NYT: White House Signals Health Bill May Advance Without Bipartisan Deal

[flpoljunkie]

Emphasis mine.

August 3, 2009

Health Bill May Advance Without Bipartisan Deal

By BRIAN KNOWLTON, ROBERT PEAR and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN

WASHINGTON — As White House officials and members of Congress began fanning out across the country on Sunday to make the case for or against a health-care overhaul, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said that the White House still preferred a bipartisan approach but hinted that it might consider moving forward without one.

“Ideally, you want to do this with as broad a base of consensus as possible,” he said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week” that was broadcast on Sunday. “But people on the hill are going to have to make that choice, do they want to help shape this and be part of it, or do they want this country, the United States of America, to go another several decades without doing what every other serious country has done” to provide basic health care to all.

As House members began a five-week recess, they left behind the outlines of a nearly $1 trillion health care overhaul that is sure to draw fire from a variety of interests, but which shows the beginnings of a consensus that would provide insurance for more Americans and give them new rights in dealing with insurers.

Action by House committees gives President Obama a fragile political victory but falls far short of his original goal of passage by both houses of Congress before the August recess. The Senate remains in session through Friday, but the Finance Committee chairman said the issue would have to wait.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/03/health/policy/03healthcare.html?hp

[rusty charly]

1. Go

for it.

[alsame]

2. Do it. nt

[Honeycombe8]

3. Glad to hear they finally recognized that there was never going to be a bipartisan deal.

Glad to hear they'll advance, anyway.

[Cha]

7. Who knows ..they might have known

it anyway, being the smartest ones, and played it this way.

[DrToast]

9. Yep, there IS a reason they put the reconiliation clause in the budget. nt

[Xipe Totec]

4. If I wanted bipartisanship, I would have voted for a bipartisan candidate

I voted Democratic because I want change. Change away from the tired ideas of the Republican party.

[bigjohn16]

5. Finally.

Bipartisanship has been a noose around the neck of reform from the beginning of the health care debate. How do you compromise with a group that thinks the current system is fine, you don't.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. I trust Geithner.

:silly:

[Vincardog]

8. How about this "Strip out all the GOP sponsored amendments that watered it down" Then pass it.

[Hansel]

10. +1!

[Sheepshank]

12. this

[paulk]

11. I hope this happens

we've got enough opposition within our own party without bringing the Republicans into it.