Dems, GOP Play Health Care Blame Game
The president has been facing turmoil among liberal Democrats for not aggressively backing a public option – a government-run health care program designed compete with private insurers and rein in costs.
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But some Democrats feel Mr. Obama's early "hands off" approach was the right one.
"I don't think he made a mistake," Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis (above, right) told "Early Show" co-host Maggie Rodriguez Wednesday. "I understand the legislative need to give yourself a number of options. He didn't want to take a position that you couldn't negotiate from. Plus, it was a legislative reality that Congress was going to take the lead on this. I think what the White House and the Obama administration now is facing is the reality that Republicans were never going to negotiate in good faith."
Now the Democrats appear ready to handle health care on their own, according to a New York Times report that quotes White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel as saying the Republicans have "made a strategic decision that defeating President Obama's health care proposal is more important for their political goals than solving the health insurance problems that Americans face every day."
"It's interesting — I don't blame them for doing this because they're having trouble passing the legislation — they're putting all the blame on Republicans," GOP strategist Dan Bartlett (above, left) told Rodriguez " When, in fact, most of the objections from the United States Congress is from Barack Obama's own party. … The fact of the matter is Democrats control Congress. Democrats can pass this bill if they have the votes. The problems are coming from within their party and from the American people who aren't buying what he's selling."
As for the prospects of legislation being passed, Bartlett said the White House would get "some element but not what they wanted."
Kofinis was, not surprisingly, more optimistic.
"Yes. I think it's going to happen and be more significant than people realize."
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