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C-SPAN Challenges Congress to Open Health Care Talks to TV Coverage

Grim17

Grim17

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C-SPAN Challenges Congress to Open Health Care Talks to TV Coverage
FOXNews.com

The head of C-SPAN has implored Congress to open up the last leg of health care reform negotiations to the public, as top Democrats lay plans to hash out the final product among themselves.

C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb wrote to leaders in the House and Senate Dec. 30 urging them to open "all important negotiations, including any conference committee meetings," to televised coverage on his network.

"The C-SPAN networks will commit the necessary resources to covering all of the sessions LIVE and in their entirety," he wrote.

Congressional leaders, however, reportedly are expected to bypass the traditional conference committee process, in which lawmakers from both parties and chambers meet to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill. Instead, The Associated Press reports that top Democrats at the House, Senate and White House will figure out the final product in three-way talks before sending it back to both chambers for a final vote.

This format would seem ideal for closed-door meetings, which congressional Democrats have used many times to figure out sensitive provisions in the health care bill -- though President Obama pledged during the campaign to open up health care talks to C-SPAN's cameras.

"That's what I will do in bringing all parties together, not negotiating behind closed doors, but bringing all parties together, and broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people can see what the choices are," Obama said at a debate against Hillary Clinton in Los Angeles on Jan. 31, 2008.

Lamb urged Congress in his letter to fling open the doors in the final stretch of the negotiations.

FOXNews.com - C-SPAN Challenges Congress to Open Health Care Talks to TV Coverage
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So, does anyone here think it's an unresonable request for CSPAN to ask democrats to honor the pledge Obama made to allow their cameras in?

I want to know exactly what the democrats are hiding from the American people.
 
"That's what I will do in bringing all parties together, not negotiating behind closed doors, but bringing all parties together, and broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people can see what the choices are," Obama said at a debate against Hillary Clinton in Los Angeles on Jan. 31, 2008.
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Just Another Broken Campaign Promise.
More "change" we can believe in.
 
It's not unreasonable at all. There is nothing classified or of an export control nature in healthcare policy.
 
It's nice to slowly start to see the media doing their job - holding our elected officials accountable. And while I know that C-SPAN isn't what I would consider "media", the MSM outlets are picking up this story thanks to C-SPAN.
 
Here's a little clip that should make democrats mad as hell... but it won't.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPg5WHfIHlk"]YouTube- Greta Van Susteren on Obama; He's a Liar[/ame]

If you payed attention closely to Obama's words, you realize exactly why he has kept the negotiations secret, and behind closed doors. He wanted CSPAN there to show the country who is working on behalf of their constituents, and who isn't. Since the republicans are the ones who are on the side of their constituents, and the democrats are ignoring them, it explains everything.

What Obama meant to say was:

"There will be transparency as long as the American people support my proposals... Since RealClearPolitics Average shows that only 38.6% favor our health care plan, and 50.7% oppose it, the negotiations will take place behind closed doors and no cameras will be allowed in, because seeing how we're going to force this thing down your throats anyway, it would make us look bad... real bad."​
 
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It's interesting to see the Faux spin in action. "challenge!" become "implore" then simply "request", and the flat denial of transparency becomes " reportedly expected to bypass...."
 
Manc Skipper said:
It's interesting to see the Faux spin in action. "challenge!" become "implore" then simply "request", and the flat denial of transparency becomes " reportedly expected to bypass...."
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It's more interesting to see how you don't like the message so you attack the messenger....
 
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Manc Skipper said:
It's interesting to see the Faux spin in action. "challenge!" become "implore" then simply "request", and the flat denial of transparency becomes " reportedly expected to bypass...."
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Let me guess... This is a right wing, Fox News conspiracy to make Obama look bad... Right?

Obama has done nothing wrong, is the most transparent president in the countries history, and never promised to allow CSPAN to televise anything.

Lies... all lies I tell ya!
 
Grim17 said:
Isn't that precisely what Obama said he would do?
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Just Another Broken Campaign Promise.
More "change" we can believe in.
 
More like "Change We Are Not Allowed To See".
 
