What Does ‘Moderate’ Arlen Specter Think About Democrats’ Lack Of Bipartisanship On Health Care?

Wednesday, 17 June 2009 13:43

WASHINGTON – As the U.S. Senate prepares to embark on an important debate surrounding much-needed health care reform, the Democrat Senate leadership has made one thing clear: they don’t intend to work with Republicans and make this critical debate a bipartisan endeavor if they don’t have to.

According to Politico yesterday, “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he’ll ditch bipartisanship in the Senate if it means getting a health care reform bill.”

And as Roll Call reported today, “…Democrats are emphasizing their own policy preferences and conceding the unlikelihood of attracting significant Republican support for the legislation… [D]isagreement over the public plan option has grown into an obstacle overshadowing whatever agreement there might be on other aspects of reform. The cost of an overhaul — and how to pay for it — are also extremely contentious issues.”

“Given the national importance of the health care debate, voters should rightly wonder whether supposedly ‘moderate’ Democrat Arlen Specter will stand up to his liberal Party’s leadership and demand a bipartisan effort?” asked National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokeswoman Amber Wilkerson. “Will Specter stand up to Harry Reid and reject government-run health care, or will he once again pander to the left-wing of his new Party?  How he approaches this critical debate will be an important issue in his re-election bid next year.”

Notably, the Democrat leadership’s efforts to block Republicans from participating in the health care reform debate comes amid what the Associated Press called today “eye-popping new cost estimates” for the Democrats’ plan.  In a report earlier this week, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) pegged the cost of the Democrats’ health care plan at well in excess of one trillion dollars.