At meeting with Obama, GOP leaders were ‘unprepared’ to make any ‘concessions’ on health care.
At meeting with Obama, GOP leaders were ‘unprepared’ to make any ‘concessions’ on health care.
On Sunday, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) wrote in Politico that “health reform should be developed through a bipartisan process,” echoing the demands of Republicans who have complained about President Obama’s bipartisan outreach. Yet at a meeting with Obama last month — after the President offered some concessions on health reform — Time’s Karen Tumulty reports that GOP lawmakers refused to compromise at all:
So, right there in the Cabinet Room, the President put a proposal on the table, according to two people who were present. Obama said he was willing to curb malpractice awards, a move long sought by the Republicans and certain to bring strong opposition from the trial lawyers who fund the Democratic Party.
What, he wanted to know, did the Republicans have to offer in return? Nothing, it turned out. Republicans were unprepared to make any concessions, if they had any to make.
As ThinkProgress noted yesterday, the GOP’s National Council — a recent effort to “rebrand” the party — offered no new ideas on health care at a retreat this weekend, instead attacking a “government takeover” of health care.
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I’m starting to think that they really don’t know any better.
They’re so imprisoned by their extremist rhetoric and so terrorized by the Power of Limbaugh that they have nothing else in their tool box but the things that have gotten them to this point.
Good. The world will be better off without them, when a more responsible, more realistic and pragmatic conservative party takes their place.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:46 amPer Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone:
“Republicans plan to spend the next four years cutting class, shooting spitballs and claiming the dog ate their budgets.”
May 5th, 2009 at 10:48 amYou can’t spell ‘compromise’ with the letters NO
May 5th, 2009 at 10:49 amDon’t get sick .The republican’s message to the poor .
May 5th, 2009 at 10:50 amLet’s just move forward without any bipartisan GOP obstruction by acting like Repukelicans:
Budget Reconciliation
Filibuster-proof majority
Unitary Executive
Veto
Learn to look down your nose while smirking at your detractors.
Worked like a hose for Dumbshit Shrub.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:52 amSo where’s the surprise here? The party of NO is still the party of NO.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:52 amThe idea that the Republicans are even capable of negotiating in kind is almost laughable at this point. They are not a functioning political party. They have no proposals of their own. They see their role as spoiler and hope that they are able to cause enough damage to the agenda of the Democrats that the voters will want to give them another shot at the midterms.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:53 am*What* a surprise.
NOT.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:53 amGOP scare-tactic marketing strategy on healthcare…pretend that the existing health care system puts you totally at the mercy of the health insurance company trolls.
The less they provide for your healthcare treatment, the bigger the bonuses they can give themselves.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:54 amObama: If we take off these Bullsh!t lawsuits, what will you offer in return?
GOP: We want tax cuts for the rich and Wall Street deregulation, also, we want to torture people. That would be cool! Thanks Big “O”!
Obama: sheesh! Get outa here! (muttering – I should have never mentioned that bi-partisan crap!)
May 5th, 2009 at 10:54 amooops, bad construct in my #9…GOP wants you to ignore that the existing healthcare system puts you totally at the mercy of the health insurance company trolls….and their bonuses.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:55 amIt appears as though eight years of dictatorship has permanently damaged the Publican’s ability to negotiate in our political system.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:58 amPresident Obama has tried time and time again to play ball with both parties. At this point, I’m ready for him to give up dealing with the party of obstruction and move forth with his agenda, using whatever procedural tools he has available.
Naturally, the GOP will squawk and whine if Obama dares to use reconciliation or any of the other devices that worked for Bush. However, the American people will be able to see who’s gumming up the works, and in 2010, I have faith that they’ll remove the obstruction.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:58 amJust gotta wonder when ‘Our way or the highway’ became the mantra for the MINORITY party?
May 5th, 2009 at 10:59 amThe party “NO” will not work with the President and the party of “can`t” does not come up with ideas and do its job for the people of this country.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:59 amIf you were sinking in quicksand with your rival, and your rival is able to grab a vine in order to get the two of you out, do you:
a) take his hand and try to get out
b) turn down his hand flatly and chance getting out yourself, even though you have no other way to get out
b) take that hand and try to pull your rival in deeper with you?
Granted, this is just a proposal, but why be so obstinate? For God’s sake, GOP, bend to concessions, or else you’re going to keep sinking.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:59 amRepublican’ts are making America sick.
