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Despite Obama Overture, GOP Stays on Message

By Kate Pickert | @katepickert | March 2, 2010 | +

As Adam noted earlier, President Obama sent a letter to House and Senate leadership today outlining four GOP ideas he wants to integrate into Democratic health reform legislation. In his letter, the President called out some Republicans senators by name, describing which ideas came from whom. But this too is political theater – no Republicans are likely to vote for the Democratic reforms, regardless of which GOP ideas are added to the legislation. The unsurprising GOP reaction to Obama’s letter can be summed up in three words: Scrap the bills.

Here’s how some said it specifically:

Sen. Tom Coburn, whose undercover patients ideas Obama wants to adopt:

“I admire those who pursue their convictions but health care is an issue too big in its scope for either side to pursue an all-or-nothing strategy. I, and many Republicans, have set aside visions for one-shot comprehensive reform. I respectfully encourage you to do the same.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell:

“Americans are telling us quite plainly that in order to reform health care, we should scrap the bills they have already rejected and start over with commonsense, step-by-step reforms we can all agree on.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley, whose idea to increase Medicaid payments to doctors Obama wants to adopt:

“There’s no question Medicaid won’t be able to provide adequate access. It’s good if the White House has figured that out. The question becomes whether the President is willing to cut spending in the bill to guarantee the poorest people adequate access to care.”

House Republican Whip Eric Cantor:

“If the President simply adds a couple of Republican solutions to a trillion dollar health care package that the American people don’t support, it isn’t bipartisanship – it’s political cover.”

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  • FlownOver

    More spoiled-brat politics. “If you won’t let me win, I’m not gonna play!”

  • iamsource

    Starting over is NOT what Americans want, it’s what Republican leaders are telling us we need, because starting over gives them and opportunity to delay until we all become discouraged and give up. Shame on Republicans. We CANNOT wait any longer for your greed!

  • deconstructiva

    Katie, thanks for this post. Two questions, one rhetorical, one serious:
    (1.) So what’s their solution if they start over? Other than what Obama already proposed, they didn’t elaborate much in that summit thingy. (this is the rhetorical q., btw)
    (2.) Were any of those quotes here spoken verbatim in the summit also? (transcripts?) When they repeat TP’s over and over – or as Boehner! said, going on and on and on – I wonder if the R’s literally repeat their same words.
    .
    I’d love it, Katie if you reminded one of them about this, and if he denies it, hold up your recorder and play back his own repeated quote …and then describe his facial expression in your next blog post.

  • afguy

    The ONLY inviolable rule they have is that “11th Commandment” – staying on message is what they do.
    .
    One of them could be caught red-handed in a holdup and they wouldn’t be able to bring themselves to make a negative comment.

  • http://forgottenlord.livejournal.com forgottenlord

    While I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, sad to see this, I still think my idea was a better tactical move for the GOP: suggest meeting with Obama to further discuss those ideas on some date after March 19 and then backing off – screwing Obama into picking between passing the bill or farcing bipartisanship

  • sambam23

    Not surprising at all. I think it was a great move for Pres.Obama to do the healthcare summit and follow up with the letter showing openness to some Repub ideas. The Republican leadership’s outright rejection of these gestures and their mantra of “start over” makes them look small and childish. Now let’s get it done!

  • acameronw

    The Republicans have painted themselves into a rhetorical corner. They’ve spent so much time demonizing the bill (and the president) that they can’t move a single inch towards compromise. The last thing each one of them wants is to unleash a Marc Rubio or JD Hayworth of their own. Obama pointed this out to them when he addressed their Baltimore meeting and they didn’t moderate the tone one iota in the following weeks. Independent voters might yet figure out that their idea of bipartisanship is “Drop dead or I’ll kill you.”

  • tjoyce994

    I think he has already made up his mind to pass the bill. The summit served to educate the public, and allow him to appear well informed and reasonable before he does so. This train has left the station.

  • iamsource

    What sickens me is the shallow minds out there that actually believe Obama is doing this for himself and the dems, when any honorable being paying attention for the last 30-40 years will realize greed has been choking the life and soul out of American will.

  • http://forgottenlord.livejournal.com forgottenlord

    But that’s part of the point. It’s forcing Obama to pick between optics and getting it done. Obama has the Republicans on their heels right now, largely because of the summit, and if they called Obama’s bluff, it would put Obama back on the defensive. Either way, they win.

  • lcky9

    As a independent who up till 2006 was a Democrat for 20 years all my friends are Democrats YOU are wrong the DEMOCRATS, INDEPENDENTS and REPUBLICANS want this bill scrapped.. and last I checked they are ALL AMERICANS.. so now if you don’t agree with OBAMA’S healthcare your GREEDY?? Nice try but name calling no longer works to many DEMOCRATS have left the base.. Huston you have a problem..

  • lcky9

    Here’s what I see, a president who is so into himself he talked and interrupted more than he listened.. was arrogant (as usual) and still has no clue.. he can put whatever idea’s he thinks the Republicans want in the bill UNTIL he takes out the parts THE PEOPLE don’t want the answer is NO.. however, comprehensive they claim the bill is it appears the Democrats don’t comprehend very well, this bill still costs to much and expands government to much.. The ones who painted themselves into a corner would be the DEMOCRATS.. and in November they will see just how badly.. As for us Independents guess what the Dems need those votes and they know it..We don’t scare at all.. And Obama knows that.. NO taxes directly or indirectly, no mandates, no national data base, no cuts to the seniors.. end of conservation..

  • iamsource

    lcky9,

    You watch too much TV. Democrats are only holding back because they want consensus with Republicans sir. Don’t believe everything you see on Fox because it is brainwashing of the highest order and it’s well funded.

    And.., where is the name calling?

    As far as Americans are concerned, the Republicans are always referring to the Americans, and since I’m one of the Americans, I believe a correction is in order sir. In case you hadn’t realized it by now, an overwhelming majority voted the President in for this very purpose SIR, among other things!

    Last I checked, it is a matter of greed when you pay into insurance and it isn’t there after you have paid.

    It is a matter of greed when your pay check gets smaller and smaller because cost of living increases but wages don’t

    It is a matter of greed when the blood and sweat of the working class are leveraged to create the wealth of another class.

    It is a matter of greed when unemployment benefits are blocked by the very people who have an historically unprecedented consistency in transferring wealth from those who actually produce the goods and services of the world to those who sit on their butts and decide what, where, and when the next “people using venture” is going to take place.

    I could go on for hours SIR!

  • iamsource

    “Arrogant” (insult to character), “no clue” (insult to intelligence).., that seems like name calling to me lcky9.

    Any other non-hypocritical comments you want to make?

    Republicans are all the same.

  • iamsource

    This is not to be an insult of any kind, but frankly when a bill is created, the author always makes up their mind to pass it. Why would you make your mind up not to?

  • nflfoghorn

    “Americans {whose opinions we hand-pick] are telling us quite plainly that in order to reform health care, we should scrap the bills they [had no vote on other than the presidency but] have [arbitrarily] already rejected and start over with commonsense, step-by-step reforms we can all [force you to] agree on.”
    .
    There. Fixed.

  • jeriv

    I love how when someone knows they’re talking bs, saying flat-out lies, or peddling intellectually corrupt ideas, they tend to write most of their posts in “caps”.

    It’s the written equivalent of yelling. Has the opposite effect in written form, though.

    If someone is yelling at you, you can’t help but hear the incoherent nonsense that’s coming out of their mouths. When someone uses lots of capitilized words, the reader can just skip the painful-to-read, incoherent mess.

    I guess what I’m saying is, keep using caps, crazy folks. Let me know which posts to skip.

    Peace!

  • allthingsinaname

    What message?

  • iamsource

    Ya know.., I asked myself that same question. What is their message? I haven’t discovered an answer yet. The only message I can reasonably ascertain is “NO.” Which sounds like a lazy parents answer to children they don’t want bothering them.

  • iamsource

    The American people are already convinced. That’s why we voted them into office to do the job. Listening to Fox is nothing but brainwashing with lots of funding. The American people are behind this bill. The Republican Propaganda machine is simply trying to make everyone think that everyone else is against it so we all will look at it as something bad for us. NOTHING could be further from the truth. I am an intelligent enough American to know from experience that the last 30 years without health insurance was bad for me, and a Republican support consequence. I will not pretend it did not happen. Do you think everyone else will?

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