Five Prominent Republicans Encourage GOP to Back Healthcare Reform, page 1

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Topic started on 7-10-2009 @ 04:20 PM by Benevolent Heretic

Obama is pitching his hard-sell to get some GOP Congressmen to back his Health Insurance Reform bill. He's calling on other prominent Republicans to vocalize their support in order to gain support in Congress. I don't have much hope it will make any difference, but I suppose it could.

The list of high-profile, outside-the-beltway Republicans backing an overhaul of the healthcare system is raising eyebrows.

• California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

• New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (technically an independent, but he’s running for reelection on the Republican and Independence Party tickets).

• Bill Frist, the former GOP Senate majority leader and a physician whose family founded Hospital Corporation of America.

• Tommy Thompson, former secretary of Health and Human Services.

• Mark McClellan, former Medicare chief.

Source

[edit on 7-10-2009 by Benevolent Heretic]

reply posted on 7-10-2009 @ 04:34 PM by RRconservative

Prominent Republicans? Schwarzengger has star value, but that is it. None listed even have a vote in the matter.

You have to be really stretching to include Michael Bloomberg in this mix.

What is your point?

reply posted on 7-10-2009 @ 04:36 PM by GradyPhilpott

Every time I see or hear the words health care reform, I balk.

I do so because I know that this is not health care reform.

Health care reform is just a warm and fuzzy way to say more government intervention into people's lives.

Our health care system is the best in the world, so it doesn't really need reform. It might be expensive. Health insurance might be expensive. Maybe there needs to be some oversight or regulation, but what we're getting is not what it's being called.

In my lifetime, I cannot remember a time when there has not been health care for the poor.

In Louisiana, we had the Charity Hospital system. All hospitals were required to treat the indigent and budgeted for such.

Now we are being promised a reform.

I say to the government, "Physician, heal thyself!"

reply posted on 7-10-2009 @ 04:55 PM by clay2 baraka

Here's another one:

Former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole says "there will be a signing ceremony" for a health care reform bill either late this year or early next.

But the former presidential candidate says he isn't sure what the bill will say.

Dole, 86, spoke with reporters after an hour-long speech at a health care reform summit sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City.

He told the group that he and former Sens. Tom Daschle, Howard Baker, and George Mitchell will issue a statement later today urging Congress to enact health care reform as soon as possible.

- - -

UPDATE, 4:43: The statement is just from Dole and Daschle, and it's attached below. An excerpt:

"...Congress could be close to passing comprehensive health reform. The American people have waited decades and if this moment passes us by, it may be decades more before there is another opportunity. The current approaches suggested by the Congress are far from perfect, but they do provide some basis on which Congress can move forward and we urge the joint leadership to get together for America’s sake."

- - -

And he repeatedly blamed "partisanship" for the failure to produce a bill so far.

"Sometimes people fight you just to fight you," he said. "They don't want Reagan to get it, they don't want Obama to get it, so we've got to kill it...

"Health care is one of those things...Now we've got to do something."

Bob Dole must be a Communist. .

primebuzz.kcstar.com.../20187

[edit on 10/7/2009 by clay2 baraka]

reply posted on 7-10-2009 @ 05:06 PM by RRconservative

reply to post by clay2 baraka

You can't get more prominent than an 86 year old failed Presidential candidate. You guys crack me up.

6 prominent Republicans........?????????????

1 is Governor of a very left wing state.
1 is not even a Republican at all.
4 don't even hold public office.

Sorry, but I am not buying the prominence.

reply posted on 7-10-2009 @ 05:16 PM by clay2 baraka

Originally posted by RRconservative
reply to post by clay2 baraka

You can't get more prominent than an 86 year old failed Presidential candidate. You guys crack me up.

6 prominent Republicans........?????????????

1 is Governor of a very left wing state.
1 is not even a Republican at all.
4 don't even hold public office.

Sorry, but I am not buying the prominence.

A 10 year senior leadership role in the Republican Party and you are calling him "minor." Let me guess, Palin would be "major" in your little world?

Everyone is entitled to their opinion I guess. .

Dole was the leader of the Senate Republicans, serving as Majority Leader from 1985 until 1987 and again from 1995 to 1996. He served as Minority Leader from 1987 to 1995.

reply posted on 7-10-2009 @ 05:24 PM by johnny2127

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
Obama is pitching his hard-sell to get some GOP Congressmen to back his Health Insurance Reform bill. He's calling on other prominent Republicans to vocalize their support in order to gain support in Congress. I don't have much hope it will make any difference, but I suppose it could.

The list of high-profile, outside-the-beltway Republicans backing an overhaul of the healthcare system is raising eyebrows.

• California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

• New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (technically an independent, but he’s running for reelection on the Republican and Independence Party tickets).

• Bill Frist, the former GOP Senate majority leader and a physician whose family founded Hospital Corporation of America.

• Tommy Thompson, former secretary of Health and Human Services.

• Mark McClellan, former Medicare chief.

None of these Republicans back Obama's plan. They all back the idea of some sort of govt healthcare for the poorest citizens. Thats it. This article is misleading, trying to give the impressions these Republicans back Obama's plan when they don't.

reply posted on 7-10-2009 @ 05:28 PM by Walkswithfish

Never underestimate the influence of special interests and lobbyists when an agenda needs to be pushed. Even the opposing party members can be bought in various ways.

Let them pass the damned bill, and wait until 2013 to implement most of it.... By then it will hardly matter if the country is failing to produce jobs.

Lets see how the fed takes care of hundreds of millions of people.

Miracles can happen, maybe this health care reform plan will solve all of the economic problems.

reply posted on 7-10-2009 @ 05:30 PM by RRconservative

reply to post by clay2 baraka

There is a difference between a "Historical Figure" and a "Prominent Figure."

Dole belongs to the wing of the Republican Party that deperately feels the need to "get along" with, and compromise with the Democrat Party. Bob Dole was the leader of that faction that is now headed by John McCain. It is a faction that needs to be defeated if the Republican Party is to regain power.

reply posted on 7-10-2009 @ 05:36 PM by DINSTAAR

They are politicians. They are supposed to favor whatever side could get them re-elected.

Sadly, with the way things are going, I don't think they are making the right choice.

reply posted on 7-10-2009 @ 06:27 PM by Benevolent Heretic

reply to post by RRconservative

Since you're more interested in the word "prominent" than the story

let me help you out with the meaning of the word:

"2 a : readily noticeable : conspicuous
b : widely and popularly known : leading"

Yep, prominent fits. Now, can you stop the attempt to hijack the thread to critique my word choices and possibly comment on the story itself?

Or not.

My interest in this story is that I think it's fascinating how Obama is going about trying to get support for this bill. I like watching how he "plays politics". It's almost like there's a game field and he's trying to tackle the problem from all different angles. First it was Super Sunday, where he appeared on all the news shows, then the doctors, and now the push for non-Congressional Republicans. I think it's working, though.

Like the story says: