Via NRO’s The Corner:
We welcome President Obama’s announcement of forthcoming bipartisan health care talks. In fact, you may remember that last May, Republicans asked President Obama to hold bipartisan discussions on health care in an attempt to find common ground on health care, but he declined and instead chose to work with only Democrats. Since then, the President has given dozens of speeches on health care reform, operating under the premise that the more the American people learn about his plan, the more they will come to like it. Just the opposite has occurred…
…scrapping the House and Senate health care bills would help end the uncertainty they are creating for workers and businesses and thus strengthen our shared commitment to focusing on creating jobs. Assuming the President is sincere about moving forward on health care in a bipartisan way, does that mean he will agree to start over so that we can develop a bill that is truly worthy of the support and confidence of the American people? Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said today that the President is “absolutely not” resetting the legislative process for health care.
If the starting point for this meeting is the job-killing bills the American people have already soundly rejected, Republicans would rightly be reluctant to participate. Assuming the President is sincere about moving forward in a bipartisan way, does that mean he has taken off the table the idea of relying solely on Democratic votes and jamming through health care reform by way of reconciliation? As the President has noted recently, Democrats continue to hold large majorities in the House and Senate, which means they can attempt to pass a health care bill at any time through the reconciliation process.
Eliminating the possibility of reconciliation would represent an important show of good faith to Republicans and the American people.If the President intends to present any kind of legislative proposal at this discussion, will he make it available to members of Congress and the American people at least 72 hours beforehand? Our ability to move forward in a bipartisan way through this discussion rests on openness and transparency. Will the President include in this discussion congressional Democrats who have opposed the House and Senate health care bills? This bipartisan discussion should reflect the bipartisan opposition to both the House bill and the kickbacks and sweetheart deals in the Senate bill. Will the President be inviting officials and lawmakers from the states to participate in this discussion?…
…We look forward to receiving your answers and continuing to discuss ways we can move forward in a bipartisan manner to address the challenges facing the American people.
That certainly isn’t pulling any punches. Obama hopes to either co-opt a few Republicans to vote for a stripped down version of ObamaCare, or set the GOP as the “do nothing” party preventing work from getting done. The House GOP, at least, has seen right through this gambit and answered right back – if Obama and the Democrats are in any way sincere and honest, then we can move forward with the required assurances.
Given that Democrats would have to reach for a dictionary to figure out what “sincere” and “honest” mean, there’s not much hope of progress here. Even with 41 Senate GOP votes, Democrats still entirely control this – they can do as they please. If they want us along, they’ll have to divvy up the pie and ensure there are genuine free market and pro-life elements to whatever health care reform emerges. They don’t have to do this – they can muscle it through on their own – but if they want to cross the aisle, then there are requirements.
“Bi-partisan” no longer means “Republicans go along with the Democrats” – it means 50/50 give and take. And Democrats from Obama on down can take it or leave it.
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