By GottaLaff
I missed a little of this... but here you go:
"I am not an ideologue... it wouldn't make sense." If a better idea comes along, great. So how can I be an ideologue? [paraphrased]
U.S. stands as one to defend our country.
Are we going to examine issues based on what's good for the country, or position ourselves so come November, we can [blame each other]?
Q: "Will you support across the board tax cuts as Kennedy did?"
A: Laughs. What you consider across the board could be for those making a billion dollars. I may not agree to a tax cut for Buffet. Or a cut for banking industry. I may not agree to that. So we have to look at specific proposals. AND, if you ask for cuts and then say we have to balance budget, I have to look at your math.
Q: Paul Ryan: Create a Constitutional version of the line item veto, but we can't get a vote on proposal.
A: Most increases in the past year's budget weren't a consequence of policies we initiated... but of stabilizers that kick in because of recession. Increase in budget was predicted before I was sworn in. A lot of these things happen automatically.... I listen to consensus of those who know best. ... [missed some, sorry]
Line item: Every pres. would love to have it. We can have a serious conversation. It's a bipartisan proposal, you and Feingold. I don't like being held up by big bills, wasteful, but must to get funding for troops, for ex. I'd love both sides of aisle to show discipline. Earmarks not unique to one party. Wasteful spending is usually outside of your district. I'd like to work on earmarks reform, transparency, but will discuss line item veto. I'll take a look at your version.
Q: W. Virginia rep.: Jobs are #1, we agree. W. Va. is resource rich w/ coal, natural gas. We're concerned about your policies, cap and trade, aggressive EPA. Job killing policies. Willing to relook at these to assure you're listening?
A: I listen all the time... to your governor. W. Va. struggles, I know. I've said we need a comprehensive policy. I promote clean coal technology. A big promoter. I'm in ads to invest in it, ways to burn more cleanly. I'm a promoter of nuclear energy, a subject of partisan wrangling. Must be part of the energy mix. I'm in favor of increased production. So if you look at the ideas this caucus has, I agree with a lot. BUT, serious disagreement: We have to plan for the future, and the future is clean energy, cleaner forms. Even if folks are skeptical about climate change, the world's not. The world is looking to see if we develop clean tech., etc. So I want to work w/ W. Va. to seize that future. We have to transition. We can't operate coal industry as if we're still in the 1920s-50s. We have to look at next 100 years. Incentivize the new while recognizing a transition process.
Q: Utah: Freshmen here didn't create this mess, but we have to clean it up. Trust. We have not been obstructionists. Dems have House, presidency, etc. You didn't broadcast on CSPAN. You said you wouldn't allow lobbyists, you did. I was disappointed. You said you'd go line by line for h.c. bill. We were never involved in those discussions. You said you didn't want earmarks, I applauded. It didn't happen. But more important.
A: The truth is, the h.c. process... overwhelmingly, most WAS on CSPAN, Congressional hearings where you participated. Countless hearings. I kicked it off w/ a meeting w/ many of you. It's true that once it got thru committee, and were now a series of meetings all over capitol, it got messy. I should have structured it so it was all in one place where it could be filmed. Logistically, not easy, shuttling betw. House, Senate, offices, etc. But it's a legit. criticism.
Earmarks: We had no earmarks in Recovery Acts. We didn't get a lot of credit for it. Omnibus package had earmarks from a lot of you, so did we want a big budget fight? Needed to make emergency decisions, so kept them to minimum, but couldn't excise them all.
Challenge: What are you doing inside your caucus so I'm not the only one working on this? Some earmarks are defensible projects, but didn't go thru process in light of day. So, start with making them transparent.
Lobbyists: I can say unequivocally that nobody's been tougher than any previous admin. If there were carry overs from before, we didn't kick them off, but would replace when time was up. We eliminated impact of lobbyists day in day out. Handful of waivers for skilled ones, like dr. who ran Tobacco Free Kids, technically a lobbyist. But, generally, consistent.
