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January 15, 2010
Obama Summons Dems to WH for Late-Night Health Reform Talks
Obama Summons Dems to White House for Late-Night Health Reform Talks
President Obama summoned House and Senate Democratic leaders to the White House late Thursday to discuss an apparent breakthrough in health care reform negotiations -- on the make-or-break issue of taxing high-value health plans and other issues.
After enduring months of criticism that he was too detached from negotiations -- criticism mostly expressed in Democratic cloakrooms on Capitol Hill -- Obama has jumped in with both feet. He has personalized a marathon push to land a health care deal this week or early next week, telling lawmakers and key stakeholders that he will not tolerate failure and that compromises, even hard ones, must be achieved on a tight schedule.
Obama began meeting with twelve top Democrats at 9 p.m., and the meeting has no scheduled end time. This comes after most of the same lawmakers spent more than eight hours at the White House on Wednesday trying to hammer out a deal.
The breakthrough announced Thursday was a biproduct of the previous days talks: a deal on so-called "Cadillac" insurance plans. The White House and top union leaders heralded the agreement, which shields all union workers for five years from significant taxes on health benefit packages that non-union workers will face starting in 2013.
On Tuesday, Obama told union leaders who came to the White House to express their opposition to the excise taxes that they would not deter him and they must accept the tax in some form. Under those conditions, union leaders sought various exemptions, even though some in their membership adamantly opposed any tax on health benefits.
Republican critics called the union deal another back-room favor handed out in secret talks that violated Obama's promise of transparency.
Wild Thing's comment..........
Some late night arm twisting and knee-capping, the Chicago way! Good grief, how many many end of week, late night, wear down sessions does it take to pass a deeply flawed, socialist agenda?!! And isn't it wonderful how Obama has eliminated partisanship by only talking to Democrats.
Posted by Wild Thing at January 15, 2010 03:50 AM
Comments
Why are the unions getting a free pass on this Health Reform crap ? It's payback for all the money raised during the campaign. When is that debt paid ?
And why are the American People paying obama's debt?
The White house is all socialism all of the time.
I just sent a donation to Scott Brown hopefully he wins this thing and take away that super majority from the deficrats.
Posted by: Mark at January 15, 2010 11:05 AM
Back room, under the table, crooked politics. Exactly the opposie of what obama promised. Nixon was run out of office for the same thing. Of course the difference is obama has the dying MSM on his side.
Posted by: TomR at January 15, 2010 01:07 PM
Shouldn't be much longer and O'Vomit will be impeached. Trial, found guilty, removed and then removed.
Posted by: cuchieddie(Enemy of the State) at January 15, 2010 02:52 PM
Hope! Change! MMM MMM MMM Barack Hussein Obama! What a crock. This is the worst bunch that's ever had power in this country. Lyin' thievin' rats.
Posted by: Jim at January 15, 2010 04:41 PM
Osama is not for health reform he is for complete control and joining with a utopian new world order. He is a disgrace to the office he lied and cheated to obtain. He is our nations greatest danger.
Posted by: Bob A at January 15, 2010 08:50 PM
It is so shocking how they keep getting away
with this, behind closed doors thing. And so many
people don't even realize this kind of thing
goes on with Obama, Pelosi etc. grrrrrr
Posted by: Wild Thing at January 16, 2010 01:34 AM
