Everybody’s talking at me.
I don’t hear a word they’re saying,
Only the echoes of my mind.
–Everybody’s Talkin’ by Harry Nilsson
I’ve been listening all morning to the President’s live healthcare summit. I must say, the President gave eloquent opening remarks about the need for reform, the need for compromise, the need to work together. For a minute, I actually believed there was hope. Then the Republicans spoke, making clear they don’t want comprehensive reform but rather a “step-by-step” approach. Or as Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said, “We don’t do comprehensive well. The country is too big, too complicated, too decentralized.” Well, at least they finally admit they have no comprehensive reform plan. The “steps” are the same ones Republicans have promoted all along: tort reform, sale of insurance across state lines, cost reductions, small business purchasing alliances and so on. Democrats, meanwhile, were noticeably frustrated about the continued obstruction. In a nutshell, everybody is saying the same things they’ve said all along, but a bit more politely because the President is in the room and it’s live on TV.
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The Reps do not want “comprehensive reform” of the type advocated by Obama and the Dem party, and neither do the American people when reform means giving over their care to a centralized bureaucracy which will break the bank.