Sick of the lies
Sick of the rhetoric
Sick of the Fear factor
Sick of Hate Radio
Sick of corporate greed
Can’tor said, ‘it’s all about the ideas’.
OK, where are the ideas? Are you going to buy them somewhere?
Are you waiting for Limpballs to tell you what to do? Palin?
Bipartisanship; easy to say, but impossible for R’s to practice.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:01 amfreeman Says:
“Don’t get sick .The republican’s message to…
…the poor, the working class, the middle class, the upper middle class, anyone between jobs, anyone working part time, anyone underemployed, anyone who served in the Armed Forces, anyone with a pre-existing condition…
ie, anyone but their own, the top-2%, the ownership class, the real elite, the haves and have-mores.”
FTFY.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:02 amSo the Republicrats insist budget reconciliation should not be used to pass health care legislation because they want to have some input, then they turn around and say that they will oppose any measure. What the hell? They have no input, and they oppose any measure. They all vote no on the recovery plan and no on Obama’s budget. Why should they care about the budget reconciliation process? What a bunch of frakin’ losers.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:03 amI say we give them one more chance to give some ideas on health care and if they can’t then screw ‘em and go on with our own idea.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:04 amLet’s just push healthcare reform through on reconcilation since the Pukes have nothing to offer in terms of ideas or solutions and we don’t have enough Dems to get 60 votes what with the blue dogs and Schumer’s stance [as seen this morning]. Skrew the Pukes; they used reconcilation every chance they had with Bushie’s failed policies. Bipartisan, bifartisan – it’s not workin cause they won’t allow it to work!
May 5th, 2009 at 11:04 amWith respect, no. Wrong is wrong. The unitary executive is cancerous to this country regardless of who that executive is.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:05 am“Bipartisanship” is not “give us our way or we’ll say mean things about you”.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:06 amThe Republicans have a plan on health care alright. They plan to show negative ads with scary storm clouds attacking whatever plan the Democrats come up with.
Actor: “The Democrats want to give us health care, and I am afraid.”
May 5th, 2009 at 11:07 amWith respect, no. Wrong is wrong. The unitary executive is cancerous to this country regardless of who that executive is.
Of course it’s wrong, that’s why it’s right.
Didn’t we learn anything during the Neocon’s reign?
/feel the snark, be the snark
May 5th, 2009 at 11:07 amHow come reconciliation was good for the re-pukes during the Bush crime era and it`s bad during this recession era when the dems have the upper hand and are trying to help us out of this mess……..phuck the re-pukes and their HYPOCRISY, their “NO” as in no ideas and can`t as in “CAN`T” come up with anything but tax cuts for the wealthy.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:07 amThinking about this more, I think Obama is “playing” this well. Instead of ramming crap through congress, he’s giving the GOP a chance (although they say he’s not).
He’s allowing the GOP to look like the fools that they are to their already narrow 21% base. Obama is giving them a rope to grab on. They can use it to pull themselves out of the pit however, they are making the choice to use it to hang themselves with it. The 2010 mid-terms will prove how much hang’n has been done.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:12 amYet, in the furor over Swine Flu we find out that the availability of healthcare influences the probability that the flu will spread. Folks without sick days and healthcare are more likely to delay seeking healthcare, more likely to come to work while sick, and more likely to send their kids to school while sick.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:13 amLemme get this straight. Karl Rove is bellowing about how President Obama has failed to keep his bipartisanship promise, yet every time Obama makes any kind of gesture toward bipartisanship, he gets smacked in the face.
Do the Republicans think we’re stupid? Does Rove think we’re stupid? Do the wingnut talking heads think we’re stupid? Do they believe we can’t see the difference between talking one talk and walking a completely different walk?
Oh wait — they’re marketing to their base, so incongruence doesn’t matter.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:13 amTake away Congress’ health insurance through the government. They don’t like government, do they? Take it away!!! Take it away!!
May 5th, 2009 at 11:14 amI don’t think Health Care Reform is going to go anywhere as long as the Congress, on both sides, is in the pockets of big health care lobbyists. Obama is fighting a monumental battle and it may be an exercise in futility.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:14 amhttp://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=a4bb6aee-3e5b-4acd-879a-448f4f30aeb8
May 5th, 2009 at 11:16 am
These fools in the GOP are clueless and I’m loving it. Each and every day they make the news it drives home the point to the American people how intellectually dead they are. They look like fools and they have got absolutely NOTHING to stand by as far as principles are concerned.
Keep on driving to the fringe of relevancy GOP…
May 5th, 2009 at 11:20 amThis item really explains it all – they had no concessions to make because they have absolutely no clue what to suggest. This really proves the are indeed the Party of No– saying NO for the sake of being obstinate, not because they truly disagree. It you disagree honestly, you can explain why, and offer alternatives. The Repubs can’t.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:27 amaquarius2 Says:
I don’t think Health Care Reform is going to go anywhere as long as the Congress, on both sides, is in the pockets of big health care lobbyists. Obama is fighting a monumental battle and it may be an exercise in futility.
So??? Don’t even bother with making an attempt??
May 5th, 2009 at 11:31 amLet’s face it, folks, big pharma, insurance & banks own D.C.
This unholy trinity decides which bills pass, who gets re-elected, who actually has to pay taxes and which ideas are ‘worthy’ of consideration.
We start with eliminating congressional health insurance. Watch this issue become paramount when they have no coverage.
They’ll scramble like the rats they are to find someone, somehow, anyone but themselves to pay for it.
Universal single payer health care should be the RULE of our democracy, not bantered around like a hot potato that nobody wants to hold.
Schumer, maybe you should fill the void Specter left behind in the Party of Pain.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:35 amThe GOP has had numerous opportunities to share their ideas on health care and yet everytime these loons have offered NOTHING!? It’s very apparent that the GOP doesn’t have any intention of working in a bipartisan way. Obama’s attempt to reach out to the GOPers has further exposed their lack of direction and the fact that they could care less about issues that affect Americans who are not wealthy. I say, move on with reconciliation!
May 5th, 2009 at 11:37 amI’m worried that the GOP will shove crap into a health care bill that will make it worse than intended. Just like the “stim” and AIG/AIU/Val-whatever Bullsh!t. The bill goes from the house to the senate and you know that the senate and house bill will need to be “reconciled”. All the while, opps! Someone inserted into some paragraph “language” that states that you can’t be covered by the health care because you smell funny.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:40 amOf course not, our public servants are in bed with the FIRE sector.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:42 amOur socialized healthcare public servants, I should say.
Cancel their government healthcare and make them buy their insurance, out of their social salary, from their FIRE friends at regular cost.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:44 amGOP leaders unprepared? You don’t say.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:44 amIf I hear all this BS about medical malpractice awards (2% of total healthcare costs) being too high and “tort reform” one more time…!
It’s a MYTH! (Not medical malpractice itself, preventable mistakes, and repeat offenders. That is a problem, killing 98K people a year!)
This article from the CMA I found lays it all out as what it is, big insurance and their paid-off politicians looking for a boogie-man to blame to justify their ridiculous premium increases and CEO bonuses.
It seems to me that stricter and more transparent medical guidelines and procedures need to be followed, and of course, the biggie…insurance reform and regulation (if we can’t get rid of profit-driven, insurance-based healthcare altogether).
PEACE
May 5th, 2009 at 11:48 amQXXIX
Dogs in the Manger.
Did no one read these people Aesop’s Fables when they were young?
Why do they all have non-functioning moral compasses???
May 5th, 2009 at 11:49 amoops. kinda messed up the link.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Very interesting reading about Reconciliation. Now I understand better why Senator Byrd keeps standing in the way, first when Clinton tried health care reform and now under Obama.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconciliation_(Senate)
May 5th, 2009 at 11:49 am
NO FRIGGIN KIDDING!
That’s because saying that Obama is breaking a campaign promise of being bipartisan or post-partisan is part of their strategy.
The fact that at last night’s Plouffe v Rove session, Rove hammered numerous times on Obama not being bipartisan is all the proof you need.
When it comes from the message-master himself, you know it’s been circulated around to all GOP ops: call Obama PARTISAN.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:52 ammk3872 Says:
That’s because saying that Obama is breaking a campaign promise of being bipartisan or post-partisan is part of their strategy.
I call B.S. Obama made concessions on the recovery & reinvestment act, and he repeatedly asked the GOP for the their input. They never acknowledged the concessions, the only input they gave him was, “Change it so that it’s all tax cuts,” and then NONE of them voted for it in the House and almost NONE voted for it in the Senate. Same thing happened on the budget. Now on health care Obama has made some concessions, and asked for input. So far the GOP has given him NOTHING.
Obama has been bipartisan. The GOP has not returned that effort. That does not take away Obama’s bipartisanship. Get it?
May 5th, 2009 at 12:01 pmSay you had a $100 a month health premium. Say you “fixed” malpractice. Now your premium is $99. Big f’ing deal. THIS is their major plan.
May 5th, 2009 at 12:10 pmOk folks, some simple math;
Wife made 40k last year.
Her contribution to single payer $1300.00 taken in the form of a tax.(That is full contribution for the Year)
Her deductables $0.00
Insurance for deductable $0.00
Did anyone tell her what doctor to see ?? NO
Can she choose her doctor? yes
Was she ever denied access or require approval for any proceedure??? NO
Can she leave any company she wishes because companies don’t provide her insurance??? YES!!!
Now lets look at my cousin in Ohio
Cousin made $28k ( plus a medical insurance $1400.00 PER MONTH)
Cousin portion of decuctable $400 per month (family of four)
Insurance to cover deductable $150 per month(family of Four)
Total cost to cousin $6,600 per year.
Cousin has to wait for approval of HMO before any proceedue.
Cousin has to choose doctor from that HMO only.
Cousin may loose insurance because of his latest illness, he may not be renewed when policy is up this fall.
SO PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME, WHY THE FOR PROFIT SYSTEM IS BETTER FOR THE AMERICAN CITIZEN??????
By the way, that money we save pays vacations, mortgage, car payments. This allows us to live life with worries about corporations taking our wealth in case of illness.
One last note, what do you do when you’ve run up your total cost of your policy???? DIE????? Is that the solution your government wants?????
GOD BLESS CANADA!!! AND BRITIAN , FRANCE , ITALY, SPAIN , SWEEDEN, FINLAND , ICELAND, AND ALL THE OTHER COUNTRIES THAT LOOK AFTER THERE CITIZENS!!!
May 5th, 2009 at 12:11 pmThe Republicans branded themselves for so many years as ‘the party of new ideas’, but where are those ideas..?
May 5th, 2009 at 12:16 pmJust like saying we are the party of professors, but no degrees to show.!!
First I facepalmed that Obama would offer “tort reform.” Curbing malpractice awards is just a sop to the right, because in reality malpractice awards have zero impact on health insurance rates.
Second, I realized why the Republicans aren’t actually doing any compromising in these bipartisan efforts. Not only is it because they have nothing to offer, it’s because they don’t want the legislation to happen in the first place.
They don’t want health care reform at all! They think – and say – everything is hunky-dory as is. Is anyone surprised that all they can do when a real proposal is put in front of them and they’re asked for their ideas all they can do is cross their arms, stick out their bottom lip, and pout, “NO!”
May 5th, 2009 at 12:25 pmFrom the CIA’s web site. Here is a list of countries that have greater life expectancies than the U.S.
You’ll notice that most of these places have “rationed” health care systems.
Macau 84.36
Andorra 82.51
Japan 82.12
Singapore 81.98
San Marino 81.97
Hong Kong 81.86
Australia 81.63
Canada 81.23
France 80.98
Sweden 80.86
Switzerland 80.85
Guernsey 80.77
Israel 80.73
Iceland 80.67
Anguilla 80.65
Cayman Islands 80.44
Bermuda 80.43
New Zealand 80.36
Italy 80.20
Gibraltar 80.19
Monaco 80.09
Liechtenstein 80.06
Spain 80.05
Norway 79.95
Jersey 79.75
Greece 79.66
Austria 79.50
Faroe Islands 79.44
Malta 79.44
Netherlands 79.40
Luxembourg 79.33
Germany 79.26
Belgium 79.22
Saint Pierre and Miquelon 79.07
Virgin Islands 79.05
United Kingdom 79.01
Finland 78.97
Jordan 78.87
Isle of Man 78.82
Korea, South 78.72
European Union 78.67
Puerto Rico 78.53
Bosnia and Herzegovina 78.50 Saint Helena 78.44
Cyprus 78.33
Denmark 78.30
Ireland 78.24
Portugal 78.21
Wallis and Futuna 78.20
The Dems should hammer this point through to the American people who are going to be told by “conservatives” that they are going to DIE if they have “rationed” health care.
