Left, Right Bent Out of Shape over Health Care Summit

By: Charles Cooper
Topics: In The News

(CBS)

Let's assume for the moment that President Obama is sincere about this exercise. During a Sunday interview with CBS interview Mr. Obama invited Republicans to participate in a televised health care summit later in the month. I don't think anyone is fooling themselves into believing this will usher in another era of good feeling but perhaps the meeting may help remove some of the poison from the nation's political debate.

Or perhaps not.

The (dim) prospect of bi-partisan progress apparently frightened the bejeezus out of House Republican Whip Eric Cantor, who marked his ground with a warning that "unless the President and Speaker Pelosi are willing to scrap their government take over and hit the reset button, there's not much to talk about."

Michelle Malkin echoed that view, expressing her certainty that the president had nothing of value to offer. The very idea compromise? Don't be ridiculous.

"Unlike the question-time session with Republicans," she wrote, "the White House political machine will be in full control of the staging. Republicans should feel zero obligation to participate in yet another White House health care dog-and-pony show: Just say no. If Obama really wants to learn about GOP health care reform plans, he can look them up online, where they have been for months."

It wasn't a uniform wall of rejection. (See the talking points memo Hugh Hewitt sent to the Republican leadership.) But after President Obama's dazzling performance during a televised House GOP retreat last month, the Republicans are approaching this meeting with obvious trepidation.

There's no great enthusiasm for the meeting among the liberal and leftwing regions of the commentariat. They still haven't figured Barack Obama out. Many now wonder whether at heart he remains a Chicago pol who would sell out his progressive base just to clinch a deal - however lame - with Republicans. Indeed, the folks at Firedoglake gave voice to this, asking whether the president's sending up an elaborate smokescreen to revive the Cadillac tax "or some sort of end to the health insurance tax break." Meanwhile the Daily Kos is predicting failure even before the place settings have been laid out. "The experience of the past year should be enough to convince anyone other than David Broder that Republicans would actually play a part in passing any kind of reform."

You can't blame skeptics who don't believe this get-together is going to accomplish anything. Considering the passions that divide Democrats and Republicans, David Herszenhorn may be right in suggesting that the meeting could turn into a Kabuki-like appearance with little in the way of substantive debate. But consider this from another perspective; if the Obama announcement has left both sides with their heads spinning, then maybe he is onto something - however slim the chances of a breakthrough. Let's not forget that the midterms are set for later in the year and Republicans and Democrats do need to show the folks back home that they do more than shoot verbal spitballs all day.

Charles Cooper is an executive editor at CNET News. He has covered technology and business for more than 25 years, working at CBSNews.com, the Associated Press, Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet. E-mail Charlie.

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by rwsmith29456 February 9, 2010 10:39 PM EST

You guys that authored this please with come up with a GOOD plan for health reform that a majority of Congress will vote for. You can't make a plan that says everything your way. Did anybody bother to ask the Republicans what they want to see in the proposal?

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by yougawdabekiddin February 10, 2010 10:36 AM EST: Yes, the repugnicons were asked....they had nothing but tort reform. Do you want doctor's misadventures into your body unactionable?


by prohb February 9, 2010 9:50 PM EST: Come on you Congress people. Get some backbone and sit down and talk this out. What the h____is wrong with that!?! Let's get something done. And for you Republicans, quit playing "rope-a-dope" to stall everything till November(for you younguns - google it with Muhammad Ali).; Reply to this comment


by RobAla February 9, 2010 7:31 PM EST: I am bent out of shape over the corrupt on display during 2009 in conducting closed door discussions in framing health care bills which were filled with corrupt political favors. I am bent out shape, when I think the administration may want to limit current discussion to the garbage that was produced by the House and Senate in 2009, instead of starting afresh. I am bent out of shape when I consider that the corrupt leadership in Washington who was responsible for this crap, may play a significant role in continuing discussions. I want this stuff tabled until the American public has a chance to rid Washington of these people in November 2010. Drop health care and handle the real crisis - our stinking economy and loss of jobs! This that being bent out of shape enough for you??????; Reply to this comment

by steeepe February 9, 2010 12:04 PM EST

If health care insurance isn't reformed, it will bankrupt the country long before Social Security becomes a critical issue. And that's just economics, not even considering any moral imperatives. If we could start from scratch, the obvious choice that has worked well everywhere else would be single payer. That's also what the doctors want. Seems that the only people who don't like it are the corporatists. Premiums keep rising. Pretty soon they'll equal rent or mortgage payments. I'm lucky -- my employer pays, but it's over $1,000 a month. We used to have many choices for health insurance, but it's dwindled over the years to just one. Companies in other countries aren't burdened with these costs. We will have to work more, more earners per family, just to maintain a standard of living. And if you get sick and reach your cap, you'll lose insurance and never be able to get it again. So you will go bankrupt and lose almost everything. Either move to Canada or Mexico or Europe or prepare to die insolvent.

