Posted on 02/12/2010 7:24:33 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration on Friday invited 12 Democratic members of Congress and nine Republicans to a February 25 conference on healthcare and said it would post its proposal for a legislative overhaul online before the event.
President Barack Obama has asked Republicans to bring their best healthcare ideas to the conference on revamping the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare system. The issue, critical to his domestic agenda, has floundered since Democrats lost their crucial 60th Senate vote last month, in the face of united Republican opposition and public skepticism.
The meeting will be broadcast live, answering criticism that the Democratic president did not engage Republicans and instead negotiated backroom deals in an effort to get legislation passed.
The invitation letter said the White House will post the text of its proposed health overhaul package online before the meeting, and invited Republican leaders to post their own bill online as well.
"Now is the time to act on behalf of the millions of Americans and small businesses who are counting on meaningful health insurance reform," said the formal invitation, from Rahm Emanuel, Obama's chief of staff, and Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of health and human services.
Republican leaders have said they will attend, but expressed skepticism about whether Obama will work with them.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
so he can ignore them or steal them?
How will I get through these next three years? All Zero’s Cabinet, Advisors and Czars make me puke. How DID our wonderful country end up in this situation???
Typical of Obama - DoubleCross to the Republicans. Obama drowns out any hope by publishing his so called health care bill prior to the televised event. Should repubs do what Rush suggest; don’t show up. That would be my feeling.
I wonder who the 9 republicans are?
McCain
Graham
Snow
Collins
???
I call it fraud!
GOP will get blame in all this. Prez Zero setting the Pubbies up.
only nine?????????
Believe it when I see it. Our liar and chief is not known for his honesty.
Yup, setting them up just like lucy with the football, and they will go for it and they will be humiliated. What idiots, they never learn.
Its possible they will surprise us with some balls and stick it good to bambi, but I am not holding my breath.
Has anyone looked at Drudge in the last few minutes? Third column from the left. Good gawd. This guy is Hugo Chavez. (And his followers wish him to be.)
Come on folks. This is what we asked for. This is what we criticized. Now we need to put up or shut up. Im sick of this. If we are the party of “no” in the pockets of the health care industry, we are going to find out quick. It is time to act like Americans and show them out ideas. I’m telling you this is the opportunity we fought for and if we walk away now ,this party is finished and the American people will be disgusted and Obama wins. Suck it up and let’s go to work and bring positive solutions to the table. If they are defeated then it is the Dems fault— not ours!! Quit this endless negativism it is not good for America!!
I am not being negative. I am being a realist. I don't trust Obama further than I can read the print on his birth certificate.
The US Constitution Article 1 Section 8 "The Powers of Congress" give no authority to congress to regulate health care.
The US Constitution Article 2 "The Executive Branch" gives no authority to the White House to propose legislation.
The 10th Amendment Says "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
What are the criteria Obama said he’d judge their proposals on—saving costs, covering the uninsured, and what was the third, quality? I’d presume it is the covering the uninsured he’s looking to nail them on.
We already did last summer, and they were rejected by the dems. Feb 25 is a setup to make the republicans look bad after months of the dems looking bad. Its a trap no question about it. Pubbies are fools to attend, they should just send a few pages repeating what they suggested last summer, and in very large lettering: FUBO!
Results of my “those damn intransigent “not just no, but hell no” Republicans” argument w/my liberal relatives:
They: Suppose you had two branches of the same family who had a disagreement. Don’t you think one should send an emissary to the opposing side and they should at least try to talk about their differences?
Me: Yes, generically. However, suppose one branch of the family is like Ma Barker and her kids. They rob banks, kidnap people for ransom, and commit murders. Suppose the other branch is just a bunch of normal folks who try to live upstanding, law abiding, and moral lives. The Barkers send an emissary and try to reach a place where the two branches “give a little”, and work to cooperate. Would the moral branch of the family then....just act as lookouts for robberies, preferring not to become directly involved? Would they collect and pass on ransom money, not wanting to take hostages nor execute same? Would they purchase and deliver ammo or guns to the Barker branch, who, after all, aren’t going to be giving up*all* their criminal enterprises.
Or, should the moral branch send an emissary to the Barkers, trying to persuade them to mend their ways? OK, the Barkers start to do charity work on their off days from robbing banks and committing murders.
On which side are the compromises to be made?
On FNC Special Report Charles Krauthammer gave the best strategy on this summit. He said the Republicans must nominate a single representative to debate Obama on equal footing, one who is a budget expert Rep Paul Ryan who knows way more than him. This will eliminate the chaos of many house members raising their hands to question/challenge Obama. Krauthammer is brilliant.
I also saw Lawence O'Donald on MSNBC say this is very risky for democrats because Obama is unlikely to have any single bill to hold up that Democrats will unite behind. so Republicans can point that out on national TV. Stay tuned!
I agree but let them NOT say— We are the party of “NO”!! Get our buts in gear and bring constructive ideas to the table and lets get some positive credit here or we will wipe out the gains of the last 12 months!!. Expose them as frauds — NOT US!!
That attitude will finish this party. How do you say that the plan was no good because they wouldn’t listen to us. Then walk away now? We look like idiots. I’m telling you — let’s get to work for America and let the Dems argue with our logic and ideas on TV . It is OUR SETUP!!!Just say “no” is childish and political suicide.
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