Last Thursday, U.S. President Barack Obama gathered lawmakers from both sides of the political spectrum to discuss health care reform in a bipartisan summit at Blair House, just across the street from the White House. Prior to the actual six-hour-plus summit, the news (both sides of it) publicly claimed that these talks will be no more than a political show, achieving little, if any, progress. It would be nothing more than a public “stunt” and “spectacle,” they said, verbally dooming the discussions to failure before they even started.
I would like to think that I was a bit more optimistic than that. Or, maybe it’s just I believe events should only be judged after they get a chance to actually happen. Nevertheless, in the aftermath of the summit, I thought positively of it. If there’s anything that you can get out of the “spectacle” on Thursday, it’s that bipartisan reform is possible. Sadly, the fact that it’s possible does not make the chances of it happening really good.
The summit really only became productive after a few hours. Toward the beginning, it seemed that both sides simply came with talking points, ready to create the speculated political theater. True progress did occur, but that can’t easily erase the mistakes that both sides made.
The members of the GOP came into the room strong and predetermined, as usual. Political moves, like having the 2,400-page-plus bill in front of Republican Rep. Eric Cantor, were low.
We get it. The bill’s a bit long, just like every other major piece of legislation out there. Move on, already.
Moreover, for what seemed like an eternity, Democrats criticized aspects of the plan while the Republicans repeatedly called for the entire bill process to be restarted. It’s a summit on reforming the bill lawmakers have been slaving over for months, not creating an entirely new one. There are of course political reasons behind the Republican opposition, but the upcoming midterm elections really should have nothing to do with their arguments. All the American people saw during the first few hours was the transformation of the “Party of No” into the “Party of Hell No.” Hardly a wanted reform.
The main fault I have with Democrats today is their apparent lack of unity, which was given a more prominent showing at the summit. But, the biggest mistake Democrats face is having too many expectations. Democrats are hoping for a story-book ending that just will not happen. Health care reform has to be pushed through Congress now while the Democrats have control, and if they wait too long to do accomplish anything productive, it will be too late as they will find their seats vacated after the midterm elections. Unite and vote the bill through already.
As controversial as reconciliation might be, it is imperative to pass this bill as soon as humanly possible. If these rules were good enough for Bush to pass through his controversial tax cuts, then it’s fine to use them to help bring health care coverage to the 30 million Americans without it today.
Aside from these faults and short-comings, the summit really was a joy to watch. The president agreeing with one of Sen. John McCain’s points after a previous jab was just heartwarming. The true political stars that emerged from both sides of the political field, like Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin or Republican Sen. Tom Coburn, showed that we still have politicians that come to meetings prepared, researched and ready to actually do their jobs.
As divided as our politicians might be on health care reform, not one of the attendees said the summit wasn’t worth having. And that in itself is a major win. While bipartisanship is still just a dream, these small events show that maybe one day we can find ourselves on the path to true political cooperation.