Well Pelosi will just say that Obama didn't check with her when he made that promise.
 
Grim17 said:
So, does anyone here think it's an unresonable request for CSPAN to ask democrats to honor the pledge Obama made to allow their cameras in?

I want to know exactly what the democrats are hiding from the American people.
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That's right, because they're going to write the bill in invisible ink.:roll::roll:
 
Manc Skipper said:
It's interesting to see the Faux spin in action. "challenge!" become "implore" then simply "request", and the flat denial of transparency becomes " reportedly expected to bypass...."
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Oh, they're good. They're very good.:mrgreen:
 
Nice dodge. Is there any reason the process shouldn't be televised?

It's not like sticking cameras in someone's hotel room. Nor is it a matter of sensitive intelligence information. This is the whole country's business.
 
hazlnut said:
That's right, because they're going to write the bill in invisible ink.:roll::roll:
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Do you really not get it, or are you just being a jackass and avoiding the issue?

.
 
gosh, it was less than a month ago that harry, after almost a year of eager anticipation, announced to the world that he'd finally settled on a bill, he had his 60, and HE WASN'T GONNA LET ANYONE SEE IT

LOL!

so now they're gonna bypass conference, smoosh the two bills together once more IN SECRET

and then they're gonna try to CRAM it down the unanimous gullets of their increasingly malcontent membership

we'll see

either way, it's unbelievably arrogant

will harry, nancy and rahm allow us to SEE this bill before state of the union?

he wouldn't even let his SENATORS look at it last time

it can't stand the light of day

the bill is hugely and increasingly unpopular

dorgan announced his retirement today

he was trailing some unknown republican wannabe by TWENTY TWO last we saw

ben nelson is down THIRTY ONE in nebraska

that is, we'll see if membership goes along

leadership is showing stunning disrespect, it's asking reps to OFF themselves for the "good" of the party and its president

they can't afford to lose any upstairs

and downstairs, they only squeezed thru by one dem

not a smart move by leadership

but the only one available

we'll see how members react

then, the american people

good luck
 
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The health care bill will face several challenges on the grounds of being unconstitutional. It is my hope that this is merely the beginning of challenging Presidential orders and other unconstitutional laws Congress has passed over the years. "Flood the system" - now where have I heard that before?
 
Harshaw said:
Nice dodge. Is there any reason the process shouldn't be televised?

It's not like sticking cameras in someone's hotel room. Nor is it a matter of sensitive intelligence information. This is the whole country's business.
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I agree, it should be televised -- but my understanding is that it's not going to be a formal committee. Using the Senate bill, the House will submit what they want and an amendment will be written in an informal committee.

I'm not sure what they would televise, a handful of congressional staffers and lawyers typing and retyping new drafts.

I'm pretty sure I've watched more c-span than most people on this board. Robotic cameras, no editing -- it's the closest thing to totally completely coverage. I stream committee hearings at work.

My comments were more amusement at the image of Tea Party folks trying to follow a C-span broadcast. No music. No graphics. No commentator to tell them what to think... They'd have to listen, and think for themselves...
 
hazlnut said:
My comments were more amusement at the image of Tea Party folks trying to follow a C-span broadcast. No music. No graphics. No commentator to tell them what to think... They'd have to listen, and think for themselves...
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So basically what you're saying is, you just posted to so you could insult conservatives, and had absolutely nothing substantive to contribute.

Got it.
 
Grim17 said:
So basically what you're saying is, you just posted to so you could insult conservatives, and had absolutely nothing substantive to contribute.

Got it.
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Don't people get thread banned for doing nothing more than insulting people? :roll:
 
Grim17 said:
So basically what you're saying is, you just posted to so you could insult conservatives, and had absolutely nothing substantive to contribute.
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No, far-right, paranoid tea baggers who can't think for themselves. Yes, I attack them for dragging the GOP into the toilet bowl of irrelevancy... and embarrassing the hell out of bright and pragmatic fiscal conservatives. (classic liberalism)
 
Moderator's Warning:
Grim and Hazlnut - stick to the topic and cease with the personal back-and-forth off-handed attacks. This is your last warning.
 
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