I suspect that everyone will be posting an analysis of Obama\u2019s proposed fixes to the Senate bill. I like most of them, but rather than duplicating many efforts, I\u2019d like to look at what the upcoming summit means.<\/p>\n
\nResponding to the release of <\/span>Obama\u2019s health care plan<\/a>, the House Minority Leader forgets to mention that the plan <\/span>pulls the plug on grandma<\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cThis new Democrats-only backroom deal doubles down on the same failed approach that will drive up premiums, destroy jobs, raise taxes, and slash Medicare benefits,\u201d said House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). \u201cThis week\u2019s summit clearly has all the makings of a Democratic infomercial for continuing on a partisan course.\u201d<\/p>\n
What\u2019s interesting about this official response is that it appears to fall directly into a trap that the White House has been quite candid about in their off-the-record comments. The White House is using this summit on Thursday to \u201cshine a light\u201d on the lack of any serious counterproposals from the Republicans<\/strong>. They will also be able to demonstrate that independent experts disagree with Republican assertions that the proposed legislation will drive up premiums, increase the budget deficit, create death panels, raise taxes (except on the wealthiest Americans), or slash Medicare benefits.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a basic clash that is being set up on the White House\u2019s terms. On the one side, the White House is presenting this as a situation where health care reform is going to pass. That aspect is removed as part of the debate. All that remains to decide is what precisely will be in the legislation. On the other side, the Republicans simply want to defeat any health care reform, no matter what is in the bill<\/strong>. But that position violates the entire premise and spirit of the summit, including its aspirational bipartisanship. It also means that the Republicans do not concede that some reform is urgently needed. That\u2019s why the Blue Anthem rate hikes of 39% are being put forward by the White House. How can hikes that large not<\/span> require a response?<\/p>\n
The Republicans had already convinced their supporters that the battle to kill health care reform was won. This puts them in a bind. How can they concede that something needs to pass? How can they accept the very premise of the summit that they feel politically compelled to attend? Yet, if they do attend the summit and they behave in the way they\u2019ve been behaving, they\u2019ll be sharply corrected by representatives of the Office of Management and Budget, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Joint Committee on Taxation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
It appears that the Republicans are headed full-steam into a political trainwreck<\/font><\/strong>. If they engage seriously during the summit, embracing the premise that reform needs to pass, they\u2019ll enrage their base beyond description. But if they petulantly refuse to accept the premise and keep repeating their mantra that the American people have already rejected reform, they\u2019ll come off exactly the way the White House wants them to come off. And then the Democrats will have renewed momentum for passing a bill under reconciliation rules<\/strong>\u2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Inserted from <Alternet<\/a>><\/p>\n
To point out just how absurd their position is, here\u2019s some great video from the Daily Show. (Big thanks to RJ<\/a>, who sent me this in an email.)<\/p>\n
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\n The Daily Show With Jon Stewart<\/a><\/td>\n Mon – Thurs 11p \/ 10c<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n The Apparent Trap<\/a><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n www.thedailyshow.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n