After the rip-roaring Q&A with House Republicans late last month, President Obama has called on Congressional Democrats and Republicans to hash out their differences on health care reform–live on television. The health care summit is scheduled for February 25th. Republicans are trying to get their act together in order to prepare after getting their booties kicked by President O in the last Q&A, and are none too happy about having to continue debating health care, which they would rather push off the table entirely. Meanwhile, the White House wants you to know that the summit isn’t about pressing the rest button on health care reform, but rather is about “re-engaging” the GOP.
Meanwhile, the stalling of health care reform in D.C. has opened up the possibility of dramatic action in the states: California has proposed a single-payer system within its borders, Republican forces are mobilizing in two-thirds of all states to pass legal reforms that would outlaw have mandated health insurance (though federal law would supersede any such stipulation anyway), and Missouri, Virginia, and New Jersey are all contemplating reforms to expand coverage.
Bottom line: a lot of things may be up in the air right now. Clearly, Democrats are trying to be as overtly bipartisan as possible in order to give the GOP a chance to contribute–which, if history is any guide, they won’t. The real question is how the White House and Congress responds if Republicans continue to stonewall–how far across the aisle do the Democrats have to reach before they, and voters, feel that they’ve given cooperation a real chance? And how far states will get in implementing their own health care reform before the Beltway blowhards get their you-know-what together?
