Democrats’ attempts to coordinate health-care message leave Republicans scratching their heads
President Obama’s attempt to press ahead with a comprehensive health-care bill on Monday prompted one reaction in Washington more than any other: confusion.
“I was actually surprised that they’re pushing it again. The most important thing is jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs. We need to focus on jobs,” said Rep. Heath Shuler, North Carolina Democrat and a leader of the 54-member Blue Dog coalition of conservative Democrats.
Shuler, speaking to The Daily Caller on his way out of a meeting of the Democratic caucus on Monday evening at the Capitol, expressed the sentiment that is increasingly common in Washington, the reason so many are scratching their heads at Obama’s insistence on trying to pass a catch-all piece of legislation.
“I don’t think a comprehensive bill can pass,” he said.
“I hate to use a football analogy,” said the former Washington Redskins quarterback, “but first downs are a lot better than throwing the bomb route or the Hail Mary.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, gave a sharp rebuttal to Shuler’s remark.
“You know what? With all due respect to everyone, we just saw the president’s proposal today. I don’t know that anybody in our caucus is saying we’re not going to pass a bill,” she told The Daily Caller as she left the caucus meeting.
“We will pass a bill. We will pass a bill,” she said.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Maryland Democrat, knocked down the idea that the president’s proposal represented a product that all Democrats were supporting unquestionably, undermining the White House argument that Republicans must unite behind one proposal before Thursday’s meeting at the White House.
“I’m not sure there is a ‘this bill.’ We have a bill. The Senate’s got a bill. The president has put a proposal on the floor. We’re going to talk on Thursday,” Hoyer said in an interview on his way out of the meeting.
Hoyer said Obama’s proposal “represents certainly a lot of things that we wanted to see changed in the Senate bill” but said he was “still concerned about affordability.”
“The president’s bill — he really doesn’t have a bill — but the proposal, we’ve got to see what the dollars are but certainly we think it moves in the right direction and improves upon what the Senate did,” Hoyer said.
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…..and balls.
The GOP can only be painted as obstructionist if they are. They need to stop whinning and man up!
they have “maned up”. they have alternatives. you will hear them tomorrow. The non- RINO’s among them will not and should not agree to a socialist bill. They should “obstruct” EVERY power grab these swine try to cram down our throats.
Doesn’t everything leave the Republicans scratching their heads these days?
There is always confusion when there is a leadership vaccuum. My community doesn’t need an organizer, my country needs a commander-in-chief.
http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/
What an asinine statement. What was GOP doing for 11 years. They banrupted the country with decietful wars, department of education (indoctrination) and a loose fraudulant banking system.
GOP absolutely failed this country and it must be liquidated now!
We must purge the GOP. Its a useless worth less party. We need a conservative party who will balance the budget, protect this country instead of iraq and afghanistan, audit the federal reserve, and abolish department of education etc.
I don’t recall mentioning the GOP on this thread.
http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/
LOL what a dumb comment. Did you hear that at a CPAC convention? or the Tea Party convention? Do you have any thoughts of your own?
For some who only has ad hom attacks that statement is hilarious.
“We will pass a bill!! We will pass a bill!!” she shrieked in near hysteria.
More evidence that this isn’t about the people. It’s simply about the agenda.
Effing Gutless Wonders!! If the ‘Hope and Change’ crew doesn’t stick it to the opponents of the public option, and jam it through, we’re gonna be left (even if we do get a ‘health care’ bill) with a brand-new, corporate-welfare give-away, this time to shovel taxpayer dollars directly into the current Health Care Industry’s ‘bottom line profits’, via the ’subsidized-mandatory-insurance’ scam. At which time, if the whole nation doesn’t throw it’s hands up in disgust, we are no longer who we kid ourselves we are. WTF, we are no longer even mentioning ‘Single Payer’, which is the intelligent way to go. Eff it, just give every citizen a band-aid and an aspirin, once a year, and let ‘em take their chances.
I can see how this would be an issue about which you are very passionate, considering your condition. Hope you’re at least feeling better, man.
Hey, everyone: just a post to let you know tomdoff is dying of cancer. He’s probably too proud to tell you himself, so as not to garner sympathy. But I’m sure he’d want you to know that he posted this on the ‘cheney had a heart attack’ thread:
tomdoff: “This occasioned a great deal of sadness and regret. Some, because Cheney had a heart attack. Most, because it was ‘Mild’.” – February 23, 2010 – 4:31 pm
toddthesofaking: “You know what would be really funny? If you died of cancer! HAHAHAHHAAHAAHHAHAHAAAHAAHA! What? Geez, tough crowd.” – February 23, 2010 – 4:58 pm
tomdoff: “I have cancer, I am dying, and I regularly laugh my a**-off. This place (life) can be a lot of fun once you figure out the priority order that’s right for you.” – February 23, 2010 – 5:44 pm
So you can imagine how i felt when i found out.
keep tomdoff in your thoughts and prayers, and hope for a full recovery.
Best of luck, tomdoff!
If he is dying of cancer, there is an interesting study which is built upon Italian protocols in a doctor there found a baking soda solution actually was curing a majority of patients.
I would suggest entering, baking soda and Italian doctor, into a search engine which will take one to a site that lists an interesting number of treatments.
The basis of this is cancer is an acid which consumes huge amounts of sugars. Neutralize the acid and cancer melts.
I do not will harm on anyone from Dick Cheney to the cancer sufferer. Human compassion is all we have left, all that matters in the last moment, and all we take with us when we leave here.
God bless
As far as Obama, as my blog noted, he is staging this shell game in the plan he will give illegals the right to vote, which will trump all Americans in the coming election in saving Democrats and saving hisself in 2012.
There is a deliberate plan in this and Obama is working it. It looks insane until you factor in 40 million Mexican, Latino, Russian, Asian and Middle Eastern voters he illegally that Obama will make his.
A question for you: if he isn’t dying of cancer, after he claimed to be, what does that make him, in your eyes?
wow, Slow doesn skippy. Youre not making any sense.
Really? No, really? The fools? Sounds to me liek you are already bitter and feel defeated even before the meeting has taken place. Could it be that teh HC bill Obama proposes is good for people…..you know peopel like you and I.
“Dog and pony show”. I love your language. I heard Rush Linbaugh call it that. I wonder where you got your talking points from. Could it be Rush? Obama has ONLY failed at NOT passing a comprehensive HC bill because he thought the Republicans came to the table in good faith rather then looking for his “Waterloo”. That was his mistake. He is fixing it though.
He is fixing it though.
No, not really.
“Could it be that teh HC bill Obama proposes is good for people”
Only if you think higher costs for reduced service is good.
No Don. He failed to pass a bill because he could not get his own super majority to agree with it. accept that. It never needed one republican vote. It needs republican support now to get to the floor for a vote.
This whole “obstructionist” thing is so stupid. You know what is obstructionist? the roof on my house. It obstructs the rain and elements, the air bags in my car – they obstruct my head from hitting the steering wheel, our justice system- they obstruct criminals from doing their bidding with impunity.
I hope republicans obstruct these communists at every move. I fully expect them to and will hold them accountable to that. and I am not alone.
This president has been such a failure that he is looking for political cover. After this dog and pony show on Thursday he will claim the process was transparent, the Republicans are just obstructionist, and he tried to reach across the aisle. Unfortunately the press and liberals will support him every step of the way. It won’t fool anybody but the fools.