Sen. Baucus: White House "wants a bipartisan health deal" after meeting with Rahm Emanuel tonight

[Better Believe It]

Baucus: White House 'Wants a Bipartisan Deal'
By Paul Kane
Washington Post
June 23, 2009

Exiting a 75-minute meeting tonight on Captiol Hill, Senate Democrats said the White House remained supportive of their effort to find GOP support for health-care legislation despite internal Democratic disputes over the inclusion of a public option in the emerging bill.

"Rahm said he wants a bipartisan plan," Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) told reporters, after leaving the meeting with President Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. Baucus dismissed suggestions that negotiations had hit such a rough patch that Democrats would use fast-track rules to pass legislation on a party-line vote. Sen Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), a key member of the committee, also said the White House supports continued outreach to Senate Republicans.

Emanuel told reporters Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) summoned him to the meeting, which consisted of members of the Finance and health committees -- which are drafting somewhat competing versions of the hallmark legislation.

"Senator Reid wanted us to hear some of their thoughts and ideas," said Emanuel, who said every senator was given a turn to air his or her views on the issue.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2009/06/baucus_white_house_wants_a_bip.html

---------------------------------------

June 23, 2009
Rahm Hears Concerns of Senate Dems on Health Care
Trish Turner
Contributing Editor
FoxNews

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius just wrapped up a 90-minute meeting with a key group of Senate Democrats from leadership and committees working on health care reform.

Sen. Finance Cmte Chairman Max Baucus, D-MT, trying to craft a bipartisan compromise, said, “Rahm said he wants a bipartisan bill.” Baucus said the meeting was “for the President’s Chief of Staff to hear our concerns. It was very, very good.”.

Sen Kent Conrad, D-ND, who is working with a handful of Republicans and Democrats to craft a compromise, heaped effusive praise on the meeting, calling today’s gathering “one of the most productive meetings yet.”

Conrad said, “I feel the best I have felt in the entire process….We’re going to succeed. We’re going to make this happen. And the President is going to help.”

http://congress.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/06/23/rahm-hears-concerns-of-senate-dems-on-health-care/

[Thrill]

1. Why is it after a meeting. He is always the one to claim bipartisan BS

Conrad and Baucus pushing their own agenda

[Better Believe It]

2. Of course they are pushing their agenda. They want to block a strong public option ....

on behalf of the insurance industry which they try to represent.

They can be stopped.

[madfloridian]

3. So Rahm says we have to have how many votes?

Would that be 60?

So that is what Rahm says is needed?

So that is the game now?

Would that key group of Democrats be the Conservadems?

I betcha that is who it is.

[Autumn]

6. I betcha you are right n/t

[dflprincess]

7. So Obama get his bipartisanship

and we get screwed.

The change we voted for was not to have two instead of just one party ignoring the will of the people.

[niceypoo]

18. The Republicans are allowed to gut the bill...

...and they call it a 'compromise'. The republicans then all vote NO on it and it passes. The Republicans win/win. Render the legislation toothless then vote against it.

How many times will this happen before they figure out the the Republicans are playing them for fools?

[sisters6]

26. BINGO.

[Better Believe It]

4. Senator Conrad's degree of support for the public option

MSNBC INTERVIEW WITH SENATOR KENT CONRAD (D-ND)
SUBJECT: SENATOR CONRAD'S DEGREE OF SUPPORT FOR THE HEALTH CARE PUBLIC OPTION INTERVIEWER: NORAH O'DONNELL

9:41 A.M. EDT, TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2009

MS. O'DONNELL: On Monday, the senator reportedly said he could absolutely support a compromise proposal built around the government's public plan. Senator Conrad joins me now.

Senator, good to have you. Thanks so much. Are you abandoning the co-op plan and embracing the president's public plan?

SEN. CONRAD: No, not at all. I'm not sure the source of the quote that you just gave. I think that's probably a bit of a garbled recreation. ...

http://www.fednews.com/transcript.htm?id=20090623t6326

This may be informative and interesting but I can't locate the transcript on MSNBC's website. Does anyone have access to the full interview?

[madfloridian]

15. They don't have transcripts for daytime shows usually. Try You Tube.

Many of Norah's video clips get up there. You'd have to transcribe.

[Better Believe It]

27. OK Thanks for the info Not sure I'll have time to transcribe

I have a life outside of DU!

:) :)

[madfloridian]

32. Just answering your question.

Doesn't matter to me if you transcribe or not. Your answer is puzzling.

[Better Believe It]

34. I was joking ....

with the comment about having a life outside of DU. I didn't take your information about transcripts as a directive!

[MannyGoldstein]

5. Between The Center-Right Party, And The Crazy Party

That sounds just grand.

