This is why you can't negotiate with terrorists.....

[marmar]

from OpenLeft:



As condition for participation in summit, Republicans demand summit be scrapped
by: Chris Bowers

Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 12:53


I have learned, in background discussions with Republican leaders, of additional demands they have made to President Obama on the proposed health care summit. While these demands were later removed from the letter they eventually sent to President Obama, I have been able to reconstruct them here:

1. The bipartisan health care summit must be scrapped in order to secure Republican participation in the summit.

2. The elimination from public instruction in Serbia, both as regards the teaching body and the methods of instruction, all that serves or might serve to foment the propaganda against Austria-Hungary.

3. A bowl of M&M candies, with all the brown M&M's removed, should be placed in the Republican dressing room.

4. Leia and the Wookiee must never again leave this city.

Snark aside, here are the actual absurd demands:

1. Scrap the House and Senate health care bills

2. Never use budget reconciliation for health care

3. Post all ideas he will propose at the summit online 72 hours before the summit

4. Invite Democrats who opposed the bill to the summit

5. Invite state legislators who oppose the bill to the summit

6. Invite actuaries from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services

7. Invite members from the Congressional Budget Office

8. Allow Republicans to invite an unspecified list of other health care experts.

9. Invite labor leaders only on the condition that you call their participation in the process "sweetheart deals."

10. Broadcast on television all discussions President Obama has on health care with anyone ever.

The letter also contains lots of bold face type. As we all know, if it isn't in bold face, you don't really mean it.


http://www.openleft.com/diary/17302/as-condition-for-participation-in-summit-republicans-demand-summit-be-scrapped

[Subdivisions]

1. Who the fuck do they think they are? n/t

[T Wolf]

4. They "think" they are in charge. Circumstances and actions by COngress would seem to support

that belief.

If only the Dems would set them straight...

[FiveGoodMen]

5. "If only the Dems would set them straight..."

If only the Dems were opposed to the republican agenda.

[Gold Metal Flake]

6. +1

[jobycom]

2. Bold face type is for when regular whining isn't strong enough.

Or for when they want to lie more emphatically.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. That's Mad Hatter logic.

[Warpy]

7. I can put it a lot more simply than that

You can't negotiate with anyone who has thrown out all the rules of civilized behavior because negotiations presume civilized behavior by both parties to the negotiation.

Republicans threw out any pretense of obeying the laws of god or man as well as consideration for anything but party power many years ago. It's become a self sustaining monstrosity, a caricature of a political party.

Since they don't respect any of what we associate with civilized behavior, we can't possibly negotiate with them on the basis of such behavior.

It's time to change the rules.

[Solly Mack]

8. Well, that's certainly the GOP definition of bipartisanship

Do as we tell you to do or we won't participate (and then we'll accuse you of not including us)

[JackRiddler]

9. You're wrong about something.

Demand #3: They want brown M&Ms ONLY.

As in, shirts.

[ChicagoSuz219]

10. The President's response:

"That's never gonna happen. Thanks for playing." ;-)