Boehner: Scrap the Health Care Bill, Start Over With Republicans
The GOP’s leader in the House pounces on today’s New York Times report that the White House is ready to go it alone if Republicans won’t back a health care bill.
“„Months ago, Republicans sent the President a letter noting areas of potential common ground on health care reform and requesting a meeting with him to discuss a bipartisan way forward … Now, Democratic leaders find themselves all alone … The more the American people learn about this plan, the less they like it. It’s time for President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and congressional Democrats to scrap this costly plan, start over and work with Republicans[.]”
As Greg Sargent points out, polling consistently finds that Americans blame Republicans, not the president, for the lack of bipartisan progress in Washington. Republicans have tried to have it both ways, pronouncing their unanimous January and February votes against the stimulus as the start of their comeback, while complaining that the president won’t keep inviting them to the table.