Yes, let's talk about those Republican ideas for health care.

[babylonsister]

http://www.tnr.com/article/health-care/fairness-doctrine


Fairness Doctrine
Yes, let's talk about those Republican ideas for health care.
Jonathan Cohn


The idea that Republicans haven’t had a chance to present their ideas on health care reform is a bit mind-boggling. Five separate congressional committees had hearings; each chamber had floor debates. That’s hundreds of hours the GOP had to talk about health care, all of it in public view and televised on C-SPAN. And that’s not even including all of the unofficial channels at the Republicans’ disposal. Generally speaking, the party of Rush Limbaugh and Fox Television doesn’t struggle to get across its message.

But if President Obama is determined to give Republicans one more public forum for presenting their health care agenda, as he will do when he meets with GOP leaders on Feb. 25, promised last week, maybe that is just as well. For most of last year, Republicans spent their time attacking Democratic plans for reform, rather than describing their own. But now they’ve put a plan on the table. Showcasing that plan--and comparing it to what the Democrats have proposed--might help clarify a few things.

snip//

The irony is that, for much of the last year, Republicans have been scaring the bejeezus out of seniors by telling them that Democrats were out to destroy Medicare. But the Roadmap makes clear that it’s not Democrats who seek massive, disruptive changes to the program. It’s the Republicans. If the coming engagement between the Republicans and President Obama help the public to understand that reality, extending the debate might actually be worth it.

[old mark]

1. rec. I hope this meeting actually happens..I'm thinking the GOP won't show....

Tjhey have nothing to say, anyway, and they can spin not being there more easily than being their and just hanging around saying nothing but "tax cuts" "privatize" and "NO" to eveything the Democrats are trying to do.

Even the MSM are FINALLY getting the idea that there is one party that seems concerned with future of our country and then there are the republicans....

The GOP believes their own propaganda about winning big in the November elections, but they have very litle connection with reality and they are doing their best to make their own position worse and worse with voters. Peoplein the middle are very scared and everyone is affected by this financial crisis and they see the GOP just playing nasty kid games with their future and are thinking maybe the Democrats are not so terrible after all.....

mark

[MiniMe]

2. The real problem isn't that they haven't had a chance to give their ideas

It is that most of them have been rejected because their ideas stink. Even when they do have a good idea, the devil is always in the details, and they put out a good idea in a bill, but what the bill actually does is not what you think it does.

[msongs]

3. PR is always a smart move to try n cover up the epic fail on HCR the past 8 months nt

[janet118]

4. Should this meeting take place . . .

the Republicans will be loaded for bear. They will try everyone of their ugly bag of tricks to make the President look stupid. I hope that Obama is prepared for a knife fight.