Posted on 02/21/2010 3:42:18 AM PST by Scanian
What do Republicans stand to gain from participating in President Obama’s health care summit, the televised bipartisanship photo-op scheduled for Thursday? Nothing.
Given the long, steep nosedive President Obama’s health care reform plan’s popularity has taken since last summer — Pollster.com’s multi-poll average now shows opposition at 51.6%, with only 39.8% in favor of passage — all they’d be doing is attaching themselves to a losing proposal. Especially when the president has shown little interest in scaling back and starting over.
Liberals like to argue that passing the bill is still a good idea politically — that its popularity will rise once it becomes law. But there’s scant evidence to bolster this belief.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Along with all the reasons this summit is bad news for the Pubbies is the precedent set. Congress should not become props to the President advancing his legislation. They are a co-equal branch who should carry out their business in their way, not with the President orchestrating it.
Likewise, they need to escape the SotU theater where they are trotted out to applaud the President in prime time—over and over and over again.
Aside from Obama hijacking the TV airwaves, we’re not going to learn much from this summit, other than the fact Obama will use TV airtime to lecture the GOP. His health care proposal is unpopular with a wide swath of Americans and is too complicated as hell to explain on TV in just a few hours. The GOP might as well stay at home, since C-SPAN will be carrying it.
They can’t help it.
Television cameras are to politicians what crack cocaine is to addicts.
The GOP would be well-advised in my opinion not to get their fingerprints over something the Democrats OWN, otherwise if it fails, they’ll just blame the GOP for it’s failure. Besides, they don’t need the GOP to pass anything anyway. The GOP don’t have enough power in Washington to stop a one float parade.
It could work out for the Republicans, but ONLY if they choose a single member to speak for them at the summit, and the rest agree to remain silent during the event.
Having Obama speak in one voice, when the Republicans speak in many voices (even if they all stay on message) just puts them at a huge disadvantage.
A one-on-one type event puts both sides on the same level, and avoids the ridiculous professor-class kind of paradigm that the potus is trying to set up.
One more thing... DEMAND that the Republicans get to go second and have the last word. They proposed this “summit†so they should lay out their program and not the other way around. If the Dems don’t agree then walk away saying it was only an “unfair†show planned only to promote the Democrat’s partisan agenda and not a serious attempt to slove the differences.
Morning Scanian,
Just like at say the State of the Union get together, regardless of who is president the opposition clammers to have their photo taken with him. For future election cycles.
This dog and pony show will be exactly that, scum RINOs will want to be there looking like they are trying to be nonpartisan and looking to gt along.
Tell Obama to start over or shove it.
The summit could be a good exercise in IDing RINOs.
Some of the founders objected to the idea of a SOTU because it reminded them of the King of England addressing the House of Lords. Like many things they discussed and worried about, the “royal” SOTU has just about come to pass with Obama.
Agree. Skip the summit and expose why Zero is having it.
This summit is a convenient distraction from the obvious attempt of Democrats working behind the scenes to try and ram the public option through without a vote.
Absolutely - Paul Ryan, all by himself.
His knowledge on the subject would make Zero look like a fool. (which, unfortunately, is exactly why the Dhimmis would never agree to such a thing)
“The Obama administration aims to put members of the GOP on the spot, forcing them to compromise on issues or be portrayed as obstructionists.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-obama-strategy21-2010feb21,0,112793.story
Then, when 0bama trots out his marxist takeover it will look ridiculous. Because it is.
In this way YOU set the terms of the debate and not the dems and get the people on OUR side first.
We win, they lose. Get it yet? Thank you.
I think Coburn would be a wise choice.
I agree. That taffy pull is a bad, bad idea.
Obama will control the format, cameras, and microphone. It’s a sucker game.
I say stay away but if they MUST participate, use Paul Ryan to club Zer0 with his superior knowledge and everybody else either stay away or at least shut up.
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