Republicans are rightly skeptical of the president’s outstretched hand, given his call for bipartisanship now, only after Scott Brown’s win and his back against the wall. They heard similar calls from Candidate Obama, with promises made of GOP inclusion (and televised health care negotiations on C-SPAN in a show of transparency) only to have said promises evaporate behind closed doors.
Despite Obama’s challenge to bring “ideas of their own,” they’ve actually been there all along, ones that are solidly planted in the free market and therefore studiously ignored by much of the press. They include allowing health insurance to be sold across state lines, the promotion of consumer-driven plans and a change in the way in which individual insurance is taxed.
Commentators on the right warn of a trap if Republicans show up for Obama’s proposed meeting; that it will be controlled in a way to give Democrats the advantage. Fine, if this really is a concern demand equal time before ever agreeing to participate. Set the ground rules and stick to them. And if Democrats balk, as Newt Gingrich notes, let them be the ones to do so. In other words, trust the American public’s ability and intelligence, something we’re seeing less and less of from the current administration.