Health Care Summit (Live Thread)

[Olo401]

I don't recall ever seeing a "live thread" here but this should be a good one.. The live broadcast of the health care summit between the President and Congress should be starting within the next 15-30 minutes. It's expected to last six hours plus a lunch break.

If you want to watch, it's being carried live w/ commercial breaks on CNN & MSNBC (no idea about FNC they'll probably carry part of it). And if you don't care for commercials it's being broadcast on CSPAN3 and c-span.org (streaming Flash.. ooo that's hawt!).

[Olo401]

Should be starting up in a few minutes.. in the meantime I saw this article yesterday at Politico on the seating arrangement - similar to international summits it will be a square table. Republicans had complained that it would be lecture-style, similar to about a month ago when Obama "schooled" a gathering of their members.

[tyven]

its onnnn

[willriker]

Thank you for making this thread. I'm at work, so i was a bit uspet at not being able to catch updates on it. heres hoping this thread gets updated through out the day.

It could be kind of fun to chat on what people are saying, with occasional updates.

good idea man.

[Olo401]

No prob.. I'm at work as well so I'll try to keep up with what's going on as best I can.

[Mizango]

Why would anyone want to watch team no say "no u" for 6 straight hours.

[Tajin]

How much out of those 6hrs go to 'I thank so and so' ?

[willriker]

no u!

[Olo401]

List of attendees & seating..:

Spoiler: show

The President will be seated in the middle of one side of the hollow square, with the Vice President, Secretary Sebelius, and congressional Leadership seated alongside him. Members will be seated by caucus around the square.

1. Senator Harry Reid, D-NV, Majority Leader

1. Senator Mitch McConnell, R-KY, Republican Leader

1. Senator Dick Durbin, D-IL, Majority Whip

1. Senator Jon Kyl, R-AZ, Republican Whip

1. Senator Max Baucus, D-MT, Chairman of the Finance Committee

1. Senator Chuck Grassley, R-IA, Ranking Member of the Finance Committee

1. Senator Tom Harkin, D-IA, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

1. Senator Mike Enzi, R-WY, Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

1. Senator Chris Dodd, D-CT, Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

1. Senator Chuck Schumer, D-NY

1. Senator Patty Murray, D-WA

1. Senator Kent Conrad, D-ND

1. Senator Jay Rockefeller, D-WV

1. Senator Ron Wyden, D-OR

1. Senator Lamar Alexander, R-TN

1. Senator John Barrasso, R-WY

1. Senator Tom Coburn, R-OK

1. Senator John McCain, R-AZ

1. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA

1. Representative Steny Hoyer, D-MD, Majority Leader

1. Representative John Boehner, R-OH, Republican Leader

1. Representative James Clyburn, D-SC, Majority Whip

1. Representative Eric Cantor, R-VA, Republican Whip

1. Representative Charles Rangel, D-NY, Chairman of the Ways and Committee

1. Representative Dave Camp, R-MI, Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee

1. Representative Henry Waxman, D-CA, Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee

1. Representative Joe Barton, R-TX, Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee

1. Representative George Miller, D-CA, Chairman of the Education and Labor Committee

1. Representative John Kline, R-MN, Ranking Member of the Education and Labor Committee

1. Representative John Dingell, D-MI Chair Emeritus of the Energy and Commerce Committee

1. Representative Xavier Becerra, D-CA

1. Representative Louise Slaughter, D-NY

1. Representative Robert Andrews, D-NJ

1. Representative Jim Cooper, D-TN

1. Representative Paul Ryan, R-WI

1. Representative Marsha Blackburn, R-TN

1. Representative Charles Boustany, R-LA

1. Representative Peter Roskam, R-IL

** Note: Senator McConnell and Leader Boehner will designate one additional Republican member to attend.**

Obama's giving a kind of opening statement now. wtf @ the size of the name cards

[Olo401]

Why would anyone want to watch team no say "no u" for 6 straight hours.

Actually I don't think it's gonna be like that.. quite a few people came prepared from what I saw before everyone was seated. Rep. Cantor actually had what looked like a copy of the bill and was flipping through taking last-minute notes, so I have some hope that there will at least be constructive dialogue.

[Olo401]

I expected Obama to go hard on offense, but I didn't expect it right from the start. He's calling out the Repubs using their own words.

[Mizango]

no u!

!

[Tajin]

I expected Obama to go hard on offense, but I didn't expect it right from the start. He's calling out the Repubs using their own words.

I dont see no obama in that flash stream.
Edit: Never mind is on C-SPAN3 stream...

[Acturus]

Am I watching the same thing? I've got coverage of the Senate proceedings, not the Blair house.

*edit* nvm, I was watching C-Span 1, not 3.

[Olo401]

You need to click over to the alternate feed - top right corner under beta Flash, click on CSPAN3.

Sen. Alexander (R-TN) now speaking..

[Not not Mattaru]

"If you succeed, the country succeeds, but we would like you to change the direction you are going".

Translation - The direction = GOP.

[Olo401]

Welp that's where it stands.. He admits that they met with Obama last year and Republican ideas were added to the bill, but now his party wants the entire bill scrapped.

And now he's going on about the Gang of 14? What does that have to do with anything?

Edit: oh.. the reconciliation thing. That's not gonna happen anyways, but even if it did there's plenty of precedent (COBRA, SCHIP, Bush's 2001 Tax Cuts)

[Not not Mattaru]

Welp that's where it stands.. He admits that they met with Obama last year and Republican ideas were added to the bill, but now his party wants the entire bill scrapped.

Negotiation cop-out number one: give an extreme stipulation for negotiation.

It starts a negotiation on an exclusionary tone from the get go. Some people may see it as hard bargaining, but it is not really effective bargaining if it goes beyond arguing with a hawker.

[Acturus]

Is it just me, or is Pelosi suggesting that health insurance should not be tied to employers?

she just went on a mini-rant about not having time to restart, and then discussed how Americans are "job locked" blaming cost of coverage.

I have no problem with her suggestion that starting over is a bad thing, but she just threw her own comments under the bus.

[willriker]

need more details!

so, Obama came out swinging. He say anything interesting?