Obama Getting Desperate On Health Legislation, Convening Summit

by William Teach | February 8, 2010 8:00 am

In a sign that smacks of incredible desperation regarding his signature, and outsourced, legislation – and also shows that he still does not comprehend that the economy and jobs are the top issues facing this country – Obama made a big announcement during his little interview with Katie Couric, a time period in which most football fans probably switched the channel to the Puppy Bowl rather than listen to this drivel[1]

President Obama said Sunday that he would convene a half-day bipartisan health care session at the White House to be televised live this month, a high-profile gambit that will allow Americans to watch as Democrats and Republicans try to break their political impasse.

In other words, another forum for Obama to push his stale, tired, and unpopular ideas and plans. We will be treated, not that many people will watch, to a long winded teleprompter speech, a cute grandstanding event. Hey, whatever happened with that jobs summit Obama convened back in December?

Mr. Obama made the announcement in an interview on CBS during the Super Bowl pre-game show, capitalizing on a vast television audience. He set out a plan that would put Republicans on the spot to offer their own ideas on health care and show whether both sides are willing to work together.

I’ll be interested to see what the TV ratings are for the time period when Obama came on the tube.

“I want to come back and have a large meeting, Republicans and Democrats, to go through systematically all the best ideas that are out there and move it forward,” Mr. Obama said in the interview from the White House Library.

Mr. Obama challenged Republicans to attend the meeting with their plans for lowering the cost of health insurance and expanding coverage to more than 30 million uninsured Americans. Republican leaders said they welcomed the opportunity and called on Democrats to start the debate from scratch, which the president said he would not do.

This begs the question, will Obama listen to the Republican proposals? Even more important, will Nancy Pelosi and/or Harry Reid? Will any of them act on the proposals? Pass the bottle of Doubtful. This is pure desperation, a bit of smoke and mirrors, and will be a tag teamed heavily partisan event, devoid of listening from Obama, Reid, and Pelosi, and simply a method in which to make it appear as if Republicans are being listened to, when they are actually being lectured and beaten around the ears. Then they will attempt to smash the same old unpopular health system legislation through Congress.

“How do you guys want to lower costs? How do you guys intend to reform the insurance market so that people with pre-existing conditions, for example, can get health care?” he said. “How do you want to make sure that the 30 million people who don’t have health insurance can get it? What are your ideas specifically?”

In fact, the only thing on that list that the Dem plans do is mandate that people cannot be denied coverage. And whatever happened to the 45 million uninsured claim? Where did that disappear to? For an answer, I would suggest that Obama take a look at the ideas Whole Foods’ CEO John Mackey introduced[2], ideas in which all Obama’s little left wing nuts failed to engage in debate on. Instead, they called for a boycott.

Daniel Foster at National Review[3] discusses this dog and pony show, and says “told ya so!”

Meanwhile, I wonder what is happening with the socialized health system in Hawaii[4]. They’re out of money and not paying providers for their Quest program, which is for folks 65 and older with disabilities, which could mean reduced services? Goodness!

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove[5]

Endnotes:
  1. rather than listen to this drivel: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/us/politics/08webobama.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
  2. Whole Foods’ CEO John Mackey introduced: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204251404574342170072865070.html
  3. Daniel Foster at National Review: http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MWZiMmM4YTlkZjdhZTgwZGNiNjJhZWFjMDBmYTBiOTc=
  4. socialized health system in Hawaii: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100207/NEWS01/2070353/Hawaii+may+delay+payments+to+Quest+health+plan
  5. Pirate’s Cove: http://www.thepiratescove.us

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