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CNN’s Ed Henry Won’t Let Robert Gibbs Pass on ‘