Posted on 01/05/2010 8:57:43 AM PST by STARWISE
C-SPAN chief executive Brian Lamb, who has long fought for more television access in Congress, is now asking House and Senate leadership to allow cameras inside while members hammer out differences between the two health care bills.
Lamb, in a letter dated Dec. 30 and made available today, requested opening up “all important negotiations, including any conference committee meetings, to electronic media coverage”
President Obama, Senate and House leaders, many of your rank-and-file members, and the nation’s editorial pages have all talked about the value of transparent discussions on reforming the nation’s health care system.
Now that the process moves to the critical stage of reconciliation between the Chambers, we respectfully request that you allow the public full access, through television, to legislation that will affect the lives of every single American.
The C-SPAN networks, he wrote, are willing to commit the necessary resources to cover sessions live and would offer the network’s multi-camera feed to those in the Capitol Hill broadcast pool.
Lamb’s full letter to Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner after the jump.
December 30, 2009
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi The Honorable Harry Reid Speaker Majority Leader
United States House or Representatives United States Senate
The Honorable John Boehner The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Minority Leader Minority Leader
United States House of Representatives United States Senate
Dear Speaker Pelosi:
Representative Boehner:
Senator Reid:
Senator McConnell:
As your respective chambers work to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate health care bills, C-SPAN requests that you open all important negotiations, including any conference committee meetings, to electronic media coverage.
The C-SPAN networks will commit the necessary resources to covering all of these sessions LIVE and in their entirety. We will also, as we willingly do each day, provide C-SPAN’s multi-camera coverage to any interested member of the Capitol Hill broadcast pool.
Since the initial introduction of the America’s Affordable Health Care Act of 2009 in the House and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in the Senate
C-SPAN has televised literally hundreds of hours of committee hearings, mark ups and floor debate on these bills for the public to see. And importantly, we have archived all of this video for future generations to study in the C-SPAN Video Archives.
President Obama, Senate and House leaders, many of your rank-and-file members, and the nation’s editorial pages have all talked about the value of transparent discussions on reforming the nation’s health care system.
Now that the process moves to the critical stage of reconciliation between the Chambers, we respectfully request that you allow the public full access, through television, to legislation that will affect the lives of every single American.
We hope you will give serious consideration to this request. We are most willing to employ the latest digital technology to make the cameras, lights and microphones as unobtrusive as possible.
Please contact me if I can answer any questions.
Sincerely,
Brian Lamb
~~PING!
To see ‘Honorable’ in front of their names makes me scowl.
Good for him! They wont do it
If Obama runs again..he needs to be lambasted for this..because he ran on the idea that it would be open to the public.
Democrats will lie and Republicans will cave to the cameras to show “compassion”.
Worst idea ever.
Wow, C-SPAN found its spine? Hell must have frozen over.
Transparent Bump!
Thank you c-span and Brian Lamb. Let’s see how long the Dems can ignore this request.
Nice try.
Good luck with that.
Health bill talks to bar Republican lawmakers
AP ^ | January 5, 2010
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2421451/posts
Well- on the one hand- good for him. Although- if we get this on c-span it may APPEAR to get waterd down- passing with a couple of GOP votes- and then coming back later to bite us when they change...the changes made for public consumption.
>If Obama runs again..he needs to be lambasted for this..because he ran on the idea that it would be open to the public.
It needs pointed out now! Fox News should be all over this fairy tale president.
America is dying fast and needs some real help now!
Where has Brian Lamb been for the last 12 months?!?!? A little late, no?
Dear Mr Lamb,
They don’t care about being open or honest about anything, I would suggest that you put the CSPAN cameras on the CLOSED and LOCKED door where the negotiations are being held, then play a loop of all Obama’s promises with regards to Open and Public Debates about health care being broadcast on CSPAN. Warning they will probably shut you down if you do this, but you will gone a long way in shining the light of truth on these cockroaches.
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