On Friday, President Obama was invited to speak at our House Republican conference.  The invitation was extended by Republican leadership in an attempt to engage the President in an open dialogue about his policies.  I had the opportunity to ask him a question about health care reform.  I wanted to know three things: First,  had he reviewed Republican proposals for reform, second, what lessons had he taken from the failure of other public option plans like TennCare, and third, when and how did he anticipate sitting down with Republicans to go over our proposals?

The president took his time in answering my question.  He told me politely that he had reviewed our proposals and rejected them. The President completely avoided any discussion of TennCare, just as Secretary Kathleen Sebelius had earlier this summer.  The President also failed to respond to where and how Republicans might sit down and go over our proposals with him. 

Unfortunately, it seems that our ideas are welcome, so long as they conform to his preconceived idea that the only path to better health care is through a government bureaucracy.  Tennesseans know that just won't work.

My question was roundly criticized by liberal pundits.  In criticizing me for highlighting Republican proposals, they assumed that we had never advanced them when we held the majority.  They conveniently forgot that the House passed many of these free-market approaches to health care reform in 2005 and 2006. 

The Wall Street Journal was on hand for my exchange with the President.  Despite the President's evasive and incomplete answer to my question, they quote him as saying that he is "game" to sit down with Republicans and go over our proposals.  They quote me too, "GAME ON!"

Cross posted at Marsha Blackburn.com

President Obama made a decision very early in the health care debate that doomed the process to failure.  He decided to let Congress write the proposed bills, with very little input from the White House.  Then he made another decision that just added to the problem.  He decided that he wanted health care reform passed before Congress left for the August recess.

These two steps by the Administration have created chaos.  First, by relying on liberals in the House of Representatives to define the debate, the President forgot about a very important component in any debate - the American people.  Secondly, by trying to ram the bill through, without most members of Congress even having a chance to familiarize themselves with the provisions, let alone read the bill, he miscalculated the energy of the people.  Any member of Congress will tell you that it has been many years since they have seen this level of anger and passion on the part of the American people.

We have certainly seen that anger expressed time after time at townhall meetings all across the country.  And why wouldn't the people be angry?  The American people have already expressed their concern over the mounting federal debt, a debt that their children and grandchildren are going to be left paying for.  Then the Obama administration tried to push through a health care bill that would consume 1/6th of our spending, and affect the lives of every single American.  It's no wonder that the people have said "enough is enough."

They have sent a strong message to members of Congress - one that we all need to think about.  Congress works for the people.  Congress should be the voice of the people.  Something is drastically wrong when the people are willing to fight with Congress to get their message across.  Congress needs to understand that, and they need to start listening.

80% of the American people are satisfied with their health care now.  They don't want it changed.  People who have Medicare Advantage don't want to lose it.  They don't want to see medicare cut.  They don't want the government standing between them and their doctors.  Congress needs to get the message.

Are there problems with health care in America?  Sure.  Do we need to figure out a way to lower costs and provide methods for people who truly can't afford health care to have access to health care?  Of course.  But let's not throw away the entire system in order to fix what is wrong.  Instead, let's toss the bills that are on the table in the wastepaper basket.  Let's listen to the people.  Then let's write legislation that deals with the two issues that need to be addressed, costs, and helping the hard-core uninsured. Most of all, let's keep the legislation simple enough that Congress can understand it.

Cross posted at Congressman Marsha Blackburn

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