Top House Republicans throw cold water on health-care summit

Source: The Washington Post

By Michael D. Shear

Leading House Republicans raised the prospect Monday night that they might refuse to participate in President Obama's proposed health care summit if the White House chooses not to scrap the existing reform bills and start over. In a letter to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (Ohio) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) expressed frustration at reports that Obama intends to put the Democratic bills on the table for discussion at the Feb. 25 summit.

"If the starting point for this meeting is the job-killing bills the American people have already soundly rejected, Republicans would rightly be reluctant to participate," Boehner and Cantor wrote. Obama proposed the half-day summit on national television Sunday, but in their letter, the two GOP leaders offer their suspicion that the president is not serious about opening a bipartisan negotiation on health care." 'Bipartisanship' is not writing proposals of your own behind closed doors, then unveiling them and demanding Republican support," Boehner and Cantor wrote. "Bipartisan ends require bipartisan means."

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs responded by saying that Obama has sought Republican input since early last year, and the president remains interested in hearing ideas that the GOP believe will advance the cause of health care reform. But he appeared to give little ground on the idea that Obama might abandon the months of work that produced Democratic bills that passed the House and the Senate late last year.

"He's been very clear about his support for the House and Senate bills because of what they achieve for the American people: putting a stop to insurance company abuses, extending coverage to millions of hardworking Americans, getting control of rising premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and reducing the deficit," Gibbs said in a statement.



Read more: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/02/top-house-republicans-throw-co.html?wprss=44

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Boehner and Cantor = two of the worst people in Congress

wait, that is offensive to panty wipes. my bad

Just set out chairs with the names of invited republican congress members on them and continue the live televised conference with Democrats.

of the Goopers who don't show up.

Here chick chick chick. LOL the obstructionists have been obstructed.

AGAIN.

I can't believe it. She watches TV News thinking it's liberal and STILL said that.

they were being left out and there was no transparency. Now that they are having their chance, they are poo-pooing the idea? They just like hearing themselves complain.

...he's the only republican w/any guts on this issue.

Remember when Darth Cheney told Sen. Leahy to go fuck himself? Cheney got away with that one. If Obama had any balls, he'd tell the rethugs to go fuck themselves and get a decent health care bill passed using reconcilliation. I'm getting so fucking sick and tired of making nice to these assholes under the pretense of game playing. Enough already! Obama better get a pair of balls or he will be the first one term black president in the history of this country.

That's what he should do.

I posted my post #18 just before seeing yours...

Great minds, eh? :hi:

single-payer should be there. Is someone with influence and power going to make sure of this? Think I'll email change.gov (if that's the current iteration).

Just dump those two pieces of shit...

And put Single-Payer on the table.

Once the comparison is made, single-payer wins hands-down. Universal, less costly and sustainable...

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's call for a healthcare summit including both his fellow Democrats and Republicans sets the stage for a final push to get stalled legislation through Congress, but skeptical Republicans said on Monday the only solution is to start over.

Obama asked Republicans to bring their best ideas for overhauling the U.S. healthcare system to the February 25 conference in hopes of rejuvenating the issue, which has floundered since Democrats lost their crucial 60th Senate vote last month.
The summit, which Obama wants televised, would give him another chance to sway public opinion on the unpopular legislation, which is critical to his domestic agenda.

The meeting also would answer criticism that Obama did not engage Republicans and instead negotiated backroom deals in an effort to get healthcare legislation passed.
"The president is trying to turn around the sour mood on this issue and mitigate the criticism that he's ramming this bill down people's throats," said Bob Blendon, a health policy and political analyst at Harvard University.

-snip-
A summit marked by more partisan gridlock could give Obama an excuse to move ahead on the bill through a budget process that requires only a simple majority of 51 votes in the 100-member Senate, bypassing Republican opposition.
"Obama seems to be sending a signal they are going to go for the end run," Blendon said. "When he does, he can say 'I tried.'"



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0819338820100209?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtopNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Top+News%29&utm_content=Twitter

Guaranteeing health care to the unborn. These will be very, very expensive policies, purchased from private insurers.

Once born, all bets are off.

Smile, appear optimistic, hopeful, then when the repubs don't show up on live t.v. the Dems should appear heart-broken and sad like a teenager who got stood up for a date. All of America will go 'Awww, those republicans are such meany's'.

"The president is trying to turn around the sour mood on this issue and mitigate the criticism that he's ramming this bill down people's throats," said Bob Blendon, a health policy and political analyst at Harvard University.

The criticism of President Obama is that he took too much of a hands-off approach, instead letting the "gang of 6" hammer out the framework. That dragged on for months until the Democrats said enough is enough and crafted a bill that passed the Senate on a 60-40 party line vote. The bill that passed without a single Republican vote actually contains many of the provisions the Republicans requested but still didn't get a single Republican vote. I see no place in this whole process where Obama was "ramming this bill down people's throats". That is a Republican talking point and not a part of any unbiased analysis.

Are single-payer advocates included? If not, why not?

Its simple folk. As Dennis Kucinich said to the FOX news reported, Medicare for all and tort reform is all the health care reform we need right now..

Republicans are just trying to run out the clock until the 2010 elections. Looks like Obama might be dumb enough to fall for their bullshit over and over again.

I thought he was smarter than that.

How can you be reasonable with unreasonable people?