Healthy Talk
National News
by
Steve Handelsman
last edited on
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Was it a TV show, pure politics, or a serious effort to forge a compromise on health care reform? President Obama held his bi-partisan summit on the issue Thursday and there was more clashing than cooperation. There was no deal cut, no middle ground reached, no schedule settled on for health care reform and neither side really expected that at this media event.
President Obama crossed the street to the Blair House for his health care summit. Forty lawmakers. Both parties.
"Here's the bottom line: we all know this is urgent," the President reminded the group. In fact, republicans said slow down.
"We have to start by taking the current bill and putting it on the shelf and starting from a clean sheet of paper," said Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee.
It was a televised health care disagreement.
"I hope that this isn't political theater," the President said. But both sides wanted to be seen fighting for what the public now wants.
Republican House Whip Eric Cantor said, "We don't care for this bill. I think you know that. The American people don't care for this bill."
Fifty five% are opposed, said the republican Senate leader. No, 58% want immediate action said the democrat Senate leader.
It got testy with the President reminding former presidential candidate John McCain that they're not campaigning anymore. Some sounded bipartisan.
"We are actually quite close," said democratic Senator Max Baucus of Montana. They agreed on problems.
"One out of every $3 spent doesn't help anyone get well and doesn't prevent anybody from getting sick," said republican Senator Tom Corbin of Oklahoma. But they could not agree on solutions
"It may turn out on other hand there's just too big of a gulf and then we'll have to figure out how we proceed from there," said Mr. Obama.
Democrats already figure they'll go it alone on health care reform. To make a parliamentary end run around republican opposition will take democratic unity.The President hopes he got more of that with Thursday's summit.