- Oracle investors cheer ex-HP boss Hurd's arrival | Video
- Firm can't fire man for 1.8 cent theft
- Jury hits Ford Motor Co with $131 million verdict
- Pressure mounts in U.S. against Koran-burning plan | Video
- Strike on the "Tube" causes London commuter havoc | Video
- UPDATE 3-Oracle hires former HP's Hurd, Phillips leaves
- German party mistakenly hands out porn pens to kids
- Congress Republicans wary of Obama economy plan | Video
- HP sues to stop ex-CEO Hurd joining Oracle
- Google to start TV service in U.S. this autumn | Video
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. NASDAQ delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
White House insists healthcare summit no trap
A resident of south Florida holds a sign protesting healthcare reforms during a visit by President Obama to Miami, October 26, 2009.
Credit: Reuters/Carlos Barria
WASHINGTON |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The purpose of the Obama administration's upcoming summit on healthcare is to find solutions to issues like soaring insurance premiums, not score political points against the Republicans, the White House insisted on Tuesday.
With his sweeping healthcare overhaul effort floundering in the face of united Republican opposition and public skepticism, Obama has invited Republican leaders to the meeting on February 25, which will be nationally televised.
He promised to post his own proposal for an overhaul online before the event and asked Republicans to do the same.
"Everybody that's in Washington that works in the executive branch and the legislative branch was sent here as part of representative democracy to solve problems," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said at Tuesday's daily media briefing. "That's what this is intended to do."
"The president will lay out his ideas, and I would expect that Republicans will, and others will, lay out their solutions," he said.
The Obama administration on Friday invited 12 Democratic members of Congress and nine Republicans to the conference on revamping the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare system, an issue central to the Democratic president's domestic agenda.
Republicans have said they will attend, but they are wary that the White House is trying to set a political trap for them, preparing to blame Republicans if the healthcare effort falters.
They have demanded that healthcare bills reached by Democrats in the House of Representatives and Senate be scrapped, something the administration is not willing to do after months of debate and difficult compromise.
Gibbs did not give a date for the release of the White House plan, saying only that it would be far enough before the meeting to allow it to be reviewed.
"I don't have the exact day yet. But it will be in -- in time for -- for you and for others around the country to evaluate a plan," he said.
He said the backdrop of the meeting will be rising insurance rates. The White House has pointed to health insurance premium increases of up to 39 percent for some California customers of WellPoint Inc.'s Anthem Blue Cross plans as evidence for passing a major healthcare reform.
WellPoint has said the higher prices reflect greater medical costs and are in line with competitors. The company, strung by the criticism, said over the weekend it would postpone the rate increase by two months.
With millions of Americans lacking health insurance, polls show a high level of frustration as the public watches the abortive reform process at a time of economic crisis and high unemployment that has eroded support for Obama.
Obama's Democrats are under pressure to produce results before elections in November in which the entire House and more than a third of seats in the Senate will be up for grabs.
(Editing by Eric Walsh)
Like we really can trust these people who hold meetings behind closed doors. These folks are so close to being dishonest that it is scary.
How can you believe someone who has consistantly blamed the previous administration for all the woes, tripled the deficit and called the repubs the party of no. Sorry folks, to be more believable, lets scrap the original bills, start from scratch and eliminate earmarks and all the negotiated deals for states and unions and just get a bill that will lower costs…without a public option!
Obama is a liar, a schemer, a Marxist dreamer. We can’t even “trust but verify” without risking a stab in the back.
Stall, baby,stall, until the Democrat bums and weasels are tossed out November, 2 2009. No serious legislative endeavor should go forward until we have a competent Congress, and unless it is urgent, we should stall until Obama is tossed out in 2012 (if Congress doesn’t toss him out sooner for his un-American Constitution defying transgressions, his bankrupting of the country, and for the damage his grossly negligent, incompetent Cabinet appointees and czars bring to America). We can win on a “Roll-back Obama, Reid, and Pelosi” platform. Roll-back corruption and incompetence. Roll-back Marxism. Try to make it like it never happened, that Obama problem.
Obama is really not to blame. He makes proposals. But congress is the real culprit. They engage in political back and forth pissing contests and obstruct any real progress in favor o political rancor.
They try so hard to score points only to achieve nothing and blame the other side for the lack of progress. Obama is doing what he can. Congress needs to get off its fat lazy collective ass and get to doing its work for the citizenry.
I bet if there were no corporate lobby this would be a lot easier to fix. Get rid of fake citizens. Strike down corporate citizenship and give the government of the people back to the people.
BHOShatOnUS-
The dems tried running on a “not Bush” platform and lost in 04. I don’t think a “not Obama” plan will work either.
I hope someone brings up incremental changes through multiple bills at this meeting, and I hope the suggestion gets taken.
I actually believe the President is looking for a way to get reform done. Those who drive around with Impeach Obama bumper stickers, had them on their cars before he was even President. I don’t trust them to make any decision for this country. They are the domestic enemy of the United States.
“The dems tried running on a “not Bush” platform and lost in 04. I don’t think a “not Obama” plan will work either”
At least half of Democrats are brainless slugs and it is pointless to try to educate them into conservative ways, so we can write them off. Half of the remaining half of Democrats have some knowledge of history and human nature and can be prompted into conservative ways with the right message. The other half of the second half are knowledgeable but are the manipulators of the other 3/4ths of Democarats and enjoy controlling and manipulating and won’t be conservative no matter the harm they cause this country.
So Democrats running on “not Bush” leaves the first half of Democrats disappointed since they only care about what the man what’s in charge is going to give them. Plus the ‘04 Democrat candidate sucked big time, worse than the Democrat ‘00 candidate.
For Republicans and conservatives, who are very attuned to history and human nature, retruning America to its strong self where the people don’t/can’t abuse their votes and abuse their fellow Americans with the government will win big.
For goodness sake, get something done. Stop bickering and wasting time. The country is desperate and the government is talking about traps.
http://graciouslivingdaybyday.com/
