The Health Care Plan Summit is underway and President Obama has begun to deliver his opening remarks. Not long before the beginning of the Summit, jobs figures were released showing 496,000 people applied for first-time unemployment claims last week. Sales of new homes have plummeted, foreclosures are up. Nevertheless, the President indicated that health care is the biggest issue he’s facing.
The President said that he wants all attendees to focus on the things they agree on and not their political differences. He spoke about his posting of his plan on Monday and the creation of an insurance exchange that, in his opinion, would help more people obtain insurance and at a lower price, and then rushed through a few other provisions before outlining the day’s agenda, where they will go through provision by provision and talk about what they agree on. He admonished that he doesn’t want participants making political theater out of the summit.
Senator Lamar Alexander from Tennessee, pointing out the he was also representing the views of some of the nation’s governors, said that they should start over put the emphasis back on controlling costs. The President, in his classic “I’m hearing, but I’m not paying much attention to what you have to say style,” initially busied himself writing, then finally leaned back in his chair and started listening. What the purpose of the President’s taking notes is unclear to me; why doesn’t he have one of his White House staffers who make $150,000 a year do that for him, so he can be more attentive to what is being said? One thing that was apparent was that the more Alexander spoke, the more the President glowered.
Alexander asked the President at the outset to renounce the reconciliation threat and take it off the table. The President leaned forward in his chair with a defiant look as Alexander explained the background of his request. Alexander then said that if reconciliation is not taken off the table, then it will have an adverse effect on what they try to accomplish during the rest of the day.
Nancy Pelosi took the mike to say that this is about the “character of our country.” She said that there are people out there who don’t have time for them to start over, (as if their plan that is slated to take effect in 2014 would save someone’s life today, before the summit is over, and that is her excuse for refusing to start anew,). Again, it was apparent that she is using the old “emergency, the house is burning down” avenue to try and force the plan through. Then she started talking about how the Plan will create jobs, “almost 400,000 jobs immediately. “
Both Obama and Alexander exceeded their allotted time in opening remarks; Pelosi, who evidently was to speak half as long, spoke longer. “We need to understand the urgency Americans feel” about this issue.
Harry Reid then spoke, citing one Jesus Gutierrez from Reno and his health care battle with an insurance company regarding his baby child. Reid directly challenged Alexander that Alexander is entitled to his own opinion, “but not his own facts” as he talked about prescription problems, and then lambasted Alexander about mentioning his request to back off from reconciliation. He made it very apparent that he was on the muscle, calling the Republicans “stubborn.”
Obama and Alexander are now arguing the facts over the cause of rising costs and Obama is calling Alexander down.
At this juncture it appears to me that this “Summit” is about to turn ugly.
HIGH NOON, EST
After a heated exchange between Obama and Alexander, Alexander said he had facts to back him up and rather than embarrass Obama in public, maybe they should discuss them later, and Obama said he wanted everything out in this meeting before it was over.
Sen. Tom Coburn said that we should be focusing n the areas was costs are wasted. “One of out of three dollars spent doesn’t make anyone well.” Coburn said we need to focus more on prevention and the costs of medical tests given solely to protect the doctor and not necessarily to help the patient. He said the rising cost of medical malpractice insurance has to be addressed. They should be having undercover people investigate for fraud. Reid interrupted Coburn and accused him of filibustering.
So far, this appears to me to be an overt attempt to denigrate the American position and the Republican opposition, and my opinion at this point is that the Republicans will either agree to what the Democrats want or they are going to get steam-rolled. This, in essence, is a “kangaroo court” of ideas… so one-sided as to stifle genuine conversation and sound resolution of the issues.
Congressman Steny Hoyer went into a lengthy story about health problems in his own family. Then he said that he agrees about the rising costs of fraud, waste and abuse and claimed that their bill takes care of those issues. He basically slammed the medical profession for doing things based not on “best practices” for the patient, but on best revenues to be obtained.
Congressman John Kline countered that they should go with a step-by-step approach as Alexander had suggested. Senator Max Baucus said everyone in the room is “very close” to getting the job done. Eventually, Alexander said that the Democrats had the floor for about 58 minutes while the Republicans had only been on the floor about 24 minutes. Obama took exception to that and fluffed it off.
We’re into this “Summit” about an hour and 50 minutes and I have to give the Republicans credit for not getting up and walking out. This “summit” is not going to accomplish anything except to keep Obama’s mug on national T.V. for six straight hours. Nothing new has been proffered. The Democrats have obviously been on the attack and going for the Republican throats. Only the things that we have already heard in the public domain have been raised here. It is a pure waste of my time, and a total insult to my intelligence, to pay any more attention to this pejorative, divisive flap-doodle.
I’m signing off until it’s over.
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