A War of Words Before the Health Care Summit

(AP)

Two days before the storm over health care reform begins at Blair House, a war of words is warming up.

A rhetorical rocket's red glare was apparent at dawn's early light, when at five o'clock this morning White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer posted a blog dismissing the Republicans health care plan as "a collection of piecemeal and sometimes conflicting ideas."

He chastised GOP leaders for not yet doing what President Obama did yesterday: post the health care plan they intend to bring to the negotiating table on Thursday.

At about the same time that Pfeiffer's piece was hitting the Web, Sen. Orrin Hatch's guest editorial in USA Today was hitting the newsstands. The Utah Republican blasted the new proposal from Mr. Obama, saying it fails to "abandon the big government approach the American people have overwhelmingly rejected."

(AP)

"Instead of taking the enormous health care tax-and-spend bill off the tape, the president largely endorsed it," writes Hatch (seen at left).

House Republicans presented Mr. Obama with their health care proposals when he addressed their Issues Conference in Baltimore last month.

"Actually, I've gotten many of your ideas. I've taken a look at them, even before I was handed this," said the president of the 30-page booklet titled "Better Solutions: A Compilation of GOP Alternatives."

But that's not good enough for the White House which Pfeiffer said wants to know "what proposal (Republicans) will be bringing to the table."

The GOP isn't looking for competing plans. It rejects both the House and Senate versions of health care reform passed by the respective chambers last year. Republicans want the Blair House talks on health care to return to square one.

"It we really want to create something that will work, we need to start from scratch on a new proposal," Hatch writes.

Republicans are also up in arms that if the Blair House talks produce no consensus, as close to a sure thing as you get in Washington, then Democrats will "jam their bill through Congress" by utilizing the so-called "nuclear option." It calls for passing most elements of the Democrats plan by use of reconciliation, the process meant for budget bills which bars a filibuster and requires only a simple majority.

Writing for the Republicans, Hatch urges the White House to move forward on health care "in an incremental and fiscally responsible manner."

The White House agrees – but those words mean very different things to the two sides.

More CBSNews.com Coverage:

Obama's Health Care Plan Unveiled
Dems Warily Adopt Obama's Health Care Plan
Will Obama Health Care Plan Pass Via Reconciliation?
No Public Option in Obama Health Care Plan
@katiecouric: GOP Has "No Incentive" to Work With Democrats
CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care

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(CBS)

Mark Knoller is a CBS News White House correspondent. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here. You can also follow him on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/markknoller.

[tomdegan58]

So I guess the writing is on the wall; the Democrats are going to get hammered on Election Day, right? I wouldn't be too sure about that. There are far too many monkey wrenches that are ready to be thrown into this engine. The most amusing thing to observe during the CPAC orgy last Thursday was their subtle attempt to disassociate themselves from the so-called "Tea Party Movement" without flatly rejecting it. What is going on here?

Here's what's going on: The cooler heads within the Republican National Committee know damned well that the Tea Partiers are a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode. It's not merely the fact that most of these people are dumber than doggy dung, it is also the ugly reality that so much (although not all) of that movement is based on the nasty philosophy that has embodied the white supremacist movement for decades. You could hear it in the remarks made by the protesters at the September 12, "March on Washington". You could see it in the signs they carried. Most of these twits refuse to even acknowledge the fact that the president of the United States is an American citizen!

Like Neville Chamberlain appeasing der fuhrer at the Munich conference in 1938, the RNC is frantically searching for a "peace in our time" moment. They have quite a dilemma before them to be sure. On the one hand they need to keep these jackasses "inside the tent pissing out" - so to speak. On the other hand they have to avoid alienating the moderates. Like the demented uncle living in the attic, they must do everything humanly possible to make sure that any contact with the neighborhood kids is limited if you know what I mean.

The Tea Party people are already claiming credit for Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts a couple weeks ago. They are determined to steer the course of the GOP in November, come hell or high water. If they are allowed control of the party, their extremism will only turn off a huge segment of the voting population. If they are denied that opportunity, they will splinter off into third and even fourth party uprisings. Have you ever watched an elephant try to walk a tightrope? It's more fun than a barrel of donkeys.

http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY

[reveal4]

People who simply don't care about the uninsured, those with pre existing conditions, those dumped by their insurers, etc., are simply lacking in compassion, empathy, and basic common humanity. The lack of compassion and empathy is psychologically abnormal and a commonly symptomatic aberration among narcissists, sociopaths, and psychopaths. Those who simply don't give a damn are psychologically abnormal.

