Obama Reneges on Health Care Transparency (CBS)

[JelloSka]

President Obama wants the final negotiations on health care reform - a reconciliation of the House and Senate versions of the bill - put on a fast track, even if that means breaking an explicit campaign promise.

"The House and Senate plan to put together the final health care reform bill behind closed doors according to an agreement by top Democrats," House Speaker Nanci Pelosi said today at the White House.

The White House is on board with that, too, reports CBS News political correspondent Chip Reid. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs stressed today that "the president wants to get a bill to his desk as quickly as possible."

During the campaign, though, candidate Obama regularly promised something different - to broadcast all such negotiations on C-SPAN, putting the entire process of pounding out health care reform out in the open. (That promise applied to the now-completed processing of forging House and Senate bills, too.)

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/06/eveningnews/main6064298.shtml

[truedelphi]

1. On KPFA's radio station yesterday, i heard interview with

Representative BArbara Lee, who mentioned how pissed she is that this is being fast tracked.

It is obvious that most are in the thrall of the Big Medical Interests want to have the Senate Bill passed, rather than the House bill, which contains a public option. Lee stated that the Progressive Caucus simply will not vote for a bill without the public option.

And since the Repugs in Congress will not either, it might be effectively blocked.

[Imajika]

7. The progressives will vote for it...

"Lee stated that the Progressive Caucus simply will not vote for a bill without the public option."

This bill will get at least 218 votes in the House and 60 for cloture in the Senate. Period.

It is already decided. It is just a question of Pelosi deciding which Dem's can take a pass on it in the House. Reid will let as many as 9 Democrats go in the Senate as long as they support cloture.

Progressives will vote for it despite what Barbara Lee said.

People can scream, support, oppose, go on hunger strikes, pout, etc, etc and it isn't going to matter. The Democratic Party is going to pass a healthcare reform bill no matter how good or bad it is. It has to be a watered down POS bill because we need ALL 60 votes in the Senate to pass it, therefore it will be a watered down POS bill.

It is what it is.

[Land Shark]

10. like torture, we can scream, writhe and no one will hear

that attitude seems ill-suited for health ///care///

[bluestateguy]

2. People care about policy outcomes not campaign promises

I lost track of the number of campaign promises Clinton and both Bushes broke.

[dkf]

4. Not when it was supposed to be about ethics in government.

The Ends justifies the means. It's a slippery slope.

[marshall]

8. Campaign promises don't mean shit--and THAT will never change!

Everybody knows that.

[nightrain]

12. it's not either/or. I care about both, otherwise campaigns mean

even less than they already do.

Most folks want to have a modicum of a sense of who they are voting for, and expect at least some of the important campaign promises to be fulfilled or explained why not.

[yodoobo]

3. misleading headline

All the efforts in healthcare reform have been transparent. Just look at all the bellyaching about various details. That wouldn't happen without transparency.

Obama kept his promise.

This is simply a shift in strategy during the final push to get this passed for Americans, so that we can move on to other important agenda items.

[dkf]

5. No cameras equals no transparency. It's all one big backroom deal.

Is that what you want for all future legislation? We were promised better. We got the same old no care crap

[yodoobo]

11. Cameras tend to affect the outcome in negative ways

An excellent example is the OJ simpson trial. The lawyers and judge in that case ended up parading in front of the camera as much as perform their jobs.

While I would prefer cameras on this, Republicans would make a mockery of the proceedings and turn it into a circus. This legislation is far to important and critical for America for that to happen.


Cameras sound nice, but its more important that this gets passed, than to satisfy our curiosity.

[JelloSka]

13. I don't recall his secret deal with Pharma being televised in CSPAN

Do you? Extremely important events such as this secret deal and the House/Senate conference will be conducted in private rather than televised in CSPAN for everyone to see.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

6. Were there headlines like this when Bush was POTUS?

Nobody sure held him to account for his NOT being a "uniter" nor his other pledge to "change the tone" in Washington (well, I guess he, Cheney, Rove, et. al DID change the tone in Washington.........for the worse, however). I'm not losing any sleep over THIS with Obama. :eyes:

[emilyg]

9. I don't care. Bush did not promise change and

transparency.