Kyl: Not "A Single Republican" Will Support Health Care Reform

Was this part of the White House "strategy"?

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), the second ranking Republican in the Senate, underscores the Republican opposition to any health care reform. In an interview with Fox News' Neil Cavuto, Kyl said he doesn’t think "a single Republican" would vote for the legislation in the House or Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committees. His suggestion: "Let's start over."

AFTER THE JUMP, via Media Matters and the Huffington Post, watch it.

Test your broadband speed

Comments

[Vance]

"Can you hear me now?"

[Chitown Kev]

"What part of "no compromise" don't you understand, Mr. President?

[Luther]

Obama had better find a clue, they are really making him look bad in this and as I have said before creepy Kyl and the rest of the GOP'ers who have "safe" seats will NEVER work with him on anything. And, Kyl from one of the poorest most backwards states in the country when it comes to education and health care ,he is too much, along with those duped into voting for him on his single issue, being anti-immigration.

And since he only appears on Fixed Noise like the rest of them, even the late great Ray Charles could see this for what it is, the party of No Obama.

[Chitown Kev]

Ok, here is where I do cut Obama a little bit of slack.

1) I can remember the beginning of every presidency since Jimmy Carter. Every new President has gone through a phase at the beginning of their presidency where they seemed unable to lead, confused, lost. Reagan actually went 2 years like that.

2) Obama, while a gifted politician, is a legislator by experience, not an excutive. A big part of being a legislator is compromise with other Reps and Senators. A good part of being an excutive is knowing when to put your foot dow. Could Obama, for example, shut down the government as Clinton did when the line was drawn in the sand abt. the budget in 1995.

So what Obama is going through is nothing new nor is it unexpected. And, as anything as major as HCR, the stakes are very high. Personally, I hope that this HCR battle also marks a significant but ultimately positive growing pain for the Obama Presidency.

And let's forget about the 21 dimensional chess BS.

[Kevjack]

Chitown

I agree with much of what you said. My only issue here is that we are debating something and it is a moving target. Part of Obama's problem is that he has not owned this issue, or told us what the reform will or won't include. Every President struggles in the second and third hundred days, but I'm getting more and more worried that Obama is getting aimless-- he needs to, as you say, draw a clear line in the sand and say this is what we're doing and thus is my plan. If it passes or fails he can recover, Clinton did.

Right now Obama just wants a "win" and that is not leadership, that's just politics. The reform must have a vision and reflect his values-- he is going to own whatever passes at the end of the day.

[Chitown Kev]

@Kevjack- I only said a little slack.
I agree, draw the line in the sand, as Nancy Pelosi did. State simply that you will veto any HCR bill lacking a public option. Period.

Screw the Blue Dogs. At least in the House, most of them will probably lose their seats anyway. For the ones that back HCR w/a public option, the President should be willing to campaign and raise money for them.

(Not that Jared Polis needs the extra coins, but that beer sucking queen is on my sh*t list after all of her drama over this HCR bill.)

[Chris Cruz]

"Part of Obama's problem is that he has not owned this issue, or told us what the reform will or won't include. ... Right now Obama just wants a "win" and that is not leadership"

You can say that again. Sad but true.I have no idea why Obama and the White House wanted to include the same discredited Repubs who drove this country into the ground. And they won't vote for any Democratic bill...just like Kyl just said. What part of the NO do they not get? The N or the O?