The Senate reconvened at 2 PM today and Perjurer Roland Burris (D-IL) was recognized for the annual reading of George Washington’s Farewell Address. Could the Democrats stoops any lower? The Senate then begin consideration of Democrats’ jobs bill, H.R. 2847, with an amendment (#3310) from Majority Leader Harry Reid serving as the basis for debate and will vote on cloture at 5:30 PM.Prior to Thursday’s health care summit at the White House, President Obama released his latest proposal for a comprehensive health care reform bill. The proposal is based on the bill that the Senate passed on a party-line vote in December just before Scott Brown was elected in a special election in Massachusetts. According to The Washington Post, “The plan, which went live on the White House Web site at 10 a.m., rejects repeated calls from Republicans to scrap Democratic efforts from last year and start over. Instead, it attempts to merge the Senate legislation with its counterpart in the House in ways that would address some of the most controversial provisions in the stalled bill.”
With Obama starting from the Senate bill, he is going back to a bill the American people have already rejected. Last month, a Gallup poll found that 55% prefer that Congress suspend work on the Democrats’ current proposals and start over. And the recent New York Times/CBS News poll found 55% disapprove of President Obama’s handling of health care, a new high in disapproval. Democrats’ health care reform plans are just as unpopular as ever, yet the White House is going back to them this week, despite the talk of a new proposal.
Over the weekend, much of the discussion around the president’s plan focused on a provision that would “giv[e] the federal government new power to block excessive rate increases by health insurance companies,” according to The New York Times. This is a stunning admission by the White House that their health care reform plans will not rein in costs as they’ve been promising for over half a year.
Obama said in his weekly address Saturday, “I am inviting members of both parties to take part in a bipartisan health care meeting, and I hope they come in a spirit of good faith.” But Greg Sargent reports this morning, “In the course of unveiling Obama’s new health reform proposal on a conference call with reporters this morning, White House advisers made it clearer than ever before: If the GOP filibusters health reform, Dems will move forward on their own and pass it via reconciliation.”
So President Obama will be opening this summit with a proposal that has at its core a bill that’s been resoundingly rejected by the American people and a plan to exclude Republicans and jam it through against bipartisan opposition. Most Americans can agree with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell assessment on on Fox News Sunday: “[T]he fundamental point I want to make is the arrogance of all of this. You know, they are saying, ‘Ignore the wishes of the American people. We know more about this than you do. And we're going to jam it down your throats no matter what.’ That is why the public is so angry at this Congress and this administration over this issue.”
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