Republicans fight Obama over optics of healthcare summit: Should the table be round or square?

Forget substance. As former Virginia Republican Tom Davis told Ticket a few weeks ago, you could tell the upcoming healthcare summit was for show when the players announced that C-SPAN's cameras would be in the room. "It will be great political theater," said Davis, who now heads the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership. "I"m going to have my popcorn and soda and sit down and watch it like the Superbowl."

As if to confirm his prediction, Republicans are now demanding all kinds of atmospherics for Thursday's healthcare summit.

The biggest demand so far: Republicans insisted on no podium at the summit, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern at Blair House across from the White House. “We don’t want any more of that Professor Obama lecturing to us stuff,” one staffer told Politico.

The White House conceded. Now everyone will sit at a table in a hollow square setup, identified with name cards.

Maybe this is all a reaction by House Republicans to President Obama's compelling appearance at their retreat in Baltimore a few weeks ago. He won plaudits for reaching a hand out for bipartisanship. Oh, and the show was televised. Or maybe they're trying to regain the momentum they won last summer when those angry 'tea party' advocates came out to protest Obama's healthcare plan at town halls all over the country, like the one pictured above in South Florida.

Either way, the battle over appearances puts into stark relief the problem for the White House in engineering a bipartisan bill -- or bypassing Republicans altogether. The other day, the White House put its cards on the table with a compromise plan. Republican Minority Whip Eric Cantor immediately dismissed it as a non-starter, saying "The president insists on bringing back a bill that the American people have resoundingly rejected.” Now Democrats are warming to the idea of passing a bill without Republican votes by using a parliamentary tactic known as reconciliation.

Anyway, the politics over looking good left White House press secretary Robert Gibbs rolling his eyes. “Maybe we’ll just — you know, maybe those little desks they give you in like elementary school that would otherwise be uncomfortable and hard to fit into,” he  said Tuesday during his daily press briefing. Maybe, he added, that "might be the best way forward."

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo credit: South Florida Tea Party

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Comments

[Henry Massingale]

Round 3 Obama vs. Massingale\
101 Bill may be my fault,
As I read more of this Health Care Bill 101 I noted it was based on the same concepts as what I offered to the Obama Administration over 7 months ago , but something was left out { because none of these issues released by Officials see into the economic condition at the home. Do not for get why we are in a economic break down of our system. This would be cool if what was offered was used, but hey Guys you left out something .....

A short re- cap, At average for people with Medicare Insurance, from what I have read is some people pay up to $500.00 per month, if insurance companies are forced to cover preexisting conditions at a rate that may increase coverage up to twice its yearly average on a scale that may effect other people coverages in order to maintain a dollar balance? And for the second time, but none of these issues see into the economic condition at the home !

So welcome to FASC Concepts of a Economic Adjustment.
We have got a lot of people who wish to know more about the function of the Federal Act Security Card. The FASC Card is merged with a Health Care Forum for the Poor and the Sick and people who have been impacted by the crash of our system. When we offered to the Obama Administration the concept of a 10% on a yearly income for Health Care Reform , our build blocks was to help the economic effected People Of The United States.
A incentive program that states if you join the FASC and pay in for a certain amount of time you build a capital of a $10,000.00 dollars as a nest egg for you children after you pass away. Also if you pay in for 20 to 40 years and do not use the extra funds paid in the total savings oh, lets say $25,000.00 + the $10,000.00 goes to your family. The $10 thousand can never be touched by illness or Health Care issues, it is a secured amount for investing into a Concept of Country.
As for the concept of the Patriot Act, to protect the Health Care dollars, a guide line of law to bring about a delay of fund being transferred out of this country , in order to give time for Government approval for the transfer of millions of dollar. And to make it a Capital Offense.......
The basic blue print for security of this FASC Card is a 3 part potion, as follows / part a: Windows : a pin number / part b: BIOS a Social Security number and part c : MS Dos a Letter from the alphabet.
Pin number 0000 / SS# 000 00 0000 / Z, what is good about this is when the SS# is applied it could be in coded within the Government system as for a example 000 00 1362 will be in coded and what number you apply will inter face with the hidden SS# ? To put it bluntly If I can build a system that can not be hacked the at home Our Government should be able to.
2009® copyright / by Massingale United Internet Advertisement Programs, this copyright is placed on the security program listed above....

