Giving no ground, President Barack Obama and Republican leaders fought forcefully for their competing visions of historic health care reform Thursday in an exhausting, often-testy live-on-TV debate. Far from any accord, Obama signaled the Democrats were prepared to push ahead for an all-or-nothing congressional vote.
The marathon, 7 1/2-hour session did reveal narrow areas of agreement on the topic that has vexed Congress for months and defied U.S. leaders for decades. But larger ideological differences overwhelmed any common ideas, all but cementing the widely held view that a meaningful bipartisan health care bill is not possible as time grows short in this election year.
Obama rejected Republican preferences for starting over, discussing the issue much longer or dealing with it in a limited, step-by-step fashion.
"We cannot have another yearlong debate about this," Obama declared. "I'm not sure we can bridge the gap."
Party officials said March is probably the last chance to act.
SOURCE: Associated Press > Yahoo News
Thursday, February 25, 2010
What happens next in health care
After a brief period of consultation following the White House health reform summit, congressional Democrats plan to begin making the case next week for a massive, Democrats-only health care plan, party strategists told POLITICO.
A Democratic official said the six-hour summit was expected to “give a face to gridlock, in the form of House and Senate Republicans.”
Democrats plan to begin rhetorical, and perhaps legislative, steps toward the Democrats-only, or reconciliation, process early next week, the strategists said.
After the summit, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid planned to take the temperature of their caucuses.
“The point [of the summit] is to alter the political atmospherics, and it will take a day or two to sense if it succeeded,” the official said.
SOURCE: Politico
A Democratic official said the six-hour summit was expected to “give a face to gridlock, in the form of House and Senate Republicans.”
Democrats plan to begin rhetorical, and perhaps legislative, steps toward the Democrats-only, or reconciliation, process early next week, the strategists said.
After the summit, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid planned to take the temperature of their caucuses.
“The point [of the summit] is to alter the political atmospherics, and it will take a day or two to sense if it succeeded,” the official said.
SOURCE: Politico
Shuler opposes legislative tactic to push through health care bill
Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, says he is against a procedural move congressional leaders are eyeing to muscle a health care reform bill through the Senate.
Some Democratic leaders are talking about using a procedure called reconciliation to pass the health care bill with a simple majority. Reconciliation would allow Senate Democrats to overcome Republican delaying tactics. Democrats now control 59 Senate seats, one vote short of the number needed to end Republican filibusters.
"That is not the way you run Washington," Shuler said in an interview with the Times-News Wednesday. "It has to be done in a bipartisan way."
Shuler said he would vote against a reconciliation bill and does not believe there are enough votes in the House for it to pass anyway. He voted against the first House version of the health care bill Nov. 7, and it was defeated 220-215.
"We could do something with health care," Shuler said. "But the process that has been going on in the House and Senate is not right. We have to do what is right for the American people."
SOURCE: Hendersonville Times-News
Some Democratic leaders are talking about using a procedure called reconciliation to pass the health care bill with a simple majority. Reconciliation would allow Senate Democrats to overcome Republican delaying tactics. Democrats now control 59 Senate seats, one vote short of the number needed to end Republican filibusters.
"That is not the way you run Washington," Shuler said in an interview with the Times-News Wednesday. "It has to be done in a bipartisan way."
Shuler said he would vote against a reconciliation bill and does not believe there are enough votes in the House for it to pass anyway. He voted against the first House version of the health care bill Nov. 7, and it was defeated 220-215.
"We could do something with health care," Shuler said. "But the process that has been going on in the House and Senate is not right. We have to do what is right for the American people."
SOURCE: Hendersonville Times-News
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