Waxman: Obama's summit performance has made reconciliation easier

[jefferson_dem]

Waxman: Obama's summit performance has made reconciliation easier
By Jared Allen - 02/25/10 08:08 PM ET

House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) on Thursday night said he believes that the White House healthcare summit has made reconciliation an easier sell to the American people.

Waxman, one of the key House healthcare negotiators, said that President Barack Obama was “tremendous” during the Thursday bipartisan summit.

“He showed enormous command of the substance and the process,” Waxman said.

And while the six-hour summit may have appeared to produce little tangible results or movement on healthcare legislation, Waxman said that he believes the President was successful in showing why using budget reconciliation rules to pass changes to the Senate healthcare bill with only 51 Senate votes.

“I think one of the results of today’s meeting is that the American people fully understand that this bill needs to go forward with a majority,” Waxman said. “I don’t think too many people are going to quibble if it involves reconciliation.”

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/83851-waxman-obamas-summit-performance-has-made-reconciliation-easier

[Cha]

1. Well, this is exactly what Clio was

was saying..and he had to do it.

It's all part of the plan..Chess if you will.}(

[hisownpetard]

7. Yes. A brilliant move, and Obama was the winning goalie (if you let me mix metaphors here).

[ProSense]

2. Yes. n/t

[FrenchieCat]

3. That's why the Corporate media is trying so hard to tear it down......

quite amazing to see them work so hard at it!

I'm watching the Senate on C-Span II, Sen. Bernie Sanders is speaking now!
He's pissed at the Republicans!

[jefferson_dem]

4. "The most advanced mass media in history are leading millions to the joyful embrace of ignorance."

- (Master Twitterer) Roger Ebert

http://twitter.com/ebertchicago/statuses/9649643086

[Cha]

10. Wow! That should be Pinned somewhere prominently

for all to REMEMBER!

[ProSense]

5. WH: A Productive Day & Another Step Towards Putting Americans in Charge of Their Health Care

A Productive Day & Another Step Towards Putting Americans in Charge of Their Health Care

Posted by Dan Pfeiffer on February 25, 2010

Ed. Note: Watch video of the meeting in our section on the President's proposal.

Today’s bipartisan health care meeting offered something you rarely see in Washington: an open, honest, productive discussion between the political parties. Leaders from across the political spectrum gathered at Blair House to exchange thoughts about an issue that touches all of us: rising health costs and unfair insurance company practices.

The President doesn’t view today’s meeting as a campaign debate or piece of theater – and he didn’t approach it as if it were scored like an Olympic event. The President went to Blair House focused on the substance – not the process – and he left the meeting focused on substance: how we put the American people in control of their own health care.

The President remains committed to enacting meaningful health insurance reform that will lower costs for families and small businesses by providing the largest middle class tax cut for health care in American history. He wants to enhance insurance choices and promote competition with a new insurance marketplace where people and small businesses will be able to have the same choices that every member of Congress will have. His proposal will provide common sense rules of the road and basic consumer protections that keep insurance companies honest and he’ll fight to make sure that no American is denied coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition.

Throughout the day, both sides found areas of agreement on important issues like:

• Preventing waste and fraud in Medicare and Medicaid
  
• Addressing medical malpractice reform
  
• Reforming the insurance market
  
• Giving individuals more choices in coverage, and giving small businesses the opportunity to pool coverage for their employees

But there were also important areas of disagreement.

There was a fundamental disagreement about whether we should set some common sense rules of the road to protect American families and small businesses from insurance company abuses. The President doesn’t believe we can afford to leave those decisions about your care to the insurers alone.

The President believes that a problem this big cannot be addressed incrementally. And while insuring 30 million people is going to cost money, it’s important to remember that most of this money is going to tax credits that will reduce premiums and help people get better coverage.

And while the President appreciated the participation and input of everyone today, he doesn’t think we can just scrap a year’s worth of work and start over. The millions of Americans that are suffering can’t afford another year-long debate. There’s too much at stake.

[WheelWalker]

6. It was fuck'n historic. That's what it was.

[Solomon]

8. Oh, it'll happen.

Yeah yeah. It's gonna happen.

[dkf]

9. Reconciliation gets us a public option too.

I hope Obama doesn't stand in our way.