PrintPresident Obama visited the White House briefing room today, where he made a statement about bipartisanship and then took several questions from reporters. He had a lot to say about health care, starting with this:
There are some core goals that have to be met. We've got to control costs, both for families and businesses, but also for our government. Everybody out there who talks about deficits has to acknowledge that the single biggest driver of our deficits is health care spending. We cannot deal with our deficits and debt long term unless we get a handle on that. So that has to be part of a package.
Number two, we've got to deal with insurance abuses that affect millions of Americans who've got health insurance. And number three, we've got to make health insurance more available to folks in the individual market, as I just mentioned, in California, who are suddenly seeing their premiums go up 39 percent. That applies to the majority of small businesses, as well as sole proprietors. They are struggling.
So I've got these goals. Now, we have a package, as we work through the differences between the House and the Senate, and we'll put it up on a Web site for all to see over a long period of time, that meets those criteria, meets those goals. But when I was in Baltimore talking to the House Republicans, they indicated, we can accomplish some of these goals at no cost. And I said, great, let me see it. And I have no interest in doing something that's more expensive and harder to accomplish if somebody else has an easier way to do it.
So I'm going to be starting from scratch in the sense that I will be open to any ideas that help promote these goals. What I will not do, what I don't think makes sense and I don't think the American people want to see, would be another year of partisan wrangling around these issues; another six months or eight months or nine months worth of hearings in every single committee in the House and the Senate in which there's a lot of posturing. Let's get the relevant parties together; let's put the best ideas on the table. My hope is that we can find enough overlap that we can say this is the right way to move forward, even if I don't get every single thing that I want.
But here's the point that I made to John Boehner and Mitch McConnell: Bipartisanship can't be that I agree to all the things that they believe in or want, and they agree to none of the things I believe in and want, and that's the price of bipartisanship, right? But that's sometimes the way it gets presented. Mitch McConnell said something very nice in the meeting about how he supports our goals on nuclear energy and clean coal technology and more drilling to increase oil production. Well, of course he likes that; that's part of the Republican agenda for energy, which I accept. And I'm willing to move off some of the preferences of my party in order to meet them halfway. But there's got to be some give from their side as well. That's true on health care; that's true on energy; that's true on financial reform. That's what I'm hoping gets accomplished at the summit.
Press Secretary Robert Gibbs later made clear that Obama would not rule out the use of reconciliation, should compromise between the parties become impossible.
Full transcript of Obama's briefing is at whitehouse.gov.
COMMENTS (5)
"Obama would not rule out the use of reconciliation". And: "Number two, we've got to deal with insurance abuses that affect millions of Americans who've got health insurance. And number three, we've got to make health insurance more available to folks in the individual market". And finally: "So I've got these goals. Now, we have a package, as we work through the differences between the House and the Senate, and we'll put it up on a Web site for all to see over a long period of time, that meets those criteria, meets those goals". Scare the Republicans, move public opinion, and, whatever.
"Obama would not rule out the use of reconciliation". And: "Number two, we've got to deal with insurance abuses that affect millions of Americans who've got health insurance. And number three, we've got to make health insurance more available to folks in the individual market". And finally: "So I've got these goals. Now, we have a package, as we work through the differences between the House and the Senate, and we'll put it up on a Web site for all to see over a long period of time, that meets those criteria, meets those goals". Scare the Republicans, move public opinion, and, whatever.
Bipartisanship is only a tool, not an end in itself. If you can't get a consensus from the teenage boys who insist on getting everything their own way, which is no change to the status quo, then you're forced to go it alone.
That's fine with me.
Bipartisanship is only a tool, not an end in itself. If you can't get a consensus from the teenage boys who insist on getting everything their own way, which is no change to the status quo, then you're forced to go it alone.
That's fine with me.
It took him a year to say this? Good grief.
It took him a year to say this? Good grief.
"Press Secretary Robert Gibbs later made clear that Obama would not rule out the use of reconciliation, should compromise between the parties become impossible."
As a professor in college would say:
"It is intuitively obvious to the casual observer..."
The president and senators tried to compromise with Republicans. The GOP refused. I hope all Congressional Democrats and the POTUS are finally "casual observers". Why did it take over a year to realize this?
"Press Secretary Robert Gibbs later made clear that Obama would not rule out the use of reconciliation, should compromise between the parties become impossible."
As a professor in college would say:
"It is intuitively obvious to the casual observer..."
The president and senators tried to compromise with Republicans. The GOP refused. I hope all Congressional Democrats and the POTUS are finally "casual observers". Why did it take over a year to realize this?
I am so glad to hear Obama saying this. Republicans' idea of "bipartisan compromise" seems to be a bill drafted by Republicans.
When I discuss these issues with my Republican friends, I point out that Democrats are open to a number of GOP proposals on energy, health care, and other issues; then I ask them to name two or three Democratic ideas they would be willing to accept as part of a compromise to get their own ideas enacted. It's an interesting experience to see what happens next: their faces go blank for a minute. I think they're racking their brains trying to think of anything from Foxnews that would respond to this line of questioning [OK, that's a bit snarky].
But it is clear ... view full comment
I am so glad to hear Obama saying this. Republicans' idea of "bipartisan compromise" seems to be a bill drafted by Republicans.
When I discuss these issues with my Republican friends, I point out that Democrats are open to a number of GOP proposals on energy, health care, and other issues; then I ask them to name two or three Democratic ideas they would be willing to accept as part of a compromise to get their own ideas enacted. It's an interesting experience to see what happens next: their faces go blank for a minute. I think they're racking their brains trying to think of anything from Foxnews that would respond to this line of questioning [OK, that's a bit snarky].
But it is clear that they have never thought about this before, despite their professed interest in "bipartisan compromise" and frustration with "politics as usual". They've never stopped to think what they WOULD accept from Democrats in order to create legislation we could all live under. To be fair, there are some leftists who have never thought about what GOP proposals they would be willing to live with in order to get what they want.
This is hard to resolve, but I think Obama is more likely than anyone else to make progress.