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Ear to the Ground

Obama, Repubs Lock Horns at the Health Care Summit

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Posted on Feb 25, 2010
health care summit
whitehouse.gov

In this still from the White House’s streaming coverage of Thursday’s health care reform summit, Ohio Sen. Chuck Grassley holds forth as President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and others listen.

President Obama suggested that the theme for Thursday’s health care reform summit should be one of bipartisan cooperation. Good luck with that one! So far, the discourse has appeared to be cordial on the whole, with the exception of a couple verbal clashes with prominent GOP types, including a growly John McCain and a bill-waving Rep. Eric Cantor.  —KA

Update: House Minority Leader John Boehner joined in the afternoon discussion, thanking President Obama for calling the meeting before calling the proposed health care bill a “dangerous experiment” that should be scrapped altogether. He also brought up the issue of taxpayer-funded abortion and suggested that they start over with drafting new legislation. To these ideas, Obama replied: “There are so many things that you just said that people on this side would profoundly disagree with ... [which] based on my analysis, just aren’t true.”

“The Oval” in USA Today:

12:26 p.m.—John McCain—the Arizona Republican who lost to Obama in the 2008 election—makes his first statement, complaining about the pre-summit health care debate because it included too many meetings of Democrats behind closed doors. Also protested the impact of lobbyists.

When Obama sought to interject, McCain said sharply: “Let me finish.”

12:30 p.m.—Obama gets in a word with McCain, and debate ensues:

Obama: “We’re not campaigning.”

McCain: “You remind me of that every day.”

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MarthaA's avatar

By MarthaA, February 26, 2010 at 3:23 pm Link to this comment

Time will tell.  It appears employees of large companies will have better health care, not sure about small companies and retirees who can’t afford to pay the premiums. There are suppose to be subsidies, but no particulars.

Report this

By ofersince72, February 26, 2010 at 9:06 am Link to this comment

The public doesn’t know all what is in it

I am sure 20k will be subsidized by Sam, however
the companies that now offer healh insurance will
have no incentive to keep covering employees
so many will drop the coverage.

  I am sorry i see this whole package as a gimmack
that that we don’t even know what the courts will
do with it.

Report this

By christian96, February 26, 2010 at 4:41 am Link to this comment

Will the premium be based on income?  It should be
a lot cheaper for someone making $20,000 compared
to someone making $200,000.  Does it cover medications?  Last year I payed a maximum of $2,000
for 12 medications.  This year it jumped to $3,000.
That’s a big jump.  Hopefully, Uncle Sam will do
something about the medication problem for the
little man in our nation.  He’s getting kind of
obese in the Pentagon.  Maybe he could slim down
if some of his food was given to the medical profession.

Report this

By The Health Dude, February 26, 2010 at 2:51 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

“Health is wealth” is known to all and everyone wants good health. So, Let us build a food habit discipline, keep pace with work, rest and or exercise to Achieve good health, The ultimate wealth.

Report this
thebeerdoctor's avatar

By thebeerdoctor, February 26, 2010 at 2:30 am Link to this comment

Elite by definition means you need somebody to look down upon.

Report this

By ofersince72, February 26, 2010 at 1:19 am Link to this comment

What makes it even stink more

you have to buy it from the companies that have
been spending millions in lobbying these crooks.

So insurance companies are getting a law passed that
you HAVE to buy ins.  FROM THEM

Report this

By ofersince72, February 26, 2010 at 1:16 am Link to this comment

from wht i been hearing NO it will be law

you will have to have health insurance by law

Report this

By christian96, February 26, 2010 at 12:52 am Link to this comment

Would people have the choice NOT to buy?

Report this

By ofersince72, February 25, 2010 at 10:35 pm Link to this comment

They are getting the green light to make you buy

anything they want you to buy if this bill is passed

Report this

By ofersince72, February 25, 2010 at 10:32 pm Link to this comment

it should be trashed

think about it..

if the government can mandate you to buy insurance
from a private company..

it sets the precedent…for

the government to mandate you to buy anything
private they want..
WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO GIVE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
THIS POWER??  JUST WHERE IS EVERYBODIES HEAD????

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MarthaA's avatar

By MarthaA, February 25, 2010 at 4:49 pm Link to this comment

This is the only way President Obama can spread light throughout all the Republican hyperbole rhetoric.

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By liecatcher, February 25, 2010 at 4:17 pm Link to this comment

OBAMA, REPUBS LOCK HORNS AT THE HEALTH CARE SUMMIT

Just business as usual.
Bush3 playing the good cop.
Democracy has gone from being “...a useful fiction.”,
to a nauseating
charade, with the only changes being conditions for
we the people
keep going from bad to worse while the elite 1% keep
getting richer.

Report this

By Mundt, February 25, 2010 at 3:30 pm Link to this comment

In a lucid, cogent,thoughtful Facebook post, Gov. Sarah Palin exposes Democrat “health-care reform” as a sham, a fraud, a hoax, a power-grab, and a payday for Big Insurance. Obama, Pelosi, Reid and gang cannot be trusted.

Report this

By christian96, February 25, 2010 at 1:52 pm Link to this comment

Rules for Bulls*#t Bingo

1. Before Barrack Obama’s next televised speech, prepare your “Bullcrap Bingo” card by drawing a square.

I find that 5” x 5” is a good size—and dividing it into columns—five across and five down.  That will give you 25 1-inch blocks.

2. Write one of the following words/phrases in each block:

. Restored our reputation
. Strategic fit
. Let me be clear
. Make no mistake
. Back from the brink
. Signs of recovery
. Out of the loop
. Benchmark
. Job creation
. Fiscal restraint
. Win-win
. Affordable health care
. Previous Administration
. Greed on Wall Street
. At the end of the day
. Empower (or empowerment)
. Touch base
. Mindset
. Corporate greed
. Ballpark
. Game plan
. Leverage
. Inherited as in “I inherited this mess”
. Relief for working families (alternate - “unprecedented”)


> 3. Check off the appropriate block when you hear one of those words/phrases.

4. When you get five blocks horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, stand up and shout

“BULLS*#T!”
>

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By diamond, February 25, 2010 at 1:34 pm Link to this comment

They can listen to these neanderthals until the cows come home but the Republicans won’t lift a finger to give decent health care to Americans: not if it’s going to take money away from their wars and their investments in arms corporations. The whole situation can be summed up by the fact that Dick Cheney’s pacemaker was paid for by the taxpayers, through the health care system politicians have (taxpayer funded). Cheney was so grateful he allowed the 9/11 attacks to proceed and got America involved in two crazy, treasury-busting wars out of which he personally profited to the tune of millions. In 2001 Cheney’s shares in Halliburton were worth $241,000 but after the Iraq war started they headed skywards and by 2005 they were worth $8 million. He also received a quarter of a million dollar annual deferred salary from Halliburton for the entire time he was Vice President. Obama needs to remember who these people are and what they’ve done. Nothing the Republicans have ever done has indicated any interest in doing anything that would benefit the majority of Americans so why should this be any different? Durbin’s question indicates that he doesn’t understand the way these monsters think: they don’t think anything they’ve got is good enough for the rest of America. What’s the point of being part of an elite if everyone else can have decent healthcare? Something that makes sense to any normal person makes no sense at all to them.

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