Since the GOP as announced their opposition negotiation and any health reform at all, the Obama administration may abandon trying to get any GOP support. I was wondering how long it would take them to realize the GOP has zero interest in good policy. Their only concern is how best to hamstring the President’s policy and the President himself. That casts the game in a whole new light and I hope someone puts single payer back on the table and cans all this co-op and public option bullshit.
Anderson Cooper of CNN did a report last night that echoes the NY Times piece.
Cooper: After negotiating with republicans, conservative democrats and seemingly themselves over parts of a plan CNN has learned that the administration could be getting closer to a very big change. Namely crafting a health care bill and try to ram it through the Senate even if it passes by only a single vote.
Henry: Well Anderson there is no final decision, but Democrats close to the White House are saying that they are now actively considering the possibility of doing a go it alone strategy. It’s a budget maneuver, very obscure known as reconciliation where they would only need a simple majority, 51 votes instead of 60 votes to push through health reform. Republicans would scream that this is a power grab, it’s an underhanded move but White House officials privately are already laying out the ground work by saying look, we’ve been working with republicans for months. If they don’t get something done in the next weeks we’re going to have to take drastic measures….”If we’re going to have to push it through no ones going to remember how messy it is, but they’ll remember at the end of the day that we got health care reform done,” his ad visors have said, “a win is a win.”
The Democratic Party won a mandate in the general election so how can it be a power grab, Ed?
via White House may ditch Republicans after all on health care reform | Crooks and Liars.
Good question, as republican were fond of saying in 2001 and 2005, elections have consequences and we won. Money quote from the NY Times article:
Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, said the heated opposition was evidence that Republicans had made a political calculation to draw a line against any health care changes, the latest in a string of major administration proposals that Republicans have opposed.
“The Republican leadership,” Mr. Emanuel said, “has made a strategic decision that defeating President Obama’s health care proposal is more important for their political goals than solving the health insurance problems that Americans face every day.”
Who do you think is on your side?
