President Obama breaks promise to televise health care reform discussions on C-SPAN

[Adir Pykhtin]

During the campaign, Obama said: "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, because part of what we have to do is enlist the American people in this process,"

The special interests and lobbyists he said, "will resist anything that we try to do. . . And the antidote to that is making sure that the American people understand what is at stake."


Politifact.com reviews the promise:

There haven't been any round-table negotiations on C-SPAN. And there are plenty of questions still to be answered. To our mind, one of the most important questions will be the details behind what's known as the public option, which Obama has said he supports. It could be like Medicare for everyone, or it could be just another nonprofit health insurance plan, or anywhere in between. The details here matter a great deal, but we don't know which type of public option is likely to emerge from Congress or what specific stipulations Obama might have for the public option.

Obama promised -- repeatedly -- an end to closed-door negotiations and complete openness for the health care talks. But he hasn't delivered. Instead of open talks of C-SPAN, we've gotten more of the same -- talks behind closed doors at the White House and Congress. We might revisit this promise if there's a dramatic change, but we see nothing to indicate anything has changed. We rate this Promise Broken.

http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/promise/517/health-care-reform-public-sessions-C-SPAN/

[shraby]

1. Sorry, but I watched some of the discussion about

health care on C-Span. There was more than one session televised. We do need more though.

[Adir Pykhtin]

3. But he said he would end closed-door negotiations

And these negotiations have continued.

Presidential debate last year (Obama): "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."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/31/dem.debate.transcript/

[lamp_shade]

11. I watched them for all 10 days on C-SPAN.

[inna]

2. immediately unrec'd by cowards. unbelievable. :shakes head: nt

[PretzelWarrior]

28. no. unrec'd by people who know "WTF" is going on here.

you can just about guarantee any thread saying "Blah blah bah proves Barack Obama has broken YET ANOTHER campaign promise" is a sack of shit.

As I read this one, it is too. It deserves to be unrec'd so hard it catches on fire and burns to a crisp.

[vaberella]

4. Did no one watch the Health Summitt or the Baucus one with the protestors...

I mean there has been so many. Why are people publicizing lies? Huh? All the Sebelius Interviews...and various other comittees are all on c-span. If you don't look you won't find it. And some of them are old. This is crap.

[jkshaw]

6. Thank you, vaberella!

[Adir Pykhtin]

7. What I understood is that all negotiations would be televisted in C-SPAN

To achieve health care reform, "I'm going to have all the negotiations around a big table. We'll have doctors and nurses and hospital administrators. Insurance companies, drug companies -- they'll get a seat at the table, they just won't be able to buy every chair. But what we will do is, we'll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents, and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies. And so, that approach, I think is what is going to allow people to stay involved in this process."

[Diamonique]

8. They had a WH summit with all those players

And I watched it on TV.

[vaberella]

10. Yup, it was several hours long, not counting the health committee meetings...

and on and on and on the list goes.

[vaberella]

9. Give me the negotiations that have not been televised then?

[ipaint]

12. Lots happens behind closed doors.

The notion of televising negotiations behind a health care revamp was so central to Obama's campaign promises of change and openness, however, that it became part of his stump speech as he traveled the country in 2007 and 2008.

He'd describe how televised deliberations would take place around a big table, with seats filled by doctors, nurses, insurers and other interested parties. As president, he'd joke, he'd get the biggest chair.

"Not negotiating behind closed doors, but bringing all parties together and broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN," Obama explained in a Democratic debate in Los Angeles in January 2008, in language similar to many of his campaign stops.

However, the two biggest deals so far — industry agreements to cut drug and hospital costs — were reached in secret.

"They were private, yes," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., a key participant in the process.

C-SPAN, the cable public-policy network, did carry a White House Forum on Health Reform in early March in which the president spoke and participants fanned into working groups.

That was a kickoff event, however, not a negotiation. C-SPAN spokesman John Cardarelli said that beyond that, "There hasn't been a collaborative effort of coordination of coverage of 'special events.' " The decisions about what to air are made independently on a case-by-case basis, he said.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee's bill-writing sessions, which began about three weeks ago, have been open, and various committees and subcommittees have had dozens of public hearings.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/71584.html

More closed door private meetings in the article.
I never expected a promise like that to be kept. It's impossible. I can't imagine any politician allowing the public to watch them negotiate away the health and lives of a certain percentage of americans so the profits of the ins. companies would remain relatively untouched.

[Adir Pykhtin]

26. Baucus admitted that "the two biggest deals so far" have been in private

McClatchy: However, the two biggest deals so far — industry agreements to cut drug and hospital costs — were reached in secret.

"They were private, yes," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., a key participant in the process.


http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/71584.html

[nightrain]

5. thanks for posting. good link

[boppers]

13. Another "broken promise" post.

*sigh*

[uponit7771]

14. Anyone else see a pattern in some of these post?

[winyanstaz]

17. Do you mean the long list of broken promises?

Yes, I see them.

[Cant trust em]

19. If promises are being broken, then I think it should be posted

But we should be asking if this is valid, or just a pissy waste of our time.

[winyanstaz]

15. umm so even though I recommended this it shows no recommendation?

This sucks. Why can't we see the unrecommends? Again I say..this sucks.

[Moochy]

20. Less Information is More Clear!!

I heard that "rationale" for the unrec totals being hidden from view on friday, smells pretty much like a bullshit reason to me.

[lib2DaBone]

16. I can't comment on Obama.. I have been getting hate E-Mail for disagreeing..

But.... Re... Health Care Reform... Have you ever stood in the main corridor of a large Hospital on Monday morning... and watched the 20-something Pharmaceutical Reps (in their little cocktail dresses).. passing out fruit trays to the passing MD's?

It's almost comical.. you have to see it to believe it.. check it out sometime.

[SpartanDem]

18. I can see this as a broken promise in the most technical sense

since ALL negotiations haven't been in public. But there have been a number of White House forums on health care, the HELP Committee markup has been televised and will be on again tomorrow, so IMO the spirit of the promise has not been broken.

[Cant trust em]

22. Well, that sums it up.

Logistically, we're not going to have every negotiation be televised. Anytime Grassley stops by Baucus's office, we're supposed to have them swing by the senate chamber so they can be on C-SPAN?

[pleideschick]

29. Maybe that would help keep things on the up and up,LOL

:shrug:

[geek tragedy]

21. Did anyone really expect this administration to only talk

about health care if there were a television camera present?

And that he would enforce that against Congress?

[babylonsister]

24. Thank you for some common sense, which seems to be lacking. nt

[ipaint]

25. No, didn't expect that. I'm not naive.

But then I didn't make the claim that all negotiations between concerned parties would be open, televised so the american people can see first hand who demands what and for what reason.

I understand why politicians make these kinds of promises. But when people say wait a minute some of the most important negotiations to date have been totally the private, they do have a legitimate point.

[Cant trust em]

23. I've come to realize that to some people there will not be enough transparency until

there is a every member of Congress is outfitted with a live webcam and Skinner is allowed to blog from the Oval Office.

[scheming daemons]

27. According to your link, Obama has kept 32 promises, broken 7, and compromised on 9

To me... that's a helluva good record.