According to David Axelrod on tv this morning, they're going to call the health care reform bill bipartisan because they have accepted over 80 amendments from Republicans, even if none of them vote for the final bill. (Yea, just like they did on the stimulus bill.)
Senator Grassley shoots that down and says those were not substantive amendments but technicalities, so no way are Repubicans going to call this bipartisan.
I understand the wish for enough Repub support to call it bipartisan, especially this issue which will cost tons of money and probably have a wobbly time getting implemented -- so it's "share the blame" thinking, as well as needing their votes.
But Obama seems too quick to compromise -- sometimes signalling what he's willling to give up even ahead of negotiations.
Senator Jay Rockfeller said it best:
"But do you want to be non-partisan and get nothing? Or do you want to be partisan and end up with a good health- care plan? That is the choice."To me, it's a crystal clear choice. We need a good, workable plan -- and that has to, it must, include at the very least a government-sponsored plan to compete with private insurance
Ralph
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