May 5th, 2009 at 12:32 pmF uck the obstructionist GOP hypocritical pigs. THese people should be ran through the streets and have garbage thrown at them.
May 5th, 2009 at 12:34 pmUosdwis Says
May 5th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Say you had a $100 a month health premium. Say you “fixed” malpractice. Now your premium is $99. Big f’ing deal. THIS is their major plan.
____________________________________________________________
And the trade-off for that extra dollar you get to pocket is that you can’t sue for damages if your surgeon cuts off your good leg.
May 5th, 2009 at 12:51 pmThis is just a diversion being thrown out there by the GOP….When you have nothing to offer, you try to make it look like you do…this is not a question about bipartisanship, at least the kind that the GOP wants…which is “their way or the highway….” That’s all fine, but please…..have some thing to offer in return!
May 5th, 2009 at 1:39 pmRepublican lawmakers never complain about the government run, universal health care coverage that they receive courtesy of American taxpayers. Yet, Republicans think that it’s a bad health care plan for the rest of us.
Why?
May 5th, 2009 at 1:57 pmLet’s hear it again, repugs — say you are not the party of NO….it’s just that you use that word a lot.
May 5th, 2009 at 2:07 pmBipartisanship? What is that, you say? My way or no way – that’s your version of bipartisanship.
Keep it up – get your popularity down to single digits – and see what that gets you.
Read and sign these legislative petitions please and get hundreds of people to sign them and they will automatically go to Republican minority leaders Sen. McConnell and Rep. Boehner right away once you sign the petiton. One of these involves a demand for single payer health care, another for EFCA, $10 an hour minimum wage, etc.
http://tinyurl.change.org/EzKoE
http://tinyurl.change.org/upFFg
http://tinyurl.change.org/SmldU
http://tinyurl.change.org/zcCYl
http://tinyurl.change.org/DppEP
May 5th, 2009 at 2:32 pmI have 2 new names for the Republican party:
The GOPranos
The Republiklan party
May 5th, 2009 at 2:37 pmCZ-1 Says:
May 5th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
I think that you misunderstood MK3872’s comment, which was pointing out that it’s part of the Republican’s strategy to say that ‘Obama is breaking a campaign promise of being bipartisan or post-partisan.’
May 5th, 2009 at 2:53 pmSecond, I realized why the Republicans aren’t actually doing any compromising in these bipartisan efforts. Not only is it because they have nothing to offer, it’s because they don’t want the legislation to happen in the first place.
Waitaminute, you just figured thi . . .
I mean, congratulations on achieving enlightenment . . .
I mean, shrewd insight, there!
May 5th, 2009 at 9:21 pmNow wait a minute. He’s going to allow a cap on lawsuits, no matter how criminal the error on the part of the doctors? He’s going to take a juries judgment out of it, and put assign a value on a human life? Or how much it costs to take care of someone disabled by a doctor’s negligence? Is THAT really what we need to do to get the republican bastards to agree? Oh, and THAT’S not enough. The hell with them all. Just go reconciliation.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:31 amthanks…
May 6th, 2009 at 4:41 am’bout time somebody stood up for Americans & their pocketbooks. Socialized medicine is wayyyyyyyy too expensive (except for gay males without families to support)….nobama’s on his way to yet ANOTHER trainwreck, MISTIMED too. With unemployment at >500,000, who’s gonna pay for making the country socialist????……haven’t seen evidence that the economy is back to where it was even a year ago..at least the GOP is showing some COMMON SENSE lacking in the CinC.
May 9th, 2009 at 7:25 amsome funny things about this, I remeber just a little while ago, I don’t know maybe you were all too young to remember, but I remember another minority party in congress do something similar, oh yeah the democrats with Bush, no to this no to that, we are not going to even listen to what you say, by the way we hate you Bush. So how about you all look at history, which is something you need to do alot more and stop being a hipocrit. Anyway, healthcare should only be changed in that it gets better by allowing new breakthroughs to be accepted by the FDA sooner. Other than that it is fine. Yeah there are people without healthcare but whose fault is that, thier OWN. If they really needed they would find a way to pay for it. Maybe thay would not buy that new car, or cut back on cable TV, I don’t there are plenty of way. I am a sophomore college student, I have no loans, no parental help, rent my own place, pay my own insurance, all by myself. It is not that hard.
May 9th, 2009 at 9:43 am