Ahead Of Thursdays's Health Care Summit, Democrats Still Pretty Much Nowhere

Of course, it's all the Republicans fault.

Except for Harry "Please Don't Beat Your Wife" Reid, Obama's warmed over version of the Senate's bill hasn't impressed anyone.

“I was actually surprised that they’re pushing it again. The most important thing is jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs. We need to focus on jobs,” said Rep. Heath Shuler, North Carolina Democrat and a leader of the 54-member Blue Dog coalition of conservative Democrats.

Shuler, speaking to The Daily Caller on his way out of a meeting of the Democratic caucus on Monday evening at the Capitol, expressed the sentiment that is increasingly common in Washington, the reason so many are scratching their heads at Obama’s insistence on trying to pass a catch-all piece of legislation.

“I don’t think a comprehensive bill can pass,” he said.

...House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Maryland Democrat, knocked down the idea that the president’s proposal represented a product that all Democrats were supporting unquestionably, undermining the White House argument that Republicans must unite behind one proposal before Thursday’s meeting at the White House.

“I’m not sure there is a ‘this bill.’ We have a bill. The Senate’s got a bill. The president has put a proposal on the floor. We’re going to talk on Thursday,” Hoyer said in an interview on his way out of the meeting.

Pelosi says of course they are going to pass a bill but she always says that.

There's also still the matter of abortion funding. Bart Stupak isn't buying Obama's language.

"Unfortunately, the president's proposal encompasses the Senate language allowing public funding of abortion," Stupak wrote in a statement released Tuesday morning.

He was unequivocal in the next line, saying, "The Senate language is a significant departure from current law and is unacceptable."

And just for fun, Obama and his minions are lying when they say the Republicans don't have a health care plan. They are also simultaneously demanding, as Hoyer points out, that Republicans have one plan. This is pretty funny since the Democrats have 3 at last count. I guess that's ok because the Democrats are in charge or something.

I still don't see anything passing. You can talk about reconciliation all you want but there's not even agreement on what they'd be passing that way. Tomorrow's show is going to produce nothing but a chance for the Democrats to say they tried to work with the Republicans and they will go the nuclear route. Problem is they are fools calling their own bluff. That never works out for anyone.

Unrelated...I see people are asking about Ace. I emailed back and forth with him a bit yesterday so he's alive and well.

*Thanks to Kratos for correcting me on the date of the summit. I changed the headline to reflect, you know, reality.

posted by DrewM. at 12:30 PM

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