[reveal4]

The Medicaid option is a public option. It is better in the respect that medicaid is allready in place and no new government infrastructure will be needed to expand medicaid's allready existing structure. This will decrease costs in contrast to a public option which would require new government agencies, advisory panels, administration, and so on. The result is the same, at lower cost.

[reveal4]

Medicare can be improved. Best treatment methods gleaned from places like the Mayo Clinic provide better care, reduce recovery times, and reduce costs. Medicare costs can be reduced. Republican seniors are opposed to efficiencies which will reduce the burden on the American taxpayer. Republican seniors may even prefer that medicare goes bust, just as long as it is after these seniors squeeze the taxpayer for every dime.

[reveal4]

The Medicare Republican senior "tea party" fringers just don't care if medicare goes bankrupt, just as long as they get their benefits before Medicare goes bust. These fringe seniors don't care if Medicare is over costly and the costs are passed on to America's grandchldren. They don't care about other folks. Narcissism is incurable.

[reveal4]

Why do you think that health insurance companies are now raising rates to the tune of 20% to 55%? How about the mindbending amounts of premium cash, your premium money, paid into Republican Senator's campaign coffers as payment to fight reform...The Repubs. are entirely bought off with your premium money. Now the health insurers need to make up those payments to Republican Senators by raising rates exorbitantly on their customers...any questions?

[GreatDepression]

In case they do not pass a Health Care bill with the public option or single-payer, I just created a new Corporation called "Quality and Cheap Healthcare, Inc." For $600 (versus $8,000 in USA) a year, you can have quality and extremely affortable healthcare in socialist India or Mexico. This exploding industry has already successfully served over 6 million Americans whom are extremely happy.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/18/health/webmd/main2104425.shtml

At our expense, we will fly you to India for all your operation/surgery/healthcare needs:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/27/india.medical.travel/index.html

OR

You can also fly south to Mexico for all your healthcare needs without killing your wallet.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/17/eveningnews/main5992969.shtml?

OR

Stay tune, we are working on a similar package to Canada and China!

So hurry, this limited offer ends soon.

[mary-miami]

As usual republicans care nothing for the common worker. The one who gets up every morning (or works the night shift) gets paid a miserable wage where he can barely put food on the table or pay his rent...and has no money left to go to the doctor, dentist or optometrist...pathetic. Republican ideas are the reason we are in this Depression...We need a livable wage, free medicine, university, just like every other industrialized nation...What benefits one American benefits the nation...Tea party is even worse than republican, because they are the extreme right (fascists) They basically want to win over republican votes and then kick their butts to become dictators. At least, whichever one of the two major parties has been in power there is always a peaceful transition of power but the "Tea" group likes to silence the press, and that is extremely dangerous...Free speech and press is the basis of a free society.

[rykatspop]

This network reported last night that the insurance industry lobby is working hard to get these companies HUGE premium increases in 3 states. In Oregon, 20%. In Wisconsin, 56%. Their excuse, whatever? That there are now fewer people continuing their coverage, so they need to raise rates to keep up with costs. So, people can't afford the coverage, but we must do everything we can to help the CEO's, etc, make their millions and millions. Have they ever heard of cutting back, taking a pay cut, laying off upper management?

Typical American corporate approach to solving a problem they brought on to themselves, increase the price, ship customer service jobs overseas, reduce product/services, make excuses, pass blame, cry for more money because they have no idea how to be efficient innovative for the sake of the customer, patient. No they only know how to innovate on ways to do less, but charge more. They make billions for this kind of business model. What genius. Yeah, and we're all to stupid to see what they try to pull all the time. REGULATE!!! REGULATE!! REGULATE!!!

[GreatDepression]

rykatspop

There is no other Private Free-Enterprise industry in the world that Prices itself out of the market. The more they raise, the smaller the pool. The smaller the pool, the greater the cost for the remaining still in the pool. Self-Destruction!

Regardless of the what the government does or does not do, the Health Care industry is extinguishing itself.

[rykatspop]

Upshot, If Americans are now SEVERELY LIMITED IN USING BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION, THEN CORPORATIONS (AND CEO'S) SHOULD HAVE THE SAME DIFFICULT CHALLENGE. If it's just business for a company to file, then why should any family be treated differently--given the current quasi depression? Fair is fair, but you won't get that from Wall Street or Capital Hill.

Americans first!!! Americans first!!!! Hatch, Wall Street, Congress, out like rubbish.

[rykatspop]

Thursday's gonna be nothing. They're all gonna make nice for the cameras and voters. It will be a big yawn for anyone looking for leadership and truth from govt. You'll see, nothing but social graces and niceties.