You Can't Say He Didn't Try

Who "won" yesterday's health care summit depends on your politics. Having said that, the shot of Pompous John Boner looking like someone had stuffed a habanero pepper up his rear end said something about President Obama's performance.

Once again, I was impressed with the president's ability to dominate a room and control a debate with aplomb, reasonableness, and a calm command of the facts. He, with help from Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, dismantled Republican claims about their "plan" with the ease of Roger Federer putting away a slam. Obama pointed out the flaws in standalone legislation to allow the unregulated sale of health insurance across state lines, convincingly making the argument that it would be a race to the bottom, where the bottom is outrageous rate increases. With Sebelius, he explained the problems with high risk pools (see yesterday's post); Illinois Senator Dick Durbin was especially eloquent showing why tort reform as the Republicans envision takes a justice-denying chainsaw to an issue that requires a scalpel. And time and again, the president exposed out the central weakness of the Republican plan: It really wouldn't cover anybody.

More to the point, though, Republican intransigence was on full display. In a feat of political ju jitsu, Obama used their weight against them. In his closing remarks, he made two key points:

1. Although there were areas of agreement, the disagreements were such that the gap couldn't be crossed.
2. Obama expressed it diplomatically, but made it clear that Democrats simply didn't trust Republicans to actually work in good faith on a new bipartisan bill.

Many Democratic politicians have complained about Obama's leadership. Well, he did the heavy lifting yesterday and established the political cover necessary for them to put this bill through the reconciliation process. Now it's up to them...

If the bill is going to go through the reconciliation process, why not add a robust public option and tell Max Baucus, Mary Landrieu, Holy Joe Lieberman, Blanche Lincoln, and Ben Nelson to take a hike? They've caused more damage to the cause of health care reform than the Republicans, and their votes won't be needed. Join me in writing to your representative and senators...

Right wing blog commentors are beside themselves talking about Obama's "arrogance." He really gets under their skin. It's quite gratifying...

God damn it: Tryin' to make it real compared to what?!



One misses Benny Bailey's explosive trumpet solo from the original recording, but this is a fine performance nonetheless. Les McCann's Swiss Movement, which featured this famous track, was my first jazz album. I bought it way back when I was in high school, much too long ago...

Health Care Summit Notes

I started watching toward the end of the morning session, so I can't comment on the first part. Notes from what I did see:

• Obama has an excellent command of the issue and caustic sense of humor ("Let me guess: That's the 2400-page bill.").
• I'm so glad that John McCain isn't president.
• How did Rep. Eric Cantor (VA) rise so high in the Republican party? He's barely coherent
• Kathleen Sebelius is sharp.
• Obama keeps using the summit as an opportunity for education. He's good at explaining the nuances, but does anybody want to hear?
• Republican plaints that they want health care reform but not mandates might not make sense but it could be good politics.
• Cantor keeps arguing that the government shouldn't define what standard health care benefits are. Unfortunately, the response has been technical rather rhetorical, meaning that someone ought to point out that right now it's the insurance companies that define benefits.
• Indiana Rep. Mike Pence, commenting on MSBC, just took Obama to task for not negotiating with Republicans. But they're the ones who have said at every turn this morning that the philosophical differences are too far apart to negotiate. Pence repeated the Republican mantra that the current bill must be scrapped and the process started anew (which of course they are too disingenuous to admit means killing health care reform). Pence also claimed that Obama didn't show Republicans respect, as if they've shown him any.
  
• Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) made an impassioned case for legislation that makes it illegal to not offer coverage because of preexisting conditions. Everyone, including Republicans, agree, but what the R's won't admit is that this requires a general mandate...

Texas Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), commenting on MSNBC, just accused the president of making a secret deal with "Pharma." Cornyn has received over $800,000.00 in campaign contributions from "Health Professionals," which is essentially the American Medical Association. Whatever they're paying Cornyn to support, you can bet that it isn't health care reform. He has consistently opposed expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a woman's right to choose, and -- with votes that must please "Pharma" -- negotiation of bulkmdrug purchases by Medicare. Cornyn even opposed legislation to combat AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, a bill that passed the Senate by an 80-16 vote. He has, however, supported so-called tort reform at every turn...

Commentator Chris Matthews says that it's up to the Democratic party to pass health care reform, noting that with the odd exception of Richard Nixon, Republicans historically have had no interest in health care expansion...