Posted on 02/10/2010 5:01:32 AM PST by Kaslin
President Obama has so lowered expectations for the Republican Party that if they come to the health care summit he has called at the White House with concrete and well articulated proposals, it will blow the country away. Repeatedly, the president has fashioned the GOP as the party of "no," goading them by saying, "If you have any ideas, bring them on."
Well, let them do it.
Republicans need to be on their toes and aggressive in the meeting, and not let it devolve into a question and answer session with the president hogging the mike. He asked for a meeting, not a lecture or a media conference, and Republicans need to demand equal time to present their ideas.
Start with tort reform. The Republicans need to explain how much of the unnecessary medical costs are being driven by useless tort litigation. In Mississippi, where they acted to preclude much of it, malpractice premiums have declined by 50 percent.
The GOP needs to explain to the nation that when the president says he is going to cut costs by eliminating tests that aren't necessary, he is catching doctors in a vice. On the one side, they have the government prohibiting or discouraging them from tests, and on the other, the trial lawyer bar waiting to pounce on them for failing to administer the proper tests if their care has a bad outcome.
The Republicans need to make the cost-cutting part of the health care summit about tort reform, constantly raising the subject as the counter to the president's proposed $500 billion cut in Medicare.
Then Republicans need to discuss other cost-saving measures, such as allowing health insurance to be sold across state lines and other measures to encourage competition.
Republicans should also zero in on the need for more doctors if we are to expand the number of patients covered. They must articulate the conclusion so much of the nation has come to (but official Washington has never embraced) that you cannot have more patients without more doctors unless you want to impose rationing. They should make the case that you need to phase in coverage for those who are not now covered so that you can increase the supply of doctors and nurses at the same time. Supply must keep pace with demand so that artificial scarcity does not leave the nation short of doctors.
The Republicans need to point out that in Massachusetts, where Mitt Romney inflicted a version of Obamacare on the state, the waiting time to see a doctor in Boston is now 63 days. They need to stress that any rationing will be felt primarily by the elderly and will lead to premature deaths.
Finally, Republicans need to explain their own proposals for reforming health care -- including Medical Savings Accounts and expansions of current tax breaks to encourage people and small businesses to purchase insurance.
Then, Republicans need to keep up a steady drumfire of criticism of the president's proposals. They need to:
-- Attack the proposed cuts in Medicare.
-- Criticize the individual mandate as unconstitutional and paint a vivid picture of how much it will cost young families.
-- Demand that young people be permitted to purchase catastrophic coverage to satisfy any mandate rather than full coverage they don't need.
-- Spell out, in detail, how the tax on medical devices will raise the cost of pacemakers, automated wheelchairs, arterial stints, prosthetic limbs and all manner of necessary medical equipment.
-- Attack the proposal to make a taxpayer spend 10 percent of his income, as opposed to 7.5 percent at present, on medical expenses in order to deduct them. Expose this tax as a tax on the sick.
-- Criticize the idea that people could be imprisoned for failing to have health insurance or to pay the fine the legislation imposes. There is a big difference between tax evasion and failing to have health insurance.
With proper preparation, the Republicans can turn this health care summit into a nationally televised town meeting such as frustrated Democratic congressmen last August.
If anything the Republicans should insist the first step toward health care reform is to have the bill posted on the Internet and all meetings held on C-SPAN. Let’s make the President keep his promise.
You have a much lower opinion of people than I do. I think people will see it for what it is. The shine is off the Magic Negro.
“Why do I have the feeling the Republicans will not come out of this looking good?”
Because they won’t....
Any attempt at a backbone will be spun by the Media and the Dems as “Racist Repubs Hate Poor People!”, or worse.
There is a SLIGHT chance that they could pull this off, and show a united stand against Obama’s Socialist policies, but they haven’t shown much competence.
Barack Obama treated Republicans like dirt when they had no power. Like dirt.
Now he wants to pretend like he is interested in working with them??
Barack Obama showed his true character in the first year of his administration--for EXACTLY one year later, in Massachusetts, the people destroyed his filibuster-proof Senate.
Barack Obama's character is poor--and he is NOT to be believed.
(As an aside: George W. Bush was not like this. He brought in Democrats for advice and consultation even when his party controlled the legislature. His character was also revealed in those acts. Though I didn't always agree with Bush's decisions, his character was not in question.)
My thought exactly. The Republicans should have a health summit and invite Obozo to sit in the corner and listen.
The Republicans should endlessly harp on the fact that the Demonrats in Congress exempted themselves from having to join the govt. option. Hypocrites.
Tennessee has joined several other states in trying to pass a Health Care Freedom Act. NO COLAs for granny, retired Military or retired fed employees. BIG NEW fees for Tricare for Life retired over 65 Military's secondary health ins. (DOD bill already passed, delayed but goes into effect 2011)
New Dem mantra: Woof, woof eat dog food granny....ala let them eat cake.
Obama Plans to Undo Bush Rules on Oil Drilling on Public Lands, Among Others
http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/11/10/obama-plans-to-undo-bush-rules-on-oil-drilling-on-public-lands-among-others/
December 4, 2008
Obama may reverse Bush policies on stem cells, drilling, abortion
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/11/obama.executive.orders/index.html
Obama blocks offshore drilling Feb 11, 2009 ... Wednesday, February 11, 2009
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/11/drilling-ban-revisited/
I believe that Americans understand the game that Obama is playing.
Obama thinks he is a college professor who is going teach the students a lesson on what that don't know.
Correction-that should read 'what THEY don't know'
Thanks for the ping!
It is all good but there is a caveat. The republicans can not allow Obama to have all the face time like he did in the last meeting he had at the republican meeting.
He got the last word, no one challenged him and people believed what he said as the truth even though it was BS because of it.
If they want to have a dialog, then he can not get the last word in, he can not be allowed to spin stuff. he can not be allowed to turn this into his political win for socialism while they sit by and watch. They have to be very outspoken. If he lies ... well maybe Joe Wilson should be there to recite his two most famous words.
YOU LIE!
>Since when does the President host a bi-partisan legislative session. Under the US Constitution that should be Congress’ job.....unless of course Obama has become king over all three branches, and already abrogated the law of the land as he intends.<
Do you really think Obama is going to let a foolish little thing like the constitution get in his way?
Silly you ....
>They better send their A-team.<
joe Wilson to tell Obama when he ... er ... LIES!
>If anything the Republicans should insist the first step toward health care reform is to have the bill posted on the Internet and all meetings held on C-SPAN. Let’s make the President keep his promise.<
No actually, if Obama wants to break another promise, let him. The republicans shouldn’t be there to nanny him and make him look good for his next election campaign.
What they should do is stand firm and hold onto their view, that they want to start from scratch.
Darn good assessment.
Your right on the money
I think that Obama has them behind the political eight ball. If they don’t do something then they look like the party of no. If they at least say, Look, we will talk and craft a plan with you, but it has to be from scratch. Then they put the ball in his court. he has to be the one to give in or he looks bad.
Don’t underestimate the stupidity of the average american who watches 3 minutes of news during survivor commercials.
Don’t attend GOP. Do something right for the people; not yourselves of the Democrat Party.
ML/NJ
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