What Johnny Isakson Promised the Tea Party Movement

Adele Stan’s write-up of Tuesday’s “Code Red” protests on Capitol Hill includes a journey into the office of Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), a surprise guest at the anti-health care reform rally who invited Tea Party leaders to come and talk with him. Here’s what they discussed.

The activists displayed impatience with the Republican strategy of prolonging debate on health-care reform by offering amendments to the bill from the Senate floor.  “We don’t want amendments,” one woman said. “We don’t want a bill.”

Isakson defended the strategy, calling it “brilliant,” and crediting Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for crafting it. “That’s the only way we can do [this] — make the other side show its hand,” he said.

One woman in the group proved to be a bit of an outlier. “If this bill is killed, will there be some sort of reform made to health care so that we can afford it?” she asked. “I don’t have health care.”

Isakson launched into the standard GOP talking point of allowing people to purchase insurance policies across state lines.

Isakson’s comments about the GOP’s actual strategy against the bill are pretty revealing.