Marsha Blackburn, Tenn.: Thank you for acknowledging that we have ideas. We have lots of ideas, amendments. Plans to lower costs, address ... blah blah. But there's bureaucracy, costs. We want to work with you. We were the test case in '94 for public option. Our DemcoCRAT govt has even cautioned that lessons should be heeded, provide guidance. We should be tossing old bad ideas out, refine good ideas. When will we start anew, sit down with you, put ideas on table, produce a product, reduce govt. interference, be fair to taxpayer? [applause, obama's annoyed]
A: Actually I've looked at many of your ideas. Some we've embraced in our package. Some, with caveats. Ex: Allow insurance companies to sell across state lines. But caveat is, we must have minimum standards or insur. co's will circumvent state regulations, cherry pick the healthiest and leave behind least healthy, which would raise premiums. So it's not that ideas aren't workable, but we have to refine them so they don't make things worse.
If you can show me, and if I get confirmation from h.c. experts, incl. doctors and nurses, ways of reducing premiums, increasing coverage, more affordability for small businesses, pre existing condition coverage, college grad coverage... if you care about those and wanna do them, I'm game.
H.c. debate: Bears on other issues. If you look at package that we presented, and there's stuff we need to eliminate... It's important to be consistent re: Keep what you have if you want. Provisions may have violated that pledge, and we're in process of scrubbing that... but at its core, businesses can buy into pool, get bargaining power, reforms I've discussed, choice in competition for those w/o insurance, all are similar to what Dole, Baker, and Daschel offered up. But that's not a radical bunch even if you disagreeed. But you'd think this was some Bolshevik plot! That's how you presented it! [applause]
So how is a centrist plan [grumbles]... I know you disagree... but if you look at the facts of this bill, most indep. observers would say this is what many Repubs proposed to Clinton.... So we've gotta close the gap between the rhetoric, and the reality. We won't agree on everything on any issue, but the way these issues are being presented by Rs is that it's a wild eyed plot to impose huge govt... so then you guys don't have room to negotiate with me. If you voted w/ us on sthg., you'd be politically vulnerable, you say. You've given yourselves very little room, because you're telling constituents I'm destroying America. Our side as well, we demonize the other side, so we can't get things done.
More Q if you have time.
I'm having fun.
So are we.Tom Price: HCR: In SOTU, you said we haven't provided ideas.
O: No I said if you bring ideas, I'd listen. It was only 2 days ago.
TP: No, you said we have no solutions or ideas. [He's listing ideas for hcr]. My q is, what do we tell constituents who know we've offered positive solutions?
O: Let's just take HCR debate. If you say we can offer coverage and it won't cost a penny, it's just not true. You can't structure a bill for 30 million and it costs nothing.
TP: Repeats Q.
O: I'm using this as a specific q. You asked, I want to answer. It's not enough, say, that we've offered a hc plan, and I look up (specific section handed to him) summary of GOP hcr bill. Reads from it... No specifics for it to work... An independent expert must say it will work, or is it boilerplate? If I'm told, for ex. that the solution to costs is tort reform... something I'm willing to work on... but CBO or other experts say at best it will reduce costs by a couple of %... or save %5 billion a year, and it will not bend cost curve long term ... then you can't claim that's the only thing we have to do. Multi state insurance, for example... I must be able to go to expert, R or Dem, who can say it won't result in cherry picking.
So I'm committed to working with you, but can't be unsubstantiated political positions... or we're selling U.S. bill of good. Easy thing to do is [lists hcr ideas], and say it won't cost anything. That's great politics... it's just not true. Must be a test of realism, even my own policies. I'll be held accountable if what I'm selling doesn't deliver.
Mike Pence just said O and Pelosi ignored their legislation.O: I read it, Mike. The good ideas, we take. But it can't be all or nothing one way or the other. By that I mean, if we put a Stim pkg. that 1/3 are tax cuts supported by you, etc. And maybe there's stuff in there you don't like... [gives examples], if there's uniform opposition because the R caucus doesn't get 100% or 80%, then it'll be hard to get a deal done. Not how democracy works. So my hope is to break components up... so that if you have a particular issue on policy reform, say, we may not agree on all, but we might agree on some. You may not support overall jobs package, but maybe small business tax credit. Just because my admin. supports it, doesn't mean you should oppose.
Q: Peter Roskam Illinois: ou took on controversial subject: Death penalty reform, ethics reform, made good deals. Over past year in my view, that attribute hasn't been in full bloom. Subtext of House Rs who really want solutions, but they've been stiff armed by Pelosi. You're not in charge of that chamber, but Cantor and Boehner were shut out of stim. alternative. "Mr. No." How do we move fwd? Job creation, Panama, S. Korea, Colombia... Powerful...will you work on no cost job creation? Obstacle is Dem. caucus.