{ Re- cape }To help cover the sick and the poor is a FASC Concept that states that to build a Health Care Forum within our Government Institution is a Peoples right to do so and this is Protect Under the Constitution as a Human and Civil Right. So in plan words if the poor and the sick could only afford to pay $5.00 to $10.00 per month this would to bring a balance toward the broken tax system, to add up this number 32 million to 100 million sick and poor people x $5.00 per month. This will place back into the system $116 million $to 500 million dollars per month. The cause and effect of this will reduce the purposed Health Care Tax Forum, to bring about a reduced effect so not to a over burden system. Take my faith in this and almost all the poor and sick would be happy to pay in and help rebuild the United States failed tax system. Also To bring about a balance of trust lost between the people and Officials.
Under a Federal Health Care Group built by my friends and I, {You see the poor, as you see them}, as for them they see them self not poor, but of a different race of people and environment and have faith it that which was in the past that so many do not have a clue of what God and Country is all about. Those who you see as poor for most, we do not want to be took care of we wish to prosper so that our children will not be the next generation of the poor.
Will be up dated today 3/25/2010

Issue 1. Re caped in a short version because my little friend did not prof read before she copied and past in to the blogs .........so if Government Officials did take my 10% concept under advisement you all over looked what the purpose is. And do not for get even people who make a great deal of money some have been seriously effected by this system failure of crime and war.....

FASC tax and pay in Forum, A Concept to help the Poor and Sick.

MIDDLE CLASS TO THE POOR
FASC Concepts of a guideline of income and a fair payment for the poor to the rich.
CLASS INCOME MONTHLY PAYMENTS
{A} format for people making up to $29000.00 per year, EST of monthly cost up to $40.00 per month
{B} up to $19000.00 per year, EST of monthly cost up to $30.00 per month
{C} up to $12000.00 per year, EST of monthly cost up to $20.00 per month
{D} from 0.00 income to $9000.00 per year / cost up to 0.00 to $10.00 per month
{A} {B} {C} {D} classification based on one person If married policy can be divided or stayed. These are concept numbers to open the mind..............
{A}{B}{C}
Now for those who do not know of me, my old Health Care page at the health care link on page 2 and 1 you will find the early writings by me, the miss spelled words and I am a bit dyslectic so statements are a bit off track. And for those who did read this information will remember how I struggled to use the Artificial Intelligence of my computer to communicate. I hope that they did use my building block for Health Care, that would be cool.
But there are some issues to work on as in:
#1. Is There A Constitutional Infringement of a Moral Value for Health Care vs. The People { considered Force Pay ? }
#2. Concepts is the Freedom Of Choice, because we feel it is unconstitutional to force pay into the failures of Health Care Insurance Companies and then Tax that money. Even these insurance companies are filing suit.
#3. Should there be a Prime Directive for Health Care Reform that is in the interest for the better good of Man Kind?
#4. Should there be a web site to show the capital gain of the tax income from Health Care and what the money was used for ?
#5. Should children be covered by their parents Health Care Coverage ?
#6. Is the concept offered by us at FASC Concepts to cover the sick a good or bad concept ? I believe this information it is on p26 at the blue pill link , link is on page 100 at the main site.
#7. Abortion ?
#8. Sex Offenders ?
#9. Was there a Unity lost with in Government between parties that made the public feel unsecured ?
#10. Was this diversity with in the people created by the in perfection of conduct by Officials ?
FASC Concepts in and for Pay it Forward covers the web see why we have become the Largest web site in the United States, join us in a trickle effect on p23 the blue pill link, ?
on google , yahoo, and aol www.fascmovement.mysite.com