Obama: "Happy to" go over Health Care bill "line by line" with any Congressmen (McCain, Representatives)

[Little-Acorn]

Yes, he really said that. And it looks like a number of Reps and Senators are going to take him up on it.

It can actually be a very good thing. Finally, both the President and Members of Congress will be able to learn exactly what's in this monster of a bill that they are supposed to vote on some day.

My only wish? That they televise every minute of it, no matter how many minutes/hours/days/weeks it takes. Then the American people will also be able to learn exactly what's in it, what the various govt officials think of it, and what their reasons are for favoring/opposing each piece.

The entire grand "American Experiment" of the past 200-plus years, is based on the idea that the American people, imperfect though they are as humans, can make wiser decisions on average for their own well-being and prosperity than a bunch of government "ruling officials" can... if they are reasonably well informed about what is going on. I agree with that idea, and would like very much to see them get a chance, at last, to examine what's in this Health Care bill.

Thank you, President Obama, for making this opportunity available to all of us.

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Calling the President's Health Care Bluff - One Line at a Time - Greta Van Susteren | On The Record With Greta - FOXNews.com

Calling the President's Health Care Bluff - One Line at a Time

Friday, July 31, 2009

This is a rush transcript from "On the Record," July 30, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: President Obama is probably kicking himself tonight. He said something that he probably regrets big time.

Remember when President Obama made this offer?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I just want everyone to know, Congress will have time to read the bill and have time to debate this bill. They will have all of August to review the various legislative proposals.

When we come back in September, and I will be available to answer any question that members of Congress have. If they want to come over to the White House and go over line by line what is going on, I will be happy to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAN SUSTEREN: Line by line.

Congressman Phil Roe wants to take President Obama up on that offer. Congressman Roe is also a doctor and joins us live. You're going to take the president up on his offer.

REP. PHIL ROE, R - TENN.: I certainly hope to. We sent a letter to the White House today suggesting that we do just that. And I hope he invites me over.

VAN SUSTEREN: You would really go over to the White House to go through line by line?

ROE: I would certainly do that.

VAN SUSTEREN: How does he save face on this one?

ROE: I don't know. I am not worried about him saving face or me saving face or whatever. What I want to see happen is that we understand this very complicated plan. It is extremely complicated. And I spent 31 years in practice of medicine, this is very complicated.

VAN SUSTEREN: That is why I call it the coffee summit, because now he's going to -- I am starting to go through this. This is not the most exciting read, but it is extremely important.

But I think the two of you are going to need a lot of coffee if you go line by line. Oddly enough, I think that is important, and I would like to see you bring a bunch of colleagues over and go through it too.

ROE: Greta, it's the most important piece of social legislation since Medicare in 1965. This will affect us every single American in a very personal way. And having practiced medicine, I believe that health care decisions should be made between patients, their families, and their doctor. And this particular --

VAN SUSTEREN: How about insurance companies?

ROE: They are not on my Christmas card list. They need -- there needs to be insurance reform. That's something we both agree on.

[Ceece]

Will you feel as giddy if people actually LIKE the bill?

I expect everyone to go over the bill line by line, it's their job. Ask for clarifications, make suggested changes, and maybe even rework it so the average American can read it and understand it without other people having to "interpret" it for them in whatever slanted way they choose.

[FinkieMcGee]

So are you actually praising Obama for something for once? I never thought I'd see that happen.

[ecvMatt]

Great, I wish they had the time to do this with every bill. While I think health care needs reform, I shudder at the thought of a bill being pushed through quickly, just to say "we did it!"

[cobolt]

Didn't Obama tell McCain during the campaign that he would do the town hall meetings? Didn't Obama say during the campaign that he would accept public funding? Yeah....I believe what he says....not. I'll believe it when I see it.

[robertjohnson]

Originally Posted by FinkieMcGee

So are you actually praising Obama for something for once? I never thought I'd see that happen.

Praise?
Sounds more like a challenge.
Or "for a supposed smart guy that was a pretty dumb thing to say".

[idahogie]

Lawmakers reading bills - what a dumb concept.

Seriously. They don't have time. Are you vaguely aware of how much legislation gets passed in one session? It's impossible to read all the bills that get passed, let alone all the bills that are vying for passage. Demanding that our representatives read everything is just plain stupid.

I expect my representative to have a staff that handles this. They should get the advice of lawyers and subject matter experts. They should NOT waste their time reading the bill itself. Of course, my representatives are all Republicans, so I bet they're complaining about not being able to read the bill personally, just as one more way to be stupid obstructionists. I bet not one of them has ever read the entire bill for anything more substantial than a day of honor proclamation.

[Little-Acorn]

Originally Posted by FinkieMcGee

I never thought

This explains your surprise.

I've praised Obama for other things, as is his due. But I don't expect leftists to remember facts that run counter to their agenda.

[idahogie]

And another thing: raise your hand if you think President Obama was speaking literally when he said "line by line."

OK. You can put your hands down now. Since you take everything literally, I thought you might still be sitting there in your basement with your hand up, like an idiot.

[PurpleLove08]

Linda Bergthold: So it Begins -- the August Attack on Health Care Reform

FIRST OF ALL -- Please note that the first five hundred pages of the bill, or Titles I and II, refer mainly to the new Health Exchanges and the health plans that will offer benefits through these exchanges. There is also language about improvements to Medicare, although you will note that the author of these attacks (anonymous to me) seem to confuse Medicare with private plans.

Page 30 Section 123 -- There will be a Government COMMITTEE that decides what treatments/benefits you get.

NOT EXACTLY. AN INDEPENDENT COMMITTEE WILL RECOMMEND THE BENEFITS TO BE OFFERED, JUST LIKE WHAT YOUR EMPLOYER DOES NOW OR YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY -- THERE WILL BE OPPORTUNITIES TO BUY MORE EXPENSIVE OR COMPREHENSIVE PLANS BUT IT WILL BE YOUR CHOICE. FOR HEALTH PLANS THAT OFFER BENEFITS TO INDIVIDUALS WHO BUY THEIR INSURANCE THROUGH THE EXCHANGE, JUST LIKE WITH MEDICARE SUPPLEMENTS NOW, THERE WILL BE A COMMON PACKAGE OF BENEFITS OFFERED SO PEOPLE CAN COMPARE THEIR CHOICES.

Page 29 lines 4-16 -- Your Health Care is RATIONED.

WOW. NOT AT ALL! THIS LANGUAGE SAYS THAT YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO PAY MORE THAN A SET AMOUNT EACH YEAR FOR YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE. RIGHT NOW YOU ALL HAVE MAXIMUM AMOUNTS THAT YOUR INSURANCE WILL PAY ANNUALLY AND THEN YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN. THE NEW LAW WILL PROTECT YOU FROM HAVING TO PAY MORE THAN SET AMOUNTS. YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY!!

More myth busting can be found in the link I provided.