Obama showed it all at the health care summit, giving Democrats twice as much speaking time as the GOP. But how well did Republicans respond?
Depends on who you’re talking to.
“I think we have to start by recognizing that Republicans brought their A-team with them.” They had doctors who knew the system, presented substantive content and, I believe, expressed an interest in reform,” wrote AB Stoddard of The Hill’s. “I thought Democrats were almost on their knees today.”
This was not the only opinion.
“Republicans aren’t tough enough,” said American Spectator’s Quin Hillyer. “Republican Party politicians, here and in most forums, simply do not know how to ask questions in a way that best reflects their point of view. It’s really painful.”
It’s clear that Republicans were on the defensive, but given the structure of the debate, there really was no other option, said Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity, which is fighting the Democratic health care bill.
“When the President of the United States says, ‘I want to talk about this issue, you have to listen,'” Phillips said. He believed that Republicans managed to hold their ground and do the best they could given the circumstances.
President Obama appointed himself moderator and keynote speaker – speaking as much as members of each party. However, given the total speaking time allowed, these GOPers had to deliver their remarks much more quickly – and with much less detail – than their Democratic colleagues.
The House Minority Leader, Republican John Boehner (Ohio), was one of the main GOP participants who rejected some of the claims made by Obama. During the last session of the day – the session designated by the President to discuss powers – Boehner complained that a government takeover of health care would bankrupt the country. Here is the President’s reaction:
“Right now our focus is on the issue of federal powers. I will come back to you at the end of the session to answer a number of questions you have just asked.
The president has never done this.
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) tried to get some specifics in the first session, providing specific numbers on the cost of health insurance for various insurance plans. But he spoke quickly because he knew Obama was trying to interrupt – which Obama did, interrupting Kyle with a story about his college years.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) tried to raise the issue of reconciliation and political will to pass a health care bill.
“The American people are not particularly interested in the procedures inside the Senate,” Obama replied. “They are interested in how we bring this issue to a vote.”
This, Phillips said, paints Democrats in a bad delicate.
“When he attacked McCain, I thought the president looked exasperated and, frankly, unpresidential,” Phillips said. “McCain made a perfectly reasonable point, and Obama attacked him in a very personal way. I think the Republicans played it as best they could.
However, Chip Hanlon, editor of RedCountry.com, believes there is more room for improvement on the Republican side. He noted that when Sen. Max Baucus, D-Montreal, went on a detailed tirade about the costs, Republicans just sat there quietly.
“Our side is not fighting, it is actually – amazingly – negotiating! “The appropriate response to Baucus’ comments would be to interrupt him and remind him that our side does not even agree on the Democrats’ basic premise: that government plays a role in providing health care,” Hanlon wrote. “Instead, the viewer is left to assume – what? – that maybe Republican heads across the table were nodding in agreement with Baukus’s claim?”
