Says CNN today:

In a last-ditch attempt to craft a bipartisan health care reform bill, President Obama will release a new proposal Wednesday that will include Republican ideas on tort reform and health savings accounts, according to Democratic officials familiar with the plans.

But top Republicans, including House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, immediately said the new proposal is not good enough and reiterated calls for the president to scrap the plan and start over.

We have heard this before.  Remember when so much time and effort went into courting Senator Snowe?  She had a list of 5-6 things she wanted to see in order to vote for the bill.  And then the democrats compromised, and then she voted, “No.”

I remember when there was a public option on the table.  And then the democrats compromised, and then the opponents voted, “No.”

I remember when the GOP asked for the bill to be posted 72 hours before the health care summit.  And the Democrats did.  And the GOP complained when they did.

Joe Lieberman, don’t get me started.  Same thing–ask for something and then turn your back once you get it?  Come on.

Good faith negotiations

At some point, a negotiation needs to be predicated on the good faith that compromise will involve both parties giving in order to land someplace that both can be satisfied enough with.

If, however, a gesture from one side doesn’t yield a gesture from the other, then that gesture should not be extended.  To wit, if the GOP is not going to vote for this thing no matter what happens, then they really don’t have much of a seat at the table.

The Death Panel media deluge

When the GOP could have been formulating ideas with the Democrats, they chose to Kill the Bill.  They chose the logjam path.  If they could kill the bill, they could dethrone the new administration.  It was going to be their Waterloo, we heard.

So what now?

If you’re not going to get any Republican votes despite your best efforts, don’t bother.  Lock ‘em out.  If this were a Republican administration, it would be “get ‘er done” time, and they wouldn’t be standing outside Democrat’s houses with boomboxes and love notes.  They would be ramming through their agenda unapologetically, and if asked about excluding Democrats, they would be saying, “You’re God-damned right I did, and I would do it again.”

I don’t agree with their agenda, but I think I like their process better in times like these.