A: We have worked together, you and I. WE have to be careful about what we say about each other sometimes. Our constituents start believing us, not realizing it could be just politics, on both sides. A tone of civility instead of slash and burn is helpful, but media sometimes responds to that more. Civility won't run in newspapers. [jokes w/ them a little, gets laughs] Both sides can take blame for sour climate on capitol hill. I can help, bring R and Dem leadership together on regular basis w/ me. My bad. I should foster communications. [paraphrased]
Trade: You're right, there's fissures w/in Dem party, and probably R party too. We're trying to get enforcement side tight, that China abides, not stealing intellectual property, etc. Hope we can move fwd. with trade agreements, that they'll be reciprocal. You're right, though, that S. Korea is great ally... must seize opportunity. Trade must combine opening their markets w/ enforcement as well as opening ours. Hopefully we can do that over several years.
Q: Jim Penserling, Texas: National debt. We spoke about it. We have small kids, you and I. I felt your sincere commitment that our kids won't inherit huge debt. Under current law, cost of govt will grow to 40% of economy when they're college age. Rs proposed a budget a year ago that froze immediately non defense discretionary spending.... I think that was ignored. What were the old annual deficits under Rs are now monthly under Dems. [Obama laughed] I understand spending is necessary, per you, in recession. We disagree, but respect that. But your admin. proposed budget tripling national debt. [Obama shaking head] and move cost of govt. to 24 % of nat'l economy.
A: I disagree w/ half of this, at some point you'll let me answer.
Q: Will this continue?
A: W/ all due respect. This is an example of how hard to be bipartisan. Whole q. was talking pt. for running a campaign. Let's talk about budget once again. When we came in, deficit was 1.3 trillion. 1.3. So to say I have monthly deficit, etc. it's factually not true and you know it. What is true is we came in already w/ 1.3 trillion deficit before I passed a law. Nothing to do with what we'd done. Had to do w/ in 2000, w/ surplus, a R. congress, admin., tax cuts not paid for, things passed not paid for, 2 wars done thru supplementals, plus lost revenue... 8 trillion dollars. We increased it w/ stim. spending. [Challenges him on his accuracy v. Obama's] I read serious proposal... some ideas I agree with, some we need debate.. Long term liability driven by Medicare, Medicaid. SS, we could fix, manageable. But Medicare, Medicaid... big.
Your proposal: Provide vouchers for current Medicare recipients. I want to be fair. I've read it. Hold costs constant to make sure it doesn't go out of whack, right?
R: Pt of our plan, reform for younger generations. Give people Congress plan [applause]
O: Legit, but 2 probs: One, depending on structure, if recipient suddenly get plan w/ flat reimbursements, but hc costs go up, then we save money by capping what they get relative to their costs. 2: When we modestly proposed in our hcr to eliminate subsidies to insurance co's for Medicare Advantage, we were attacked for slashing Medicare. Remember? "We're gonna cut medicare for seniors", scared seniors! If main question is what to do about Medicare costs, any proposal that Paul makes will be painted as cutting benefits, right? A political vulnerability to doing anything that tinkers with Medicare. I raise this 'cause we can't do anything if we characterize proposals as irresponsible, hurt sr. citizens. So if we frame debates to solve them, then we can't start with blame, how to make Americans afraid, and that's how our politics works now.
Every time someone speaks in Congress, Luntz has polled, has talking points, we'll box in Obama, Pelosi. I like Frank, but that's how we operate. It's all tactics, no solving problems. We need serious conversation about budget, debt, hcr, etc. not position ourselves politically. We won't always agree, but I'm committed to doing it.
Commentary on MSNBC: Jay Rockefeller is not hopeful. The convo may be civil, say sir, etc., but then underneath, nothing is happening. .. Sad, terribly sad. HCR is so important, the single biggest jobs program we can come up with. Yet, no R votes. The president dismantled their suggestions. Wish we could soar above the whole thing, pretend we were all grown ups. We will do that with hcr. We will do that. ... THERE IS NO WAY HEALTH CARE WON'T PASS BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.
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