House GOP seizes on C-SPAN's call for cameras in healthcare negotiations

[babylonsister]

I'm shocked!

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/74383-house-gop-strong-endorses-c-span-request-to-air-healthcare-negotiations


House GOP seizes on C-SPAN's call for cameras in healthcare negotiations
By Tony Romm - 01/05/10 02:56 PM ET


House Republican Leader John Boehner (Ohio) on Tuesday said his party "strongly endorses" C-SPAN's request that Democratic lawmakers allow cameras into their healthcare negotiations.

C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb first asked party leaders for full access to those discussions earlier this morning, stressing in a letter that it was crucial his channel air all debate over "legislation that will affect the lives of every single American."

Democrats have not yet said whether they will comply, and the White House has already dodged a question on the matter, but House Republicans quickly seized on the letter this afternoon and announced their support for Lamb's request.

"As House Republican Leader, I can confidently state that all House Republicans strongly endorse your proposal and stand ready to work with you to make it a reality,” Boehner wrote in a response letter to Lamb. “Hard-working families won’t stand for having the future of their health care decided behind closed doors."

House and Senate Democrats have already signaled they plan to mediate differences in their two healthcare bills informally, mostly to escape some of the politicking that accompanies the traditional, more formal conference process.

Presumably, that means Democrats had initially hoped to keep televisions crew out of their discussions, in an attempt to play their cards close to their vest and promptly move to a final floor vote.

But C-SPAN's request on Tuesday -- given the network's apolitical reputation -- puts Democrats in a tough spot. Republicans too have argued for access to important healthcare meetings, albeit for more political reasons, so it was no surprise that GOP leaders quickly capitalized on Lamb's letter.

The House's top Republican, in his public response to the C-SPAN CEO, stressed anything less than full television access to healthcare negotiations would cast doubt on both Democrats' intentions and their final bill.

"These secret deliberations are a breeding ground for more of the kickbacks, shady deals and special-interest provisions that have become business as usual in Washington," he said. "Too much is at stake to have a final bill built on payoffs and pork-barrel spending.”

[Parker CA]

1. Hmmm, never saw this one coming...

[tabatha]

3. On whose side is Cspan?

[WeDidIt]

4. Lamb has always been a rightwing shill. n/t

[Parker CA]

8. I don't know which side CSPAN is on, but the pukes were sure to jump on this train regardless.

[tabatha]

2. Of course they do.

They want to disrupt, lie, distort, create a ruckus and generally obstruct, destruct as much as possible.

[babylonsister]

6. They've had ample opportunity to do that all year and have,

without offering hardly any recommendations of their own. But sometimes that squeaky wheel gets the grease. We'll see.

[Bolo Boffin]

5. Surely Boehner can point to all of those conferences that the Republicans televised

on C-Span or otherwise, back when they were in power...

No? You say the Republicans never did this?

[ClassWarrior]

24. So we're no better than them?

NGU.

[jefferson_dem]

7. Think Progress has the case against cameras. I'll have to disagree.

http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/01/05/cspan-conference/

[babylonsister]

11. They're saying the televised negotiations seem counterproductive after

this summer, and would be prolonged even more, which seems to be what the gopers want. I agree with the article fwiw. Basically, what's the point? Nothing will change, including the gopers' intractability and the ferociously negative tone this discussion has inspired.


The Case Against Allowing C-SPAN Cameras Into Health Reform Negotiations

snip//

At first glance, Lamb’s request sounds reasonable, even righteous. After all, C-SPAN is grounded in the belief that transparency produces superior legislation. And maybe a certain level of transparency does. But if one actually considers the tone and tenor of the televised health care debate of 2009, filming the conference negotiations seems counterproductive.

snip//

Turning the conference committee into another Senate floor debate won’t improve health reform legislation. The televised conference hearings will become a drawn out theatrical sideshow — the real discussions will still occur behind closed doors.

[jenmito]

9. When I heard C-Span requested to have the healthcare negotiations televised,

the first thing I thought was, "Since when did C-SPAN get involved in politics?" And then I did this: :eyes: They're interfering with this process, taking sides by requesting something they know the Repubs. want (to slow down the process).

[tabatha]

10. Yes, this is a political move.

[jenmito]

14. It sure is. Now it makes sense that they showed the teabagger parties while NOT covering

some important Obama events.

[still_one]

15. and the Democrats will no fall for it either /nt

[tritsofme]

17. Obama is the one who said the C-SPAN cameras would be there on the campaign trail

I thought it was a silly promise to make then too, but he is the one that made it.

Overall the issue is small and inconsequential, but I don't fault C-SPAN calling out politicians on promises they didn't intend to keep.

[secondwind]

18. the "process" was televised...both House floor and Senate floor debates

were televised.

Transparency? you betcha!

We don't need to merge the 2 bills in front of C-SPAN.

[JustinL]

19. Obama specifically promised that the negotiations would be televised

To achieve health care reform, Obama said in August 2008, "I'm going to have all the negotiations around a big table. We'll have doctors and nurses and hospital administrators. Insurance companies, drug companies -- they'll get a seat at the table, they just won't be able to buy every chair. But what we will do is, we'll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents, and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies. And so, that approach, I think is what is going to allow people to stay involved in this process."

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/jan/05/charlie-crist/gov-charlie-crist-says-obama-breaks-transparency-p/

[marshall]

21. They're in the business of televising stuff

They are protecting their own piece of the pie.

[FrenchieCat]

12. No Shit!

Who could have guessed this.

I just wondered which came first,
the Chicken's egg or the chicken's shit? :shrug:

[still_one]

13. The republicans didn't want healthcare reform, excluded themsleves from the negotiations and did

everything to keep it from happening

In other words they have made themseleves irrelevent

[ClassWarrior]

23. They didn't make transparency irrelevant though.

It's still a democracy, and sunshine is the best disinfectant.

NGU.

[ima_sinnic]

16. another phony "promise" by Obama that he's now disowning

along with the "negotiations around a big table" with "doctors, nurses, and hospital administrators,"
"we'll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents, and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies. And so, that approach, I think is what is going to allow people to stay involved in this process." --Barack Obama, Chester, VA, Aug. 21, 2008

Politifact rates this as "Promise Broken":
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/promise/517/health-care-reform-public-sessions-C-SPAN/

He never intended for anyone to be "involved in the process" except for those chosen by Max Baucus, behind closed doors. We saw what happened to doctors and nurses who tried to take a "place at the table." Actually fighting for people's input would have angered the corporate insurance and pharma pigs, and Obama apparently avoids angering those guys at any cost--they're much more important than doctors, nurses, and ordinary Americans--and Lieberman and Nelson wouldn't have liked it.

"Transparency" is up there with "change" as an empty campaign slogan that suckered millions.

[Cosmocat]

25. it's been 8 friggen months!

they have been working on this thing, and now that it is in the last few weeks, NOW it is an issue about having C-Span televise the talks?

For the love of god, it is simple friggen politics to drag it past the state of the union. The jerks could give a rats tail about proper government, it is the usual live for the moment republican partisan BS ...

[davidpdx]

20. We are screwed either way...

If we don't, then it become a "closed government" talking point.

If we do, then it will become, one of the following:

"why wasn't the other side invited?"

"look at what a mess the Democrats have created with healthcare bill"

"another billion dollar liberal give away"

and the list goes on....

[ClassWarrior]

22. So?

What do we have to hide?

NGU.