Daschle: Obama May Abandon Effort to Reach Health Deal With Republicans

Bloomberg:

President Barack Obama is likely in September to end Democratic efforts to work with Republicans on health-care legislation and press for a party-line vote if the stalemate on the issue in the U.S. Senate persists, a person close to the White House said....

In a separate interview, former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle said Obama is losing patience with negotiations between three Democrats and three Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee, the only congressional panel seeking a bipartisan consensus on a plan to remake the nation's health- care system.

Read the whole story: Bloomberg

Comments

[ThePeoplesKey]

10:18 AM on 08/24/2009

Good! And it's long since time for this to happen. Fook the effing republicans!

[booker52]

10:10 AM on 08/24/2009

Trying to work with those oposed to reform just doesn't work. They don't want reform and are more interested in their re election chances. They don't have the the publics interest at heart. I say to President Obama, if these people are blocking this, go around them, but get this done.

[Prodigal Daughter]

05:35 AM on 08/24/2009

He should have abandoned bipartisanship on day one of his administration. After what the Republicans in Washington assaulted him with during the campaign (Bachmann, Boehner, etc) he should have made them stand in a corner and imposed his agenda right away without their help. But of course, the fact that his party is in complete disarray is something that no one really anticipated. I thought they would come out united on health care, and instead we get a watered-down bill every single day. Poorly played, President Obama.

[dawlishgal]

09:20 AM on 08/24/2009

Did you read the latest Tom Tomorrow cartoon.....you can find it on Salon.com. It is about how Republicans behave and how Democrats behave in return. Makes one long for a third party.

[evekendall]

05:23 PM on 08/24/2009

It was great. For those who want to see it:

http://www.salon.com/comics/tomo/2009/08/18/tomo/index.html

[bujudude]

10:06 AM on 08/24/2009

I totally agree that Obama should have completely adandonded his efforts at reaching out to the Republicans since all they have to offer is lies, obstruction and slimy personal attacks. Not just the Democratic Party, but the entire country would be better off if the Dems move ahead with the comprehensive reform they had in mind from day one and to hell with the fools and haters.

[factotem]

02:43 AM on 08/24/2009

Barack: "Gee everybody, it sure would be nice to y'know ...have one or two conservative votes for my bill, so I'm not out here on my own ...cause I'm scared of what might happen."

President Obama, the only president to lose his mandate before he ever used it.
Ridiculous. Dems have no understanding of power.

[Omar Medina]

01:44 AM on 08/24/2009

The time for bipartisanship has come and gone on as far as healthcare goes. President Obama, knows that a single payer system is what would be best for our country, but he is willing to settle for the "public option." If baby steps are needed, then I agree, the "public option" is the next step. However, anything less than a "public option" is not only pointless, but unacceptable. Congress needs to look past the special interests and focus on what will benefit the people! The fear tactics being used by those opposed to effective healthcare reform, coupled with massive ignorance and the failure of the mass media I find to be very frightening and sad. President Obama, I voted for you because I trust that you have the interests of the masses at heart and because I believe you have what it takes to create CHANGE. Please do not allow yourself to be pushed around and make this happen . . . I still have HOPE!

[ReedYoung]

08:43 PM on 08/23/2009

Long overdue. Democrats opened with a compromise, the public option rather than single payer. Republicans replied with the death panel lie and promising to vote against any public option. They have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are not good faith negotiating partners and should not be assumed worthy of partnership in governing. Let them prove themselves useful before giving them any seats at future "tables" to negotiations. Until then, treat them as enemy legislators, not partners. They represent corporations only, not any American humans.

[ReedYoung]

09:09 PM on 08/23/2009

Sorry, I left out a couple things.

