How a bill doesn’t become a law

November 5, 2007

A few weeks ago, shortly after his veto of the bipartisan State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) bill, the president was asked at a press conference why the process broke down. A reporter said, “Isn’t there a responsibility by both the President and congressional leadership to work on this common ground before it gets to a veto?” Bush insisted that Congress intentionally left the White House out of the loop.

“[W]e weren’t dialed in,” the president said. “And I don’t know why.” Bush added that White House officials weren’t “part of the process,” and the “legislative branch want[ed] to go on without the President.”

In an interesting tick-tock of why the S-CHIP bill failed, the NYT’s Robert Pear reports that Bush’s version of events isn’t even close to being true. Pear notes that a bipartisan group of senators met for two hours a day, almost every for a few months, to put together a good piece of legislation.

But even before they finished their work, President Bush attacked it.

In a pre-emptive strike on June 27, Mr. Bush — standing before another Western image, an equestrian portrait of Theodore Roosevelt as a Rough Rider — said the proposal would “cause huge increases in government spending” and lead to “government-run health care for every American.”

Senators were taken aback by what they saw as the ferocity of the president’s comments. Telephone logs and e-mail messages show that Republican senators and their aides had frequently consulted White House officials as the bill took shape.

One participant in the talks, Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, called the criticism and veto threats premature, “disappointing, even a little unbelievable.”

In fact, between January and September, congressional offices had more than 35 meetings and telephone conversations on S-CHIP with White House officials.

But the Bush gang wasn’t interested in talking.

Senator Hatch tried to bring White House officials into the negotiations, believing their involvement would produce a better bill. But, lawmakers said, the administration did not want to discuss the child health program except as part of a broader discussion that included the president’s tax proposals.

In early June, the White House sent a message to Republicans saying the president hoped they would not cut a deal with Democrats. The White House predicted that Republicans would have more “negotiating leverage” in the fall. That appears to have been a miscalculation.

In other words, everything Bush said at his press conference was wrong. Who would have guessed.

The NYT article, however, suggested congressional Dems are also responsible for the breakdown.

Republicans say that Democrats misjudged the president; excluded House Republicans, who in the end were crucial, from negotiations; and aimed negative advertisements at the very members whose votes they needed to override a veto.

Let’s take these one at a time:

* Dems “misjudged” the president, in that they thought he was sincere when he vowed to expand S-CHIP.

* Dems “excluded” Republicans, except the Senate GOP helped write the bill, and pleaded with House Republicans to support it.

* Dems pressured Republicans to vote for the bill, which apparently is controversial because, well, I’m not sure why. (House Republicans would have been more inclined to support healthcare for low-income children if Dems hadn’t pressure them to? The House GOP was motivated by spite?)

I know the media prefers a pox-on-both-houses narrative, but it looks like the White House actually deserves the blame on this one.

“Bush’s version of events isn’t even close to being true”

So, what’s new? All we need to summarize this presidency is to add the cowardice of Democratic so-called leaders and the ignorance of so-called jouranlists.

  • government-run health care for every American.

    Oh, God, no!!

    Next we’ll be admitting we’re on this Earth to take care of each other, and feeling chilled out and fraternal about everything. God forbid such a thing should happen!!

  • Steve: “I know the media prefers a pox-on-both-houses narrative, but it looks like the White House actually deserves the blame on this one.”

    Wrong, it’s Bill Clinton’s fault. Don’t you know anything.

  • If Bush thinks government-run health care is a bad idea, then that should be how they sell it.

    “George W Bush says the government can’t keep medical costs down and save lives. The rest of the world is doing exactly what George W Bush says can’t be done. So you tell me, is the rest of the world lying, or is Bush?

    Bush says single-payer health care won’t work. And we would believe him because…?”

  • “In other words, everything Bush said at his press conference was wrong.”

    No. Everything he said was an intentional lie.

  • “Mr. Bush… said the proposal would … lead to “government-run health care for every American.””

    I agree with Swan on this one. If he really thinks health care for everyone is an effective scare tactic these days, it’s not surprising he’s at sub-30’s in the polls.

    Ya see, Mr. Bush, a majority of people have to have good health insurance in order to frighten them with threatened changes in the system.

  • Let’s see—we have “a fib,” then comes “a lie,” followed by “a sin”—and finally, “a Bush.”

    In the great order of all things, it makes me proud to be a citizen of a nation where the ultimate descriptive term for dishonesty just happens to be the name of my country’s head-of-state.

    Well………..not actually. But I’d feel a whole lot better if we could either find a way to throw this cretin-of-a-deciderer into a deep dungeon—or maybe just stuff him into a large metal canister and launch his ugly hide into space.

    Oh—and “air holes” would be optional….

  • The gist of the New Yok Times piece is that since the Dems didn’t cave to Bush’s demands they are somehow responsible for the bill’s failure. If Bush were a reasonable human being that might be the case. But the NYT to should know better that Bush is still playing by the Rovian playbook that Dems are not allowed to win on anything as a way to perpetuate the Permanent Republican Majority. The MSM continues to deny the obvious that rationality is dead in this administration so rules of common sense do not apply.

  • I’m just so over the games. I know they have always been part of the fabric of life inside the Beltway, but it just seems like it’s impossible to play a fair game with people who lie and deceive as easily as they breathe, and who exhibit no remorse for doing it. It’s been clear since the 2000 election that Bush wants his way no matter what he has to do to get it – nothing is off limits – nothing.

    He’s infused the whole process with a total disregard and overt contempt for integrity and principle and the rule of law, and no matter how hard the Democrats try to raise the bar, to appeal to the angels of Bush’s better nature (which have all gone over to the dark side), that bar remains pressed against their throats and will not be lifted until Bush and his minions are gone. There is at least one contender for the GOP nomination for president, who would be happy to pick up that bar and deliver the death blow – Giuliani – so if you think it’s bad now, it would be far, far worse with Rudy in charge.

    I’m just over it. All of it.

  • The only ones who believe this crap are the ones writing it. Bush was wrong and is wrong and so are the House Republicans. The bill could not have been improved any more than it is. Bush just brings us closer to single payer not for profit national health care for everyone including the children by spouting such nonsensical rhetoric. We’ve had enough.

  • * Dems “excluded” Republicans, except the Senate GOP helped write the bill, and pleaded with House Republicans to support it.

    Were House Republicans invited to the talks? I recall that was one of the complaints about the previous Congress, that the minority in the House was excluded from writing bills.

    * Dems pressured Republicans to vote for the bill, which apparently is controversial because, well, I’m not sure why.

    I didn’t see the ads. It’s one thing if the ads say, “Tell Rep. X to do the right thing,” but if the ads said, “Call Rep. X and ask her why she hates children,” that’s a good way to lose a vote.

  • I still say taking medicine from babies is such an engraved invitation for an ass-kicking, only the Democratic party could screw up a PR war badly enough for Republicans not to take a major hit on that one — and I almost doubt even they can.

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