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by Brokennews February 9, 2010 12:08 PM EST: The public option is not in the current bill. Please explain what specifically is in the bill that will reduce medical costs for the average American!
After all, this bill is supposed to get a handle on spiraling heathcare & insurance costs. Where's the beef?


by steeepe February 9, 2010 12:29 PM EST: I'm not saying that either bill is perfect. I prefer an option that will reduce costs and provide more coverage. You've got to get the young healthy uninsured into the pool to do that. I don't know the best way, but the GOP proposals don't seem to do much in that regard. Ultimately, this shouldn't be a political issue, it should be based on sound economics, not ideology.


by steeepe February 9, 2010 11:53 AM EST: Seems like the GOP forgot that the majority of Americans elected Democrats. The GOP acts like Tom DeLay is still in charge. Never budge, never compromise. It would be very magnanimous for the Democrats to compromise even a little. The GOP has no cards to play unless they want to filibuster. I think the Democrats should show some spine and call their bluff and let them filibuster every bill from now on. Televised debates will do wonders to show the country what kind of fools have been obstructing progress.; Reply to this comment


by Brokennews February 9, 2010 10:20 AM EST: Can any supporter of this current health care reform bill provide a specific example of how the bill will reduce the costs of premiums, prescription costs, procedure costs or malpractice insurance??? Where is the cost reductions for the average person??? So far the supporters of this bill are being careful to avoid answering this question & I don't expect an answer now, but the silence speaks volumes!; Reply to this comment


by jgg000101 February 9, 2010 10:03 AM EST: The first sentence, "Let's assume for the moment the president is sincere..." says it all.; Reply to this comment

by SueZeeeQue February 9, 2010 9:23 AM EST

The last time Republicans defeated health care reform, they then sat by and did nothing as health care costs more than doubled.

This time they will do the same.

This has always been about protecting the profits of the big insurance companies that are raping Americans and sucking the economy dry.

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by Mortar_29 February 9, 2010 9:49 AM EST: This isnt reform.


by retm-w February 9, 2010 12:03 PM EST: And what are they doing about other costs? I don't hear any complaints about the cost of utilities, food, gasoline going up. I guess that's OK, the insurance comanies aren't the only ones ripping the American people off. Just listen to the media and the politicians, with their spotlight on insurance, don't look at how your other costs are rising.

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by SueZeeeQue February 9, 2010 9:14 AM EST

Republicans have been fighting against health care reform for decades.

Of course they don't want to participate in this because it will expose their true intentions.

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by Mortar_29 February 9, 2010 9:16 AM EST: It isnt reform.

by obie99sk February 9, 2010 8:20 AM EST

Seems like most folks forget the hours and days spent in the senate committee meetings where amendments from both parties were fully discussed and voted on. The dems did have the majority but the American people gave them the majority in the last election. The repubs did the same think when they had the majority (which gave us a lot of bad policies that resulted in the deficits we now face).

To say the repubs have had no input into 'Obamacare' is silly. Just as it's silly to say it was 'a goverment takeover of health care'. The repubs refused to compromise so what would you expect the dems to do when they have the majority?

What we need is a single payer system and remove the profit motive from health care. A single payer system only means that you have one insurance company ran by the goverment (like Medicare or VA)or a non-profit entity. Neither your choice of doctors/hospitals nor you ability to get the care you need would be impacted. It just means doctors and hospitals have one insurance company to bill for the services. There are billions of $ in savings just from that.

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by Mortar_29 February 9, 2010 9:04 AM EST: Not silly. The Dems havent allowed one of their ideas in...not one.

We d not need a single payer system. We need the government out of it. The current problems are because of the government. And you want them to be further involved?

No thanks! Leave my healthcare alone.


by SueZeeeQue February 9, 2010 9:12 AM EST: Republicans walked away from the negotiation early in the process. And even when they were at the table, their propaganda machine was trying to stop reform of any kind. "This is Obama's Waterloo" Jim Demint

You don't know what you are talking about because you get your information from that same machine.