Dems sketical health care summit is the answer

dogtowner

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as well they should be

considering the have allotted a complete half of one day to it, it already seems doomed to failure. it took them a year to generate the assorted messes we've seen to date.


First he called congressional Democrats' yearlong march toward health care overhaul an ugly process. Now President Barack Obama wants to talk directly with Republicans, the very people his Capitol Hill allies call obstinate and uncooperative.


It's no wonder Democratic lawmakers are less than enthusiastic about Obama's overture to the GOP.

The president has blamed special deals cut on Capitol Hill for the public's skepticism about health care legislation, distancing himself from what he's called "this Congress," even though his White House was closely involved in the process. For their part, some congressional Democrats clamored for stronger leadership from Obama after an upset loss in a special election last month denied Democrats their filibuster-proof Senate majority, plunging the health overhaul into disarray.

But with the legislation languishing, the bipartisan health care summit Obama has set for later this month almost has to break the logjam, even if neither Democrats nor Republicans are particularly excited about it. Either the two parties come together against all odds or the event demonstrates that no bipartisan outcome is possible, spurring Democrats to act alone. Or, the summit is a bust and the entire health care overhaul falls apart.
"I think this is sort of his last-ditch effort" at a bipartisan deal, said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.

"Unless there's a dramatic change by the Republicans, I don't think that we'll see much change," Miller said. But, he added, "the president believes this is important. I don't disagree with what he's trying to do."
Democrats see a few scenarios that could emerge from the Feb. 25 event, planned as a half-day televised forum. Details on attendees and format remain scant.

One possibility is that Republicans make a poor showing at the summit, emboldening Democrats to strong-arm their sweeping health legislation through Congress with no GOP votes, which would require the use of controversial rules in the Senate. Another is that Democrats find a way to incorporate some Republican proposals, such as curbs on medical malpractice lawsuits, into legislation. Then they'd essentially call Republicans' bluff by forcing them to vote on it.

Less plausibly, in the view of Democrats, Obama could emerge from the event with an agreement with Republicans and move to pass legislation with bipartisan support that surely would be far narrower in scope than what Democrats have been aiming for. A number of Republicans have made overtures in that direction, including an invitation from Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., to Obama to work together toward shared goals of expanding coverage and reducing costs.
Finally, although most Democrats are reluctant even to say it, the summit could stand as a piece of political theater but fail to create the impetus needed to pass any legislation, effectively sounding the death knell on the health care overhaul.
 
Werbung:
You like paying for the 40 million uninsured to visit the ER? I don't.

I'd like a better more streamlined plan for these people that cuts costs and makes sure no epidemics happen. There's an epidemic of aggressive staph that people without insurance are trying to take half-prescriptions of their friends' leftovers, possibly the wrong antibiotics in order to combat it without having to pay for an ER visit. So we are getting more and more resistant strains.

You think allowing the uninsured to treat themselves is a good idea and won't hurt anyone else? Think again. Covering everyone is a matter of national security. Covering everyone is in THE HIGHEST "general Welfare" of the US. We all touch the same doorknobs pal.
 
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