With Daschle out, Obama should make Romney the healthcare-reform czar

Christian Science Monitor ^ | February 6, 2009 | Frank Micciche

[Zakeet]

Picture the scene: a dignified Ted Kennedy stands beside President Barack Obama on a brisk, late winter day in the Rose Garden.

Mr. Obama laments the events that caused him to withdraw the nomination of his anointed healthcare-reform czar, former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle, as Health and Human Services Secretary. Reaching back to the lofty rhetoric of his campaign, he implores his audience to look past his own lapse in judgment and seize the opportunity to implement sweeping national reform that puts health insurance within reach for the millions already uninsured – and the millions more whose coverage is jeopardized by the nation's economic crisis.

Then Senator Kennedy ambles to the microphone. He thanks Obama for his attention to what has been a more than 40-year personal crusade. He reemphasizes that now is the time to rise above partisan politics and address this central policy issue of our time.

"I've seen such an approach work," Kennedy declares, "in my own home state, where in just two years we've seen 500,000 people who were uninsured gain access to quality healthcare as a result of an agreement among Republicans, Democrats, hospitals, insurers, and the voters. They came together because they understood this issue was too important to remain bogged down in politics any longer. Now I am here to introduce my partner in that process; a man whose life experience spans the heights of the public, private and nonprofit sectors; a man whose commitment to the goal of seeing every American receive quality, affordable healthcare is every bit as strong as my own; the man who I believe can work with the president, the Congress and the entire healthcare system to reach this goal; my friend, my former governor, Mitt Romney."

[Zakeet]

Is Mitt stupid enough to work with the RATS again? Even if it furthers his favorite liberal cause? Can he resist the temptation to tamper with lives? Can he turn down one more entitlement? Can he say no to his old pal Teddie? ...

[Las Vegas Ron]

Passaroony

[Badeye]

He won’t take it, it won’t be offered to him.

[mikelets456]

Just another seat we’ll lose...

[cripplecreek]

Mitt seems to have his eyes longingly set on the white house. He’s marginally better than McCain but I’d vote against him in the primnary.

[Fred]

Romney care in MA is going bankrupt. Mixed results at best.
It was a big problem for him in Pres race.

[SkyDancer]

"Czar?" I thought this is America. What do we need a CZAR for???

[HwyChile]

Why? So that we can get some form of government health care like Mass. has? No thanks. I am no Romney fan and it has nothing to do with him being Mormon (My family is Mormon and I like the religion fine).

[SparkyBass]

[Graybeard58]

and it has nothing to do with him being Mormon (My family is Mormon and I like the religion fine)

Nevertheless, you will be branded a hater if you don't bow down and worship Mitt the liberal.

[MrEdd]

He’s marginally better than McCain

I would reverse the order. He is marginally worse than McCain and I worked harder to defeat him and Giuliani than McCain in the primaries.

[cripplecreek]

Both suck. LOL

[Magic Fingers]

“Picture the scene: a dignified Ted Kennedy...”

Impossible

[NYC Republican]

This article is DUMB... It’ll NEVER happen. Romney would be Zero’s WORST enemy.

[utahagen]

Real Republicans should not accept cabinet positions with Democrat presidents (and vice-versa). A Lutheran who joins a Catholic Church and starts going there on Sundays is effectively converting to Catholicism, even if he still calls himself a Lutheran (and vice versa).

[torchthemummy]

I agree it was a problem but that's because the bill he signed was given a bankruptcy death by a thousand tweaks by the uber-lib MA legislature even before he left office.

While I agree that it was not the best idea, the fact is that if the Dems get their way with socialized care then the only way to return to healthcare with a market basis that covers all is to nix the single-payer system to a multi-choice system where everyone gets a basic set of services among a choice of plans that compete against each other, with options to heighten ones coverage for extra out-of-pocket expense. A state system within a state system.

That will be the only market-based way out if socialized healthcare is enacted.

[pissant]

My fear is that Romney would accept if offered.

[svcw]

I thought that the MR plan was a disaster, or turned out that way.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Perfect job for Willard the rat.

[Arthur McGowan]

This would require Mitt to flip BACK on abortion. It would require him to embrace socialism FULLY (as opposed to just snuggling up to it as he did in Massachusetts). It would be an excellent way for Mitt to slit his own throat and write his obituary with the Republican base.