced before the Superbowl.
Not only do the kos frontpagers miss it, but Benan, balloon-juice and Sullivan are absent this story as well. This push looks like a lot of GREAT optics, if the President is going to stand up there and demand that the GOP put up or shut up in public (and remembering Question Time we know how that looks) then he is going to win this argument. It will also bring the crushing weight of public attention onto the Senate and force them to take action or walk into the political wilderness…
Oh, looks like Bob Cesca also noticed (and I originally got the story from a French political news wire here.
Did anyone else in the blogosphere even see this? It seems like a big deal but the left has expended very little time almost 14 hours later backing his push. I thought this is what everyone wanted when they agreed that the Senate would fall in line with a little more “arm twisting”…
News wire link fixed here. It’s a good summary from an outlet not stuck in US thinking.
Look, he is calling their bluff. Barack Obama is not a Landrieu or a Bayh, he doesn’t think that he can fade issues quietly into the night and somehow emerge with a win. His campaign brought the battle to any state that looked close enough to win, they didn’t just focus on one safe route through big swing states (even though they won them anyways) he contested states that were traditionally red like Indiana, Virginia, North Carolina.. etc
David Plouffe is on board with this idea, you can be sure, this rings of great optics following the success of question time. Except now the WH will be pushing this beforehand instead of following up on an unexpected win like question time.
Ezra Klein on yesterday’s Super Bowl HCR announcement:
I repeat, this President is all about bipartisanship as optics and as a way of making low infos feel included and listened to, but at the end of the day he is going to pass as progressive as a bill as he can.
Morning roundup posted:
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/bipartisanship/the-morning-plum-65/
yeah, Paul, I noticed that too — absence of discussion in lib blogosphere. weird.
I remember back when obama was running and I thought he was crazy to not roast the repubs in debates. And how his professional, pragmatic approach will backfire.
I was wrong. Dude knew what he was doing.
I am willing to give him a term on his terms to get it all right. We all knew this was not going to be as easy as get 60 votes, change america for the better. There is a healing process that needs to happen to america.
It really seems that Obama cares about healing the whole problem, not just slapping a band-aide on it. Exposing the rhetoric is a great step.
This time President Obama is right, By asking GOP and the Republican Party to share ideas of how to help those who are sick, this is why he got elected in the first place, it shows that he cares and is more concerned about what the people think about him then, GOP and the Republican Party thinks…
This Health Care Reform will not work until a job force is put into action, I would ask all who voted for President Obama or did not, to cast a vote to approve this Job Act Concept of Obama s and order GOP and the Republican s to help or stand down. You humor yourself with this statement of mine, I humored myself when it was stated that the people needed permission to voice opinion in the Health Care Bill….
Understand this I have a little gift and I have all ways been able to see the truth and lies in things, and President Obama did what was right, so if I was you I would help him rebuild America.
I have protested this Health Care Bill hard and long and I have gained the respect of a great many people, But now I ask for President Obama to put his faith into the people, and not into any Party.
The dirty little secret that Health Care Insurance Companies and certain Officials Of Government do not wish to be known is that the value of the dollar is more important then human life.
Out of all of the Government Officials only one opened a blogged at
The American Spectator . This company posted http://www.fascmovement.mysite.com on the net and Congressman Ryan dropped off his little blog. As a course of action. Where he stated because of all of the diversity between people that Governing Parties intervened
as a course of action needed. For days I worked the word diversity in my mind and it came to me that because of this it is not Americas weakness it is our greatest strength. And this is how I will show you.
Constitution-
Bill Of Rights -
The Declaration of Independence-
United under one forum, builds what is called the Trinity of the Protection Of Laws. This is because these Laws were built by people of faith who gave thanks to God for this wisdom. One would have to see and admire the simplicity of the three as one and at the same time they maintain their independence.
As for my views that the People Of the United States have the right to build a Health Care Forum with in the the working Institution Of the United States Government and place the task of Officials Building Security for the safe keep of this building block of ideas.
As I stated a long time ago, the age of Health Care Insurance Companies has ended, nature has selected them to be no more. Because of the failures within and the facts that the human life has no value over the dollar.
Insurance Companies and all of the Democrat and Republican Parties do not have the power to stop a United Health Care Forum within our Government, built by the people.
And this is why;
Tucker vs. Government page 33 at our site.
You see ,I do not and will not make the first penny off of this building block, I do not wish to meet any of theses Officials. I do not want anything but for this failed system out of my life, to go back to my world where I will watch and wait for Amendments of Law Against the People to be sought after again. I invite those who wish to try again, to do so in , Lets say 200 years from now and I will come back.
Henry Massingale
FASC Concepts in and for PAY It Forward
http://www.fascmovement.mysite.com on google