From yesterday's New York Times:
By raising questions about the Democrats’ motives, Republicans seem to be anticipating that Mr. Obama will move quickly after the summit to win passage of a revised health care bill, and they seem to wish to blunt any effort by the president to suggest that Republicans offered few workable alternatives.
Even as they have criticized the Democrats and cast doubts on the summit, Republicans have not put forward any new, comprehensive health care proposal that would meet the president’s goal of extending coverage to most of the nation’s uninsured. Republicans say that doing so would be too costly and that they do not share the president’s goal of a broad expansion in coverage, but instead want more modest efforts to help control costs.
Andrew Sullivan, at The Daily Dish, comments:
I think it's critical for the president to point out that the GOP, in a time of great anxiety, have no plans to extend health insurance to 30 million uninsured, and have no way to reform the cruelties of the pre-existing condition Catch-22 that so many beleaguered Americans face. Not only does this expose the real non-solutions offered by the Republicans - but it is especially significant for Hispanic voters. Hispanics put healthcare at the top of their priorities this year and a whopping 86 percent want reform passed this year.
Would the Democrats and President Obama please show some balls and start exposing the GOP tactics for what they are - tactics, not ideas? It's possible to be "bipartisan" and still play hardball.
Has Obama learned nothing in the past year? I think he is beginning to indicate that perhaps he has. But for all the Republican blather about "dirty Chicago politics," President Obama has shown little appetite for attacking the Republicans head-on and forcing them either to present new ideas or get the hell out of the way.
He may finally have the Republicans a bit on the defensive. I say it's about fucking time.
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