President Obama said Sunday that he would convene a half-day bipartisan health care session at the White House to be televised live this month, a high-profile gambit that will allow Americans to watch as Democrats and Republicans try to break their political impasse.
Mr. Obama made the announcement in an interview on CBS during the Super Bowl pre-game show, capitalizing on a vast television audience. (this was a smart move) He set out a plan that would put Republicans on the spot to offer their own ideas on health care and show whether both sides are willing to work together.
“I want to come back and have a large meeting, Republicans and Democrats, to go through systematically all the best ideas that are out there and move it forward,” Mr. Obama said in the interview from the White House Library. Mr. Obama challenged Republicans to attend the meeting with their plans for lowering the cost of health insurance and expanding coverage to more than 30 million uninsured Americans. Republican leaders said they welcomed the opportunity and called on Democrats to start the debate from scratch, which the president said he would not do.
The move by Mr. Obama comes after weeks in which the administration has appeared uncertain about how to proceed on his top domestic priority since Republicans captured the Senate seat previously held by Senator Kennedy. House and Senate Democrats had been increasingly at odds over what the bill should say, how to move ahead tactically and, in some cases, whether to continue at all.
The idea for the bipartisan meeting, set for Feb. 25, was reached in recent weeks, aides said, as part of the White House strategy to intensify its push to engage Congressional Republicans in policy negotiations, share the burden of governing and put more scrutiny on Republican initiatives.
Campaign pledge Mr. Obama’s announcement came after he surprised his rivals in late January by requesting that a session with House Republicans be open to cameras. That meeting produced a spirited 90-minute question-and-answer session with the president that many in the White House viewed as a critical success for Mr. Obama.
In making the gesture on Sunday, Mr. Obama is in effect calling the hand of Republicans who had chastised him for not honoring a campaign pledge to hold health care deliberations in the open, broadcast by C-Span, and for not allowing Republicans at the bargaining table.
This from Balisha...Mr. Obama made the announcement in an interview on CBS during the Super Bowl pre-game show, capitalizing on a vast television audience. (this was a smart move) He set out a plan that would put Republicans on the spot to offer their own ideas on health care and show whether both sides are willing to work together.
“I want to come back and have a large meeting, Republicans and Democrats, to go through systematically all the best ideas that are out there and move it forward,” Mr. Obama said in the interview from the White House Library. Mr. Obama challenged Republicans to attend the meeting with their plans for lowering the cost of health insurance and expanding coverage to more than 30 million uninsured Americans. Republican leaders said they welcomed the opportunity and called on Democrats to start the debate from scratch, which the president said he would not do.
The move by Mr. Obama comes after weeks in which the administration has appeared uncertain about how to proceed on his top domestic priority since Republicans captured the Senate seat previously held by Senator Kennedy. House and Senate Democrats had been increasingly at odds over what the bill should say, how to move ahead tactically and, in some cases, whether to continue at all.
The idea for the bipartisan meeting, set for Feb. 25, was reached in recent weeks, aides said, as part of the White House strategy to intensify its push to engage Congressional Republicans in policy negotiations, share the burden of governing and put more scrutiny on Republican initiatives.
Campaign pledge Mr. Obama’s announcement came after he surprised his rivals in late January by requesting that a session with House Republicans be open to cameras. That meeting produced a spirited 90-minute question-and-answer session with the president that many in the White House viewed as a critical success for Mr. Obama.
In making the gesture on Sunday, Mr. Obama is in effect calling the hand of Republicans who had chastised him for not honoring a campaign pledge to hold health care deliberations in the open, broadcast by C-Span, and for not allowing Republicans at the bargaining table.
Well, there you have it. Someone said to me just yesterday, "You know the health care plan is going nowhere....It's going to be dropped." I'll admit that sometimes I wear my heart on my sleeve, but I am smart enough to know that these Washington cronies are just deliberately blocking the plan...because they can. President Obama challenged them in his state of the union saying, in so many words..."Hey, if you have any ideas...bring them to my office and show me. We can work together on this." Getting health care for everyone is crucial to our country. I know how people who have no insurance feel. My first husband went to work for a company that didn't offer a health plan and we had to search for insurance...I had a pre existing condition and we had a hard time getting a plan. Only when we signed off on my health problem could we get coverage...a very expensive plan at that time. I have been to the ER and have seen the families there waiting to get taken care of...they have no insurance and come to the hospital as they would a doctor. Moms and Dads medicating their kids and themselves, because they can't afford to see a doctor. Moms and Dads going without meals to help a sick child through an illness. I could go on and on, but I won't. I just hope that Democrats and Republicans forget themselves for a bit and get together and work out a plan that works for both sides. Some Americans now say, “I’m happy with my health care.” Well, as Christians, that’s a selfish statement. How is my neighbor’s health care? Jesus has made that my problem. He says, blessed are the poor, blessed are the merciful. That, to me, is something that affects every aspect of our society. On judgement day, we all will stand equally in the grace of the Lord. We are meant to open our hearts and ears in care and compassion. I'll be watching on the 25th.
Balisha
4 comments:
We desperately need the health care system in this country to be fixed! How can we live with ourselves when 47 million are without health care. Let's hope the parties can work together...gail
We are the only advanced country in the world that does not offer a national health care plan to our citizens. It's shameful. A year or so ago, NPR had a series of programs on health care in various European countries. Everyone was very happy with their health care. There was not one mention of long waits like you hear he GOP frightening people with. Our taxes may be higher but it would save us each thousands per year in the long run.
Marnie
You are so right, Balisha. It makes me so mad that these people cannot work together for the benefit of the people in this country. It just drives me crazy that they vote against something because it is the other party's idea, etc. I see that all the time on a state level here, too. We definitely need a health care system reform in this country and right now!
A great post Balisha.
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