Howard Fineman On GOP Health Care Strategy: 'Stand On The Sidelines With Their Arms Folded' (VIDEO)

Appearing on Countdown last night, Howard Fineman gave MSNBC viewers the alternative proposal for health care reform being proposed by the GOP:

FINEMAN: I talked to people on [Capitol] Hill all day today, talked to Republicans as well as Democrats. Republicans claim they have a plan -- they don't. They claim they're going to have a plan -- they won't. Uhh...their whole strategy is to stand on the sidelines with their arms folded, while the Democrats try to work this thing out. That's their whole strategy.

Asked how not delivering a health care proposal benefits Republicans, Fineman stated, "Well I don't think it does. A lot of Republicans, privately, when they are in their...sort of, non-tribal moments will admit that."

I don't know. As strategies go, though, it's not bad. And it's a pretty well-funded one as well! Via the Sunlight Foundation, here's a chart of the Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee -- the "key arbiter on the many sticking points of the proposed legislation" -- and what they're getting for all that arm folding:

It's nice work if you can get it, and then do no work! And all that money is going to go a long way to getting incumbents re-elected, whether they start proposing health care reform innovations or not. With regard to the guns the GOP has trained at their own feet, Fineman is on stronger footing when he discusses that fact that they've become the party of talking "about racial fears and resentments" and "about where Barack Obama was born."

WATCH:

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Comments

[rxvette]

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[kasv]

Finally, Fineman gets it. Took him long enough.

[GOPBossLimbaugh]

"...Uhh...their whole strategy is to stand on the sidelines with their arms folded, while the
Democrats try to work this thing out. That's their whole strategy."

Incorrect!
We wish they would do just that. But it is worse!
Democrats are producing the porcelain while the G"No!"P is busily breaking the Porcelain!

[ThermoChemist]

"...Uhh...their whole strategy is to stand on the sidelines with their arms folded, while the
Democrats try to work this thing out. That's their whole strategy."
===========================================================================
[a] Once again, proving the statement:
"The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of Conservatives is to prevent mistakes from being CORRECTED." -- G. K. Chesterton

[b] Besides doing practically nothing to CORRECT problems, the GOP strategy is to purposely be "Obstructionists"

Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott, R-Miss [April 2007]
"The strategy of being obstructionist can work or fail...and so far it's working for us."

[Bude]

That's basically been their solution for everything. Stand on the sidelines with your arms folded, and hope for failure.

[jimrs6]

If he reports it on a show nobody watches, does it really matter?

[Bude]

Nobody? Wow, someone should tell them. Will you?

[apoyo]

How hard is it to preface each report about GOP obstructionist tactics against health care reform and a public option with the sentence: "Remember, these people have health care coverage paid for by tax payer dollars."???

This needs to be a mantra. The voters cannot be allowed to overlook this fact, not for one day.

[thundermummy]

How does one stand with their hands folded while their head is up their a$$?

[Smuhamm]

It's ok for the dem's to take the time to get it right since the republicans are standing by idlely and expecting We The People to fail. I say Take the time , just get it done without them, for 8 years they did not know what to do and counted on the status quo, just let them stay there. listen Dem's you have We the People behind you and we know how raise our voices, fingers,technologies, we don't listen to MSM we have our own media, we don't listen to their polls, they were skewed the entire time with the primary and general elections our polls consist of our communities, neighbors, co-workers, what they do not know we inform them, we research the truth in the matter which always rule. Health care reform NOW for all.

[Whinger]

That's their strategy on any subject you care to name, the party of NO!

Party before nation!

[sonoffestus]

Republicans are a cancer. They need to be cut out of society, so the patient can live.

[WindySailor]

Howard, close but not quite. Their strategy is to stand in front of the American people with their middle fingers extended.

[neesy08]

I already knew this.

[NWGuy]

Too true. All the repubs have to do to "win" is stand in the way. The more they can stand in the way and get the reform package watered down more and more, the more they can delay things, the more they "look" like they are beating Obama. Remember, party first, America last!

The risk, of course, is really P.O.'g off the American public who can't get or afford health coverage. (not that they really care about what the American public thinks!)

The goal, therefore, is to publicize how the repubs are standing in the way of improving the lives of Americans, how they have not done anything to help solve the problem but only prevented any solutions. How the repubs are the reason why your mother just lost her house trying to pay for the hip replacement, how they are the ones who prevented coverage to the child that died of treatable cancer. That they are ones that caused your employer to stop providing health insurance due to high premiums. Really let the public KNOW who is keeping you and yours from getting necessary health care.

[rich misty]

Democrat: "Passing a strong health care reform bill will improve the lives of millions of Americans, and will save many of those lives."

Republican: "Can I torture them first?"