Democrats opened with a compromise, the public option rather than single payer. Republicans replied with the death panel lie, promising to vote against any public option, and with professional astroturf lobbyist-led intimidation tactics [http://www.reedyoung.org/politics/blessings_of_liberty/2009/08/19/] which I believe are the direct cause of hysteria among ignorant reactionaries, and thereby of numerous acts of violence and of death threats to pro-reform activists [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/07/obama-allied-unions-threa_n_254204.html]. As I say in the essay on my own website, I think that several lobbyists have committed felonies when they intentionally incited violence and the threat of violence. Congressional Republicans, especially Chuck Grassley, have knowingly participated in those crimes by lending the legitimacy of their elected office to incendiary claims which they knew, or were professionally obligated to know, were false.

[tantrictim]

06:31 PM on 08/23/2009

david gergen said something interesting in a roundtable discussion on cnn with anderson cooper, sanjay gupta et al. that americans are not as deferential to their government as people in other countries with socialized medicine, and he mentioned the uk and canada in particular, which is why the public option in the us is facing such resistance, food for thought?

[Ben6768]

06:50 PM on 08/23/2009

The U.S. public shure is deferencial to Big Corporations

[mystic]

05:31 PM on 08/23/2009

Isn't it laughable that Obama insisted he didn't want to put the country through an investigation of Bush war crimes because he wanted to focus on health care. He forgot to tell us he was crossing his fingers behind his back. We'll get neither, and he'll have the last laugh (as well the man he works for).

[jemborg]

02:03 PM on 08/23/2009

Wow! I'm a freedom loving Aussie and I find this paranoia over decent pubic health care amazing.

We've had it for almost 30 years.

I've expounded on this in many of Huffo's threads but let me simply say... America you deserve better, do not believe the Conservative lies.

NB: It took two goes in my country to get universal Medicare established. The Conservatives got rid of it when they got voted back in. The Labor Party re-established it at the next election after that. And although they have undermined it every time they got back into power the Conservatives don't dare try to get rid of it again. What I am getting at here is you have to push HARD for it- it's NOT going to happen through bi-partisanship.

[TomTheAlmostUgly]

04:56 AM on 08/23/2009

Barack, it's about ***king time.

[HowietheScreamer]

12:30 AM on 08/23/2009

Good. Let's hope he abandons this fools errand of trying to negotiate with people who have no interest in negotiation. Fuque the Repubes.

[Prakosh]

11:42 PM on 08/22/2009

Here's at least one thing that is wrong with the health care debate. The administration is not concentrating on health care savings under a government program. If someone has a serious problem now they go the emergency room, the government picks up the cost, and the Republicans tout the wrongful conception that everybody that needs medical attention has it. The average emergency room visit as well as the ambulance ride is about $500 to a $1,000 depending on the hospital and the problem. The average doctor's visit is about $80. The costs from there came be about the same or much less depending on the efficacy of early treatment. We can serve 5-10 people or more for every emergency room visit without costing any more than we are paying right now and have much better outcomes. This aspect of the issue is not getting the attention it deserves.

Another aspect of the payment argument that isn't being pushed is the fact that the rich can easily make up the difference required for health care reform. In the fifties when the difference in wealth levels were much less they payed nearly 90 percent of their income in income taxes now they pay about 35 percent. There is plenty of room for an increase in their rates. And if they don't like it, they can come forward and explain why those who aren't insuring their workers should not be paying taxes for the government to insure them.

[jemborg]

02:03 PM on 08/23/2009

Precisely.

[citizen of the universe]

07:26 PM on 08/23/2009

Please note: If you have an address you will receive a bill for services rendered in the emergency room. Actually, you will receive 3 bills: hospital, doctor, lab, and you will pay full market value for any presription(s) you may get generic or otherwise. So the notion that you go to the emergency room and don't pay is wrong. I think that needs to be the first myth expelled. Also, if you do have insurance and have to go to emergency, you will pay an emergency room co-pay and for the ambulance ride. The emeregncy room co-pay has gone from 50 to 500 for those who get it from their employer, not to mention the follow-up visit to your physician, which office visits on average are $120 if your doctor "specializes" in any form of medicine it could be more. I just want the facts to be known, being that I worked in the insurance industry for 10 years and am now one of the many uninsured right now in America. All of us is a lay-off away from being uninsured because the price of Cobra can not be maintained on unemployment (1/3 of your salary) when gas, food, etc. is on the rise like it is now.

