AP - Pres Obama is ready to compromise with Republicans if they're serious

[c brand]

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/27/AR2010022700999.html>
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama said Saturday that he's ready to compromise with Republicans if they're serious about it but that his health care overhaul must go forward.

Does that mean he'll compromise more now than when they weren't serious???

[rox63]

1. This means that he won't compromise, because he knows they aren't serious

At least I hope that's what it means.

[babylonsister]

5. Exactly. We're moving forward with or without them. nt

[HughMoran]

17. I think he's trying to sound like he's being reasonable - right to the end

He knows these fools will not propose anything reasonable - besides, they think this bill will help them in the fall - they want it to pass while looking like they're fighting it to the end. It's all political theater from this point on...

[Kookaburra]

2. Sounds to me like

he's giving them one last chance to jump on board before we leave without them.

Anyway, that's what I hope he means.

They're not going to cooperate, and he knows it, but he wants to make the effort so that people can see he tried to work with them, and they wanted nothing to do with it.

[Autumn]

3. Go on ahead Obama,

keep doing the same thing and expect a different result.:wtf: :banghead:

[pleah]

4. +1

[Bjorn Against]

6. His health care plan is already far too compromised and now he wants to compromise it more

If he thinks I am going to campaign for him again in the next election he is wrong. I am going to campaign on the issues, and if he is on the wrong side of the issues that is too bad because he is not going to convince me to be quiet until after the election.

[laughingliberal]

15. Republican ideas will only make a bad bill worse

The Senate bill is already a right wing nightmare, for the most part.

[laughingliberal]

7. WaPo can kiss my....@$$

Notice they referred to "Democrat lawmakers" in the photo caption

[Lorien]

8. He's starting to remind me of the girl who has a choice between the kind, honorable

best buddy who wants to be the boyfriend and has her best interests at heart, and the self centered "bad boy" who isn't really into her but will screw her if she continues to chase after him. :banghead:

[msongs]

9. he will leave no stone unturned...when it comes to appeasing republicans lol nt

[OHdem10]

10. Could it be that he wants the American People to understand he

made more than the old college try in reaching out to
GOP, before moving forward with only Democrats.

Some may think this is wise since the GOP has shown
such opposition? It buys time for Pelosi and Reid
to round up wobbling Democrats.????

We cannot overlook the Conservadems who may not be
with him.

Just a thought.

[spanone]

11. here's the truth about compromise...

Spokesman John Hart said that Coburn views Obama's legislation as a government takeover and would not be able to support it even if it's changed to include some of his proposals.

i suggest President Obama personally call each legislator and tell them to go fuck themselves.

[tularetom]

12. No, no this time he really REALLY means it

Unlike the previous 300 times he said it.

I really want this to be the time he shuts the door on efforts to compromise with a group of whiners who have publicly stated they have no intentions of agreeing with anything he proposes, but I'm starting to have my doubts.

[Arkana]

13. One last gasp for bipartisanship before Gibbs announces

"RAMMING SPEED!" on Monday.

[xchrom]

14. Another day another compromise. Nt

[kenny blankenship]

24. for nothing.

Usually in a compromise you get something.

[ztlore]

16. Obama to GOP: If you're serious about buying this car, I'll throw in some tax cuts for the rich and

I'll even repeal the estate tax for free.

[Captain Hilts]

18. I thought we already did that. That's where the Public Option went. nt

[Golden Raisin]

19. The only things Republicans

are serious about is rejecting, obstructing and voting "NO!" to anything Obama and the Democrats put out there. Obama's high road, bipartisanship, compromising, class, civility and gentility will get him exactly nothing from the Repubs. He needs to take a page from LBJ's book and start kicking people in the balls, twisting arms, taking names and stomping Republicans into the ground.

[backscatter712]

20. Since we all know they're not serious, nothing has changed.

We still shove it through with reconciliation.

[Bluebear]

21. There's some Democratic fight.

:silly:

[branders seine]

22. ferfucksake

[GeorgeGist]

23. Oh, Barry ...

that joke is so old.

[Political Heretic]

25. This is fine, this is the kind of public statement that's good politics.

If you are going to have to go it alone, what you want to do is frame it to the public as though the Republicans were nothing more than insincere obstructionists and that you did everything possible to work with them....

...where it falls apart for this administration is that now that they've played that hand well, and exposed republicans for the obstructionist contrarians they are, there's no reason not to use this opportunity to push through real reform. Not the half-assed, rife with problems Senate Health Care Bill, but a fully expanded health care solution, that seriously regulates industry from a federal level and establishes a medicare part e alternative to private insurance.

Instead what we're getting is a bill so full of long term problems that is poised to do more harm than good to regular Americans in the long run. We're getting a bill that is already chalked full of capitulations and compromises. It includes insufficient subsidies and does nothing to address the overall cost of care, which extends far beyond premiums. The out of pocket expense cap at 10,000 is enough to bankrupt any working class family that ever finds itself in need of serious long term medical care. There is zero regulation of insurance industries pattern of denying claims or cancelling coverage for bogus reasons, and little to protect against the continued explosive raising of premiums the insurance company is engaged in to this very day. There's no safeguards against monopolies, and no clear structure of regulatory oversight, with most things being punted to the states.

All of those things are long term problems, and most people here refuse to see anything other than the short term political win. In the short term, more people have access to Medicare and Medicaid. In the short term, people receive subsidies to help them purchases insurance. In the short term, noone can be denied coverage (up front) based on preexisting medical conditions. In the short term, we use this bill as the vehicle to provide funding to build many new medical clinics.

That's great. But the long term problems completely, utterly overshadow all the short term benefits. And yet here we are, ready to ram through a bill that 65% of Americans say they don't want (while at the same time 60-65% of Americans say they do want a public option). This is not something that I can celebrate.