Face it, GOP doesn't really matter when it comes to health care

[babylonsister]

Face it, GOP doesn't really matter when it comes to health care

By David Lightman | McClatchy Newspapers


WASHINGTON — Do Republicans matter as Congress digs more deeply into the details of writing health care legislation?

Probably not.

The Senate Finance Committee will resume its deliberations Tuesday, when it's expected to consider whether the government should create a "public option" to compete with the private sector, as well as other issues.

The chances are good that the committee will approve key provisions with few, if any, Republican votes.

Nevertheless, Democratic leaders continue to talk about a yen for bipartisanship, if only because near-unanimous Republican opposition to a final health care bill could create political problems for Democrats next year.

So far, Democrats seem to be courting only one Republican on the committee, Olympia Snowe of Maine. Their leaders have offered her lavish praise.

"I especially applaud Olympia Snowe today for her, I think, brilliant statement. It was in keeping with how she legislates," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told reporters after Snowe gave her opening statement.

However, it also may have been telling that Reid's tone changed dramatically a few minutes later when he discussed other Republicans.

"Despite all our efforts to reach across the aisle, Republicans have chosen not to be part of the discussion," he said. "They want, obviously, to maintain the status quo."

Translation: Reid would like Republican support, but he's prepared to proceed without it.

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http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/76085.html

[stray cat]

1. The problem is getting the democrats to agree on something decent

[Captain Hilts]

2. BINGO. Stop negotiating with them. Make them vote 'against' the Dem plan. nt

[GOTV]

3. I think we've faced this already. It's just Obama and congessional Dems ...

... that need to stop groveling and start working.

[Wapsie B]

4. Sometimes I wonder if it isn't just part of a plan to make the gop

look like caricatures of their former selves. Democrats know that repugs want to make Obama look bad any way they can and are giving the gop all the opportunities in the world to sign onto what could be historic legislation. But the gop sends in the Astroturf crowd, disrupting town meetings, hindering open discussion of the issues any way they can. For all their evangelistic zeal they have to neutralize the President this way they've shown themselves to be the bunch of marginalized kooks they are. One problem I have is that in the final days the gop will want a way to be seen as equals in the sponsorship of this healthcare legislation. They'll attempt to tweak the history books once again giving the impression is was they who wanted this all along.

[midnight]

5. Not when we have HCAN spending 45 million to do nothing towards

gettting the message out. I have heard that Obama's administration has not done a very good job with their message delivery. How can 45 million not be clear that this is a very doable. This really has nothing to do with the republicans.