[jemborg]

03:13 AM on 08/24/2009

Good to see an honest insiders comment... cheers.

[ThePeoplesKey]

10:34 AM on 08/24/2009

True. But if you don't have any money, you still won't pay. You'll either just not pay or file bankruptcy and not pay. Then the bills will be paid by ever increasing insurance premiums. Hardly a solution.

[Paul Peete]

11:27 PM on 08/22/2009

Disturbence2
==============
We do have the resources? Have you been to an emergency room, or free clinic lately?
The system is congested.
Look how many places are without an OB/GYN.
How do you get people into the medical field?
==================================
The Emergency room is crowded because they are the primary care for the uninsured
Same is true of the free clinics
Where are there not women able to deliver babies safely in America?
Pay tuition for those willing to serve in Public Heath for a period of time after graduation. Like the military does. We can do this and will with or with out the Rethuglicans.

[SOLERSO68]

12:43 AM on 08/23/2009

. Yes but all of those things run against the short term interests of the coporate class.Paul im not at all sure we "won" the cold war. The older I get, and the more ive seen with my own eyes rather than just run my mouth about the more i dont think the "free market" system will survive. I really fear for the generation thats here as it finally collapses, there is no viable alternative anymore. Human nature being what it is, i really beleive that capitalism will come full cirlce and revert to a kind of 21st century, super feudalism ( no offence to robert reich). he// we're already halfway there.

[carol]

07:30 PM on 08/23/2009

The daughter of a friend went to an emergency room, pregnant and bleeding....after 8 hours of waiting, they sent her to another hospital. By the time she got there, she'd miscarried. It sickens me every time an arrogant politician with excellent health care mentions that everyone has access.
Could they be more out of touch?

[JayDDrew]

11:26 PM on 08/22/2009

will someone close to Mister Obama inform h that the 20-odd per cent of Americans who still call themselves Republicans consist mainly of the birthers, the town hall screechers and Palinites. Who cares if you piss them off? You could save their souls, they still wouldn't vote for you or give you the time of day.
Shut the Republican politicians out and get this done. They only want to sabotage you and make you a one-termer.

[SOLERSO68]

12:46 AM on 08/23/2009

unfortunately for us, that group also contains the 1% who own about 90% of the wealth. you must have noticed by now, that one of their opinions is worth about 100,000 of ours

[Forsetti]

10:38 PM on 08/22/2009

In the latest study of 19 industrialized nations, the U.S. ranks last in preventable deaths. At twice the money as almost all of the other 18 countries in the study, exactly how is our current system working?

http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/In-the-Literature/2008/Jan/Measuring-the-Health-of-Nations--Updating-an-Earlier-Analysis.aspx

All the hard data goes against our current system. If the Republicans cannot/will not recognize these facts, then it is time to banish them to their fantasy island where free markets and white men rule over all the land.

[Midnightrain]

10:42 PM on 08/22/2009

Yep, sounds like their vision for a good life. That's about it. Free markets and white men, all they need is a few test tubes and they can reproduce on their own. No need for women.

[SOLERSO68]

01:03 AM on 08/23/2009

sadly your right, although i dont think they will ever settle for test tubes, when their money can buy them whatever they want. your dead on correct though, none of those statistics mean ANYTHING to the ruling class whos lives are pretty good, and whos death rates are whos life expectancies are very long. we certainly dont matter to them and as long as we fight each other, and remain in the dark they can hold on to their power. If we ever DO come together as a class, to bring "change we need", then we'd find out just how deeply they have thier talons into our society

[cyrano1]

10:43 PM on 08/22/2009

Brilliant! A new (alternate) reality game is born!