Health Care Talks at Blair House
[Guest post by DRJ]
Dear Republicans:
You are invited to Blair House on February 25, 2010, to discuss health care reform legislation with President Obama, White House officials, the Democratic leaders of Congress, proponents of the liberal health care agenda, and anyone else we want to invite to sit on our side. Since we are already “working to close a deal on health care before the summit,” your attendance is optional but we won’t share that with the American public. Instead, we’ll pretend we want you to attend because we value your opinion.
Good luck, suckers,
The Democrats
After the way Reid behaved on the new stimulus package, you have to wonder why Republicans would even pretend to cooperate in any purported “bipartisanship” from now on.
Steven Den Beste (99cfa1) — 2/12/2010 @ 6:59 pmthe Republicans should send a few junior aides over to drop off a few inflatable sheep and a case or two of canned whipping cream, so the dems have something to break the monotony of Naked Twister and circle jerks.
the other alternative would be to send a copy of the note from General McAuliffe to the White House, with the headers changes as appropriate.
“From the American Commander to the Socialist Commander:
Nuts.”
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 2/12/2010 @ 7:05 pmRepublicans can bypass that trick by insisting that all pending health care legislation must first be scrapped before they’ll even consider a meeting. Make that the test of the Dems’ good faith.
Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (9eb641) — 2/12/2010 @ 7:06 pmPure political theatre. I have no doubt that the Republicans will walk right into it.
JD (4951a1) — 2/12/2010 @ 7:27 pmGet ready for el Presidente Hugo Obama…
From Drudge:
GeneralMalaise (4d34a1) — 2/12/2010 @ 7:27 pmNYT SATURDAY: White House officials are searching for ways for Obama to ‘use executive powers to advance energy, environmental and other policy priorities’… Developing…
Screw Congress. Teh One can do it all by his lonesome.
JD (4951a1) — 2/12/2010 @ 7:41 pmAll their whining about how they wanted to be in the discussions and they wanted them televised. This is what that looks like. But it’s not enough.
That is the minority power: use the rules, and complain.
imdw (688568) — 2/12/2010 @ 8:10 pmThis is not a discussion, debate, or even a negotiation, imdw. And you damn well know it.
JD (cb9226) — 2/12/2010 @ 8:37 pm“This is not a discussion, debate, or even a negotiation, imdw. And you damn well know it.”
This is exactly how what they were asking for would play out. They’re idiots if they thought otherwise.
Looks like the president even invited as many GOP members as democrats, even though they’re outnumbered.
I hope they send Scott Brown in there.
imdw (de7003) — 2/12/2010 @ 8:45 pmThey should send Palin as their representative (Brown as well). Reid, Pelosi and Obama’s heads would explode. Downside is that Biden would be President.
scr_north (b205c0) — 2/12/2010 @ 9:17 pmPalin would be ok. They can ask her how TARP helps health care reform.
But only if she had actual negotiating authority — that’s a downside with Brown as well. No way a junior senator has any power. But they can get him to pretzel about romneycare and defending medicare.
imdw (017d51) — 2/12/2010 @ 9:26 pmI don’t think the Republicans can just take anyone they want. The White House has issued a guest list (I also linked it at “Dear Republicans” above), and I doubt there will be any gatecrashers given the problems at the State Dinner for the Indian Prime Minister.
DRJ (6a8003) — 2/12/2010 @ 9:31 pmI think it would be presumptive of the white house to invite the juniorest member of the opposition, who has no negotiating power, over someone more senior. It would have to be up to the GOP to try to bring Scott Brown in. I doubt they would do it.
imdw (842182) — 2/12/2010 @ 9:39 pmimdw:
All their whining about how they wanted to be in the discussions and they wanted them televised. This is what that looks like. But it’s not enough.
That is the minority power: use the rules, and complain.
Thank goodness.
Ag80 (f67beb) — 2/12/2010 @ 9:41 pmSo, what you’re saying is there will be multiple emergency appeals to SCOTUS (whatever the legal mumbo-jumbo is for that) and the same SCOTUS Baracky Baby threw a temper-tantrum against will be ruling? Is that what you’re saying, GeneralMalaise?
John Hitchcock (e56f5d) — 2/12/2010 @ 9:53 pmThere is not going to be any negotiating, iamadimwit.
JD (250dc0) — 2/12/2010 @ 9:54 pmIt will be interesting to see how Pelosi and Reid handle the request to disavow any backroom deal already in place. I really hope if they try to obfuscate or slip by without a direct response but rather some wordy piece of gibberish about the upcoming love fest, that the R’s steadfastly and unanimously decline to attend and show some steel.
Dana (1e5ad4) — 2/12/2010 @ 10:10 pmDana:
I’m sorry, but there is nothing to disavow. The polls show that people want health care reform as passed by the Senate, with reconcilation in the House.
The only impediment is the ‘just say no’ crowd of the GOP. Once they have been exposed to the newspeak, all will be evident.
Sure, some points haven’t been explained clearly, but once it is passed, the proles will understand.
I’m sure the you will understand. Don’t you?
Ag80 (f67beb) — 2/12/2010 @ 10:29 pm“There is not going to be any negotiating, iamadimwit.”
I’m afraid so. The GOP is not coming in there ready to do that. I havent’ yet seen any indication of what votes they’ll add in exchange for what changes to the bill. All they’ve offered is to have the dems scrap the work so far, or to scrap reconiliation — and even then they asked that it be unilateral — they didn’t offer any votes for that. Ridiculous.
Max Baucus tried and tried to mollify them, but all we got was delay.
“I’m sorry, but there is nothing to disavow. The polls show that people want health care reform as passed by the Senate, with reconcilation in the House.”
Polls can also show support for the public option, but we won’t get that. Not now.
imdw (de7003) — 2/13/2010 @ 5:22 amPolls most certainly do not reflect support for the pubic option, as Karl has shown here, repeatedly.
JD (5a5e2d) — 2/13/2010 @ 5:32 amJust a guess on my part, but I’d say the public option is about as popular as a trial for KSM in NY City, or Miranda rights for the Underpants bomber.
ropelight (4b5454) — 2/13/2010 @ 7:52 amPolls can also show support for the public option, but we won’t get that. Not now.
No doubt that’s why the Senate passed their wreck of a healthcare bill in the dead of night, and disallowed even C – Span to televise their negotiations. Fool.
Dmac (799abd) — 2/13/2010 @ 9:43 am“No doubt that’s why the Senate passed their wreck of a healthcare bill in the dead of night, and disallowed even C – Span to televise their negotiations. Fool.”
So lets put it on TV. C’mmon mr Boehner. c’mmon and lets talk.
imdw (017d51) — 2/13/2010 @ 11:37 amNothing to talk about if you’re the GOP. But they definitely should hold their own press conference and discuss their own proposals, along with a timeline of all of the bribes, payoffs and backroom deals that got the Senate bill passed when no one was awake.
Dmac (799abd) — 2/13/2010 @ 4:34 pmNow imdw is acting as if it was Boehner that prevented Democrats from fulfilling Obama’s pledge. This act got old long ago.
SPQR (26be8b) — 2/13/2010 @ 4:47 pm“Now imdw is acting as if it was Boehner that prevented Democrats from fulfilling Obama’s pledge. This act got old long ago.”
Prevented? Says who? Here’s his wish. Now he’s whining.
imdw (017d51) — 2/14/2010 @ 5:19 am