IT'S TIME FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE

Obama could start by honoring his campaign promise and C-Span's request to televise the negotiations so that those affected by this legislation, the American people, are privy to the kickbacks, shady deals and 'special' provisions that are rumored to be taking place behind closed doors.

Brian Lamb's plea on 12/30/09:

President Obama, Senate and House leaders, many of your rank-and-file members, and the nation’s editorial pages have all talked about the value of transparent discussions on reforming the nation’s health care system. Now that the process moves to the critical stage of reconciliation between the Chambers, we respectfully request that you allow the public full access, through television, to legislation that will affect the lives of every single American.

Is it worth pointing out, that the President has no actual control over CSPAN or the House-Senate negotiation process?

I don't know how many folks, especially experienced political hands, really expected Obama to broadcast healthcare reform talks on C-SPAN.

But that's what candidate Obama said he would do. He promised, on several occasions, that the American people would be able to see for themselves whether their government represented their healthcare interests.

It's been clear for months -- and especially now as Democrats try to fashion a bill, even as a Massachusetts senate race erasestheir filibuster-proof majority -- that the president and the majority party have no intention of broadcasting the healthcare endgame, if they ever did.

That's turned the White House's James S. Brady Press Briefing Room into a regular skirmish zone, not just on specifics like the scuttled C-SPAN/healthcare promise but on the larger suspicion by the media that the "change" president has settled into the same cloak-and-swagger habits as some of his predecessors.

It's an age-old dance -- reporters push for information, even some they know they'll never receive. Politicians push back -- with descriptions of how much they've done and all the reasons they can't do more.

Tension between the press and the Obama administration has peaked in part because of the candidate's bold promises about being more open.

I agree; Obama made the promise even though he doesn't control C-Span.

Is it worth pointing out, that the President has no actual control over CSPAN or the House-Senate negotiation process?

I sometimes wonder if people are taught about Division of Government anymore, the Republicans here seem to think the Prez runs the entire show himself.

Cycloptichorn

Cycloptichorn wrote:

Is it worth pointing out, that the President has no actual control over CSPAN or the House-Senate negotiation process?

I sometimes wonder if people are taught about Division of Government anymore, the Republicans here seem to think the Prez runs the entire show himself.

Cycloptichorn

Are you seriously suggesting that, had the president (say) suggested that the recent negotiations with Labor unions over the proposed taxes on "cadillac" health care plans be televised on C-SPAN, the network would have refused????

You can't be serious.

I just wonder if they learned their lesson, or will be going back to the same process of secrecy and special deals to get their votes. If they do, they are really, really, stupid people.

[No, the network wouldn't have refused, but it is Pelosi and Reid who control that, not the prez.

I agree that Obama shouldn't have made the campaign promise unless he intended to hold his people in Congress to it, but it doesn't seem like he's too intent to holding them to anything he proposed, so this sure isn't surprising...

Cycloptichorn

Not true. These negotiations were held in the White House. The notion that Pelosi and Reid function very independently of an otherwise very popular President of the same party doesn't pass the common sense test.

So you're saying that when Obama told us on eight separate occasions and over a period of at least two years, he didn't understand the system?

Or he was uninformed?

You're not accusing him of being stupid, are you?

Well, you're the one who said he doesn't understand the system.