[quidam56]

8. WE are the change WE voted for in November

I worked in health care most of my life, after seeing what is deemed, defended and supported as "the acceptable standards of health care" in TN & VA I support anything but the status quo. http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=62 How many more have to die now that Profit Care is more important than Patient Care.

[lindisfarne]

9. Keep calling. Senate Finance Committee & Senate HELP committee members fax & phone #s at link

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=8473420
Go to #11 for HELP phone numbers.

[Better Believe It]

10. Thanks for the links

[MarjorieG]

11. With 50+1 hard to get, and piecemeal approach, we may need to get what we can get.

But Obama will go on the road and sell this, shaming them into doing more than they want to do.

I'm nervous, but this is going to be a fight where we can win 80%+ during twitchy economic times about deficits. With regulations, no pre-conditions, co-ops with national pricing, we can get a start that gets improved with time. He said he wants to attack Medicare Advantage. A lot is up in the air.

This is a president that will stay on an issue to see how it's working, like financial regulations, when Bush tax cuts sunset.. That comforts me.

[Better Believe It]

13. And if we don't get at a minimum a strong public option you won't get universal health care for ....

decades into the future.

If not now, when?

The Republicans and their potential Democratic enablers have to be challenged. If they are not, what good is a Democratic controlled Senate? What do we need, 100 Democratic Senators in order get meaningful healthcare for all?

If this fight is lost, the Obama Administrations plans for global warming and all other significant legislation will be stopped cold.

And Obama will be a one term President if he proves to be incapable of leading the Democratic Party the way LBJ did to achieve Medicare.

And if we don't have a cheaper healthcare system providing high quality healthcare for all and the economy isn't much better in 2012 than it is today, the Republicans will regain control of the House, the Senate and the White House.

The Democratic Party will be dead and go the way of the Whig Party.

[Hippo_Tron]

12. Notice he said "The White House wants a bipartisan solution"

He didn't say they were willing to give away the store to get one. The White House has been intentionally ambiguous about where the red lines are. I'm not going to start making assumptions because an asshole like Max Baucus talks to the press after meeting with Rahm.

On a side but related note, Al Franken needs to be seated.

[Better Believe It]

14. The only "solution" is a partisan one.

And if the leadership of the Democratic Party isn't willing to fight for a partisan solution why does the party even exist?

A "non-partisan" or "bi-partian" party doesn't deserve to call itself a political party.

[Oregone]

16. Laughing all the way to the bank

You people are getting played on this. Getting played hard. In another decade, the same group of people will be clamoring for more "reform". More band-aids on a broken system

[Sweet and Spicy]

17. Pragmatism is best

We should understand that the realities of congress are such that sometimes we have to compromise.

[madfloridian]

19. Wrong. Not when you have a majority like we do.

That's just spin.

We do not have to compromise.

[Sebastian Doyle]

20. FUCK pragmatDLCism !

I'm so fucking sick of these spineless pussies caving on EVERYTHING. :grr:

[chill_wind]

22. self-edit

[Better Believe It]

28. A huge compromise was already made when they dumped single payer Medicare for All

Dumping a strong public option isn't a compromise, that would be surrender and failure.

[high density]

29. Democrats are too eager these days to start at a compromise

When we do compromise, it seems the Repukes still will vote against it because that is their current way of operating. (See Stimulus)

[Mass]

33. Not when 70 + % of people disagree with Congress and wants a public option, including a lot of

Republicans. It may be time for these politicians to remember whom they are working for, not the insurance companies but the American public.

[Oldenuff]

21. Rahm said he wants a bipartisan plan?

Thank goodness Rahm is looking out for us,instead of those corporate health care whores.Wow! Are we lucky to have him,or what?

[wyldwolf]

25. there goes Rahm going all rogue again! Obama is so weak to let Rahm pull his stings like that

:sarcasm:

:eyes:

Keep in mind what the Chief of Staff's job is. Among other duties, protect the interests of the President and negotiate with Congress, other members of the executive branch, and extragovernmental political groups to implement the President's agenda.

[chill_wind]

23. ...

[sisters6]

24. "the White House supports continued outreach to Senate Republicans"

this is from the first article.



Why is appeasing Repugs so important when it is evident they will not cooperate or if they do, this bill be watered down to be costly yet meaningless!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

30. What are these fucking assholes not understanding about the god damn

repigs wanting to torpedo this thing or water it down to the point where it will be meaningless? I hope I really hope this is all nice talk or some kind of strategy and that once and for all they'll try ramming something down these right wingers throat.

Make your case to the people and to hell with these incompetent corrupt jagoffs. :grr:

[chill_wind]

31. .