Health care summit an image-shaping opportunity for President Obama

But aside from the fact that Obama will be able to dominate the pace and substance of the meeting, the images that come out of the event will also be highly controlled by the administration.

“It’s whatever they want to push,” Jenkins said. “If they … really want the public to get the impression that the president is reaching out and wants to have a true bipartisan process, you know, whatever the truth is is almost irrelevant.”

“If that’s the image and that’s the message you want to telegraph, you’ve got to build the message to telegraph that. Just saying it doesn’t do the trick.”

“If I were them I would some serious thought about, ‘What Republicans do we want to be seen standing next to, talking, preferably in a light moment?’” Jenkins said. “Well that’s kind of an entrance shot. So I would think about having the stills – and nobody else, so there won’t be any questions asked – at a location that can get either the president talking with [Senate Minority Leader Mitch] McConnell or whoever and smiling.”

Whether the Blair House meeting will move votes in Congress toward the president’s desire for a comprehensive health care bill is highly questionable. What is unquestionable is that the summit will be a highly scrutinized piece of theater in which Obama could come off looking very good to Americans who otherwise don’t tune in to political debates very often.

Even if it doesn’t budge the health care debate, it could have repercussions this fall in the mid-term elections, and beyond. Moments like these play some part in how Obama will be perceived by voters who cast their ballots in the 2012 presidential election.

Republicans tried to maintain some small control over the proceedings Tuesday. House Minority Leader John Boehner did not disclose four of the House Republicans that he will bring to the meeting, keeping even members such as Ryan who would be likely invitees in the dark as to whether they would be attending.