Posted on 01/20/2010 11:01:28 PM PST by Jet Jaguar
The president said he would be open to scaling back health reform legislation in order to salvage it.
President Barack Obama suggested he's open to Congress passing a scaled-back health-care bill, potentially sacrificing much of his signature policy initiative as chaos engulfed Capitol Hill Wednesday.
Top Democrats said they would press ahead despite growing doubts among rank-and-file members that they can pass a bill they've been laboring over for nearly a year. A host of ideas offered in recent days have lost favor.
One day after losing their filibuster-proof Senate majority in a Massachusetts special election, exhausted Senate Democrats looked downtrodden as they filed into their weekly lunch in a second-floor room at the Capitol. "People are hysterical right now," said one Senate aide.
Party members clashed openly over what to do next. Sen. Max Baucus, a top Senate Democrat, appeared to throw cold water on a bill that would focus only on stiffer insurance regulations. Rep. Charles Rangel, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, scotched another idea, a complicated parliamentary maneuver to usher a bill quickly to the president's desk.
In an interview with ABC News, President Obama said he would be open to scaling back the legislation in order to salvage it. "I would advise that we try to move quickly to coalesce around those elements in the package that people agree on," Obama said. White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said later the president would prefer Congress to pass the comprehensive package, and hasn't given up on that option.
A pared-down bill could still restrict insurance companies
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Sometimes Beauty arises in unexpected places, under unexpected circumstances, at unexpected times -
but that’s why Beauty generates that “AWE” response!
coalesce around those elements in the package that people agree on,
What people, and what elements? So the prez thinks Congress having wasted a year already, ought to get together “finally” and waste some more time? Beats going on to cap and tax, comprehensive immigration reform, and a thousand other inane expensive, ideas I guess.
Remember it took him 7 months to decide to send 34,000 of the the 80,000 troops McCrytsal had requested.
He was supposed to publish a National Security Strategy by July 2009.
His last press conference was in June, 2009.
Indecision and hiding from questions is his game.
“What people, and what elements?”
As far as ‘people’, I take this to mean that Obama might be finally serious about considering Republican proposals for reform. I think we should tell Zero to shove it after locking us out of negotiations to begin with and making all kinds of dirty back-room deals, but the media would spin this as ‘Obstructionism.’
As far as ‘elements’, as I understand it almost no one in Congress is opposed to requiring insurance companies to cover everyone with pre-existing conditions. I think this should be abandoned too, because it’s just going make insurance more expensive for everyone else but the media has already spun this as a foregone conclusion.
In any event, it looks like this health care bill may be dead and can be considerably gutted. Last night was a bigger victory than any of us could have imagined.
"I would advise that we try to move quickly to coalesce around those elements in the package that people agree on," Obama said.So now he says it...
Call your Reps and Senators — tell them if they vote for ANYTHING you and everyone you know will make it their life’s mission to remove them from office.
Shut it down or pack your bags. They’re the one’s who denied bipartisanship.
If Obama had a clue he’d lock Pelosi, Reid, Frank, Boxer and every last one of them in their office and deny any out going calls.
Oh, also remind your Senator and Reps that our PRESIDENT has yet to speak on the tragedy in Haiti.
He was too busy making sure they had citizenship papers to include voter registration cards.
but the media would spin this as ‘Obstructionism.’
Well, we haven’t been accused of trying to shut down the government for a number of years have we. No time like now.
The Dems: One Big Frickin Fillet of FAIL. Just when you think they can’t eff it up any worse than they already have..they surprise you.
The House is going to pass the Senate Bill and Obama will sign it.
Not dead if Pelosi can form a Kamikazi Squadron og 218 commited Communist Progressives to vote for the Senate Bill that alredy passed. Dick Morris said she can.
1. Equalize taxes for employer provided and non-employer provided insurance
2. Give everyone a medical savings account, with subsidies for the poor
3.Require health care providers to post price lists on the internet and on handouts to all patients.
4.Tort reform
5. Allow insurance companies to compete across state (and national) lines.
This is simple. Why the heck aren't Repub leaders shouting it from the rooftops? Even now they are letting Dems control the discussion.
Rat fight! Rat fight!
Forgot to mention, the health savings accounts should come with a catastrophic policy for the big, rare, events that one normally insures.
Are you kidding, blue dogs are getting cold paws.
Well put.
The republicans offered up this plan with concessions to dem demands and then were shut out.
No concessions now.
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