Dems Prepare Final ObamaCare Bill Without Republicans

Democrats apparently are reaching final agreement on what the ObamaCare compromise should look like... without Republican participation. The plan is to push that compromise bill through using budget reconciliation without any Republican support.
http://realclearpolitics.com/news/ap/politics/2010/Feb/18/white_house__dems_near_accord_on_health_care_bill.html

The White House and congressional leaders are preparing a detailed health care proposal designed to win passage without Republican support if GOP lawmakers fail to embrace bipartisan compromises at President Barack Obama's summit next week.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday that Obama plans to have a health care proposal that "will take some of the best ideas and put them into a framework" ahead of the Feb. 25 summit.

They claim they will have the bill posted by Monday... three days before the scheduled summit. But Republicans are asking a very good question... if the Democrats have already decided to push their liberal bill through using reconciliation, then why bother having a summit?
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/81957-house-gop-if-dems-are-finishing-healthcare-bill-why-have-a-summit

"We’re one week away from the ‘bipartisan’ White House health care summit, and Washington Democrats are scrambling to salvage their massive — and quite partisan — government takeover of health care," the statement says. "But for all that, Democrats may not even have a backroom deal ready by the summit despite promises to post it online in advance.

"We don’t need a six-hour infomercial for the latest Democratic backroom deal. We need to start over on real health care reforms to lower costs. That’s what the American people want, and what they deserve."

After Obama announced his plan for the summit, GOP leaders seemed to endorse the idea but have since questioned the White House's motives amid indications that House and Senate Democrats continue to work with the White House on merging the bills that passed both chambers and that the White House is working on its own set of proposals based on that legislation. So far, the only Republican to publicly announce that he'll show up for the summit has been Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee ranking member Mike Enzi (Wyo.).

This is what I've been saying since I heard about the "bipartisan summit"... the Democrats want to hurt Republicans and help get their liberal bill passed. Attending the summit can't help Republicans at all.

So send a representative to make clear that a bipartisan agreement MUST begin with the existing bills being scrapped. Starting over is the ONLY way bipartisanship can even be seriously attempted.

The fact that the Democrats are continuing work on their liberal bill and intend to push it through using reconciliation indicates they never had any intention of really engaging in bipartisan negotiations.

Political theatre... as I've said all along.