Posted by: ST on February 23, 2010 at 12:03 pm
John Steele Gordon reports on how the WH is playing partisan politics in advance of the so-called ‘bipartisan’ healthcare reform summit, which is to take place and be televised on Thursday (via Memeo):
If you’d like to see just how phony the administration’s latest ploy on health care is, go to the White House website and read this. Under the headline “Will the Republicans Post Their Health Plan… and When?” the White House bemoans the lack of a Republican plan while, not surprisingly, touting its own.
The President believes strongly that Thursday’s bipartisan meeting on health insurance reform will be most productive if both sides come to the table with a unified plan to start discussion – and if the public has the opportunity to inspect those proposals up close before the meeting happens.
That’s why yesterday the White House posted online the President’s proposal for bridging the differences between the Senate- and House-passed health insurance reform bills.
Fair enough. Except that a summary and the full text of the Republican proposed legislation has been posted for months right here.
[...]
The President’s tactic, it seems, is to demand that the Republicans put forth a plan, regardless of how often Republicans say, “Here it is!” Obama will just keep demanding that the Republicans put forth a plan. He is confident — obviously with very good reason — that the MSM, in full lapdog mode, will help all it can in convincing the public that the Republicans have no plan.
The cynicism is just stunning.
And he points to an article by the oh-so-helpful NYT, republished here, that proves just that.
Of course, it’s not like we didn’t see this coming from miles away, but that doesn’t make it less infuriating that the administration continues to lie about whether or not the GOP has a reform plan of its own to bring to the table. The real issue is, apparently, that the GOP has proposed a plan that is unacceptable to the administration (because it wouldn’t essentially give the govt control of our healthcare system), and therefore that means that there is “no GOP plan.” Or something like that.
I’ve been considering liveblogging some of the televised “debate” of the healthcare reform ‘summit’ but the more I think about it, the more my stomach churns at the thought. Not sure how long I’m going to be able to sit through all the deceptions, distortions, and lies coming from this President without losing my sanity. The SOTU was bad enough. Think I can make it through the next round of presidential theater?
Is this healthcare reform summit sort of like a dead cat bounce? It just looks like it’s still alive … but not really.
I guess they don’t consider it healthcare legislation unless it’s 3,000 pages long and loaded with taxes, excessive legislation and pork for their contributors.
Geez, we’re all living a version of the Monty Python dead parrot sketch.
This “summit” sounds more manipulative than informative….the party of gotcha trying to get more….propagandize and polarize. Expect low blows and ambush techniques to try to get the Party of No to bow to socialist demands.
I would like the Republicans to nail the President on the issue of the “non-existent” plan that has been in existence and has been ignored and denied to exist. What excuse do you think he will use?
Just have the republicans add this to their plan. The plan would also pay for abortions in all 50 states.
Then the plan would get traction.
The Republicans should let Scott Brown and Michelle Bachmann lead on this Health Care Summit. The media is craving video of an old white hair gloomy gus to portray the “same old tired politics” image. It would be tough for the Dems to talk about what the people want if Scott Brown is staring them in the face. I trust Michelle Bachmann to know this bill inside and out and to get our point across, not to the Dems but to the public at large. Load the back of Scott’s truck with copies of the House, Senate and White House versions of the bill and drive up to the White House. They would win the debate before it even starts.
I understand Duh-1 plans to stand in the West Wing all day tomorrow, hands over his ears and shouting “I can’t hear you.”
If he doesn’t, he should. It’s what 4-year olds do.