Bush’s flexibility on S-CHIP is empty rhetoric

October 6, 2007

Under the headline, “Bush hints at spending more on children’s health bill,” I think the AP is misreading the president’s weekly radio address a bit.

President Bush signaled a willingness Saturday to spend more than what he had recommended for a popular children’s health program, but provided no specifics on how much higher he would go.

The president on Wednesday vetoed legislation that would increase spending for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program by $35 billion over five years. Bush has called for a $5 billion increase. Several Republicans in both chambers have sided with Democratic lawmakers on the issue.

“If putting poor children first takes a little more than the 20 percent increase I have proposed in my budget for SCHIP, I am willing to work with leaders in Congress to find the additional money,” Bush said in his weekly radio address.

This may sound like renewed flexibility on the president’s part, but it’s not nearly that encouraging. Indeed, the day he vetoed the bill extending healthcare to low-income children, he told a friendly Pennsylvania audience, “I’m more than willing to work with members of both parties from both Houses, and if they need a little more money in the bill to help us meet the objective of getting help for poor children, I’m more than willing to sit down with the leaders and find a way to do so.”

The emphasis there is on “a little more money.” Bush is kinda sorta interested is striking a compromise, just so long as it’s very close to his demands. What Bush may or may not understand, though, is that the current, bipartisan S-CHIP bill is already a compromise measure. It’s exactly why it passed with such a strong majority, and why Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) ruled out compromising on the compromise earlier this week.

The AP report suggested Bush’s comments this morning were a “hint” at conciliation. If only that were the case.

Ok, I know they are washed up and powerless, but this email from The Christian Coalition on this subject is a priceless compendium of right wing loony talking points:

Democrat Congress — with 11% Approval Rating — Passes Free Health Care Benefits for Middle-income Families (up to $80,000) Which President Bush Promptly Vetoed Because Bill is Fiscally Irresponsible
This week, the Democrat-controlled United States Congress — which recently had an 11% approval rating —  sent to the President a hugely expensive expansion of a poor children’s health insurance plan which would include “free” benefits for families earning up to $80,000, at a time when the federal debt is in the trillions. The Democrats (with the help of 45 Republicans in the House of Representatives and 18 Republican Senators) offered free insurance to millions of middle class families who could afford to pay for insurance for their children. The Democrat bill would increase spending by a whopping $35 billion on the way to its goal of socialized (rationed care, etc.) health care for all Americans.

Thankfully, President George W. Bush vetoed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) after offering to compromise (which was immediately refused by the Democrat leadership) and offering to increase the program by $5 billion and even more if the Democrats want to compromise. The leadership in both the House and Senate immediately turned down President Bush’s offer to compromise, but instead decided this was a great campaign issue according to “The Washington Times.”  The vote in the House was 265-159 for this socialistic-leaning bill while the vote in the Senate was a shameful 68-31.

The editor-in-chief of “The Washington Times, Wes Pruden, said in his column today that these fiscally-irresponsible Republicans “are mostly comfortable as the ‘Me Too’ Party” (the kind of attitude which kept their party in the minority for 40 years!). Mr. Pruden went on to say that, “Rather than attempt to explain what a sham this legislation is, the Republican sister women in the Senate retreat, repeating the argument that they have no choice but to vote for something they know is wrong and bad for the country. That’s the only way they can stay in Congress, so they can continue to vote for more stuff they know is wrong. The first duty of every congressman is to protect the incumbent.”

These Republican elected officials need to remember the words of Republican President Calvin Coolidge said, “Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery” and President Coolidge also said the following, “Don’t expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong.” And that is exactly what this Democrat Congress — aided and abetted by 18 misguided Republican Senators and 45 erroneous Congressmen — are attempting to do.

  • Democrats should point out that Bush’s veto of the S-CHIP bill is just more proof that “compassionate conservatism” is an unmitigated lie.

  • This is a stall to keep Repubs from jumping ship. The President is a two year old who stamps his feet and turns purple when he doesn’t get what he wants. Make it clear to the Repubs that SCHIP has huge public support for EXACTLY the reason the Repubs refuse to support it – the American people want universal single payer health care. Our health care system is the most expensive (by far) and least effective system in the civilized world.

  • With the amount of rhetoric concerning the president’s veto of the S-CHIP bill, I stand amazed that none of these comments address all of the bill’s problems.

    First of all, it not longer will be for just children. This bill’s expansion will now take care of adults to the age of 25, if passed.

    Second comes the income limits for qualification. If a family has an annual income of $82,500, don’t you think it is their responsibility to provide for the care of the children they have? It seems to me that we can and should be concerned for those who are just above poverty level, but caring for those in these income ranges is irresponsible for both the parents of these children and us, as a country.

    Third is the fact that this bill also provides for a “fast track” application process. What this amounts to is that one will not have to actually prove who they are, what their actual income is and that the children for whom they are applying are actually theirs. Oh yes, they also may not have to prove that they are citizens of this country. It certainly opens the door to all types of potential fraud.

    Now these are the things that can be verified by reading the bill. In addition to all this, do you really think that increasing the taxes on tobacco products will actually provide for this irresponsible increase of medical care? Since the National Debt is so far out of proportion, don’t you think it is the time to be more conservative with the budgeting of America’s money? If it were you budget, wouldn’t you stop the impulsive spending? It is time for our government to do the same. We, the American citizens, do not have bottomless pockets.

    Now, take into consideration all the bargaining that has gone on in Congress to get the votes for this. In case you are not aware, it is called Pork Barrel. This is the way our representatives add unrelated items without strong support, at the end of bills so that things the individual “representatives of the people” can get their own agenda passed.

    People of America – wake up and don’t simply take what the liberal media is feeding you. Educate yourselves and read. Then, if you sincerely approve or disapprove, write your letters to the people who count. I have and you also need to do the same.

  • When it comes to Bush, flexibility only pertains to how far he can get others to bend over. Do it with a smile and you become a trusted friend. Resist, and you become a hated enemy. Now watch this drive…

  • You have bought the koolaid and taken it intravenously. The 82,500 is 4 time the poverty rate. The State of New York just asked the HHS agency for a waiver to allow SCHIP funds to be used at this level. It was denied. The matching funds from the State would have allowed this to occur. The poverty level for a family of 4 is approx. 21,000.00 dollars. You can’t buy health insurance for anybody at this income level. A family of 4 with no prior health concerns in California is approx 300 dollars a month or 4,000 a year. That is one fifth of the gross earnings just on health insurance. Now add rent (You ain’t buying at this income), utilities and a beater car, not to mention food.

    Why do Republicans hate children that have been born? At 12 billion a month for war, we can’t find money to take care of poor or middle income children. But Republicans want every child to be born, but once your here Scr@w em.

  • With the amount of rhetoric concerning the president’s veto of the S-CHIP bill, I stand amazed that people continue to lie about what SCHIP will do.

    Keep it up, it is amusing.

  • “…if they need a little more money in the bill to help us meet the objective of getting help for poor children, I’m more than willing to sit down with the leaders and find a way to do so.”

    I’d just rather not hear (or read) Bush saying “I’m more than willing to…” about anything.

    No, you’re not, jackhole.
    Not about anything except paying off your friends and letting them off the hook in which case you never say so.

    “I’m more than willing to pardon Scooter Libby.”
    “I’m more than willing to tell my administration flunkies to ignore the rule of law and congressional subpoenas.”
    “I’m more than willing to invade Iran so no Democrat can extract us quickly enough to escape blame for my mess.”
    “”I’m more than willing to increase oil reserve purchases to pump up oil prices when Saudi profits are decreasing too much and Exxon feels the pinch.”

    Shut up.
    You can steal the country blind and wipe your behind with my Constitution, but stop telling me you’re a good guy. My mouth ain’t on so stop shoveling the horse manure. ‘kay? It insults us both.

  • SCHIP is a great program but the funding plan for it is lousy and it deserved to be vetoed for that reason alone.

    The tax on cigarettes amounts to a sales tax on only one population group — the twenty percent of people who smoke. Now, tell me, who loves a sales tax more than the Republicans?

    All Americans should contribute to SCHIP and it should be funded from general revenue…if I may dare to dream, perhaps by cutting war funding to pay for SCHIP?

    THAT’s the way REAL DEMOCRATS would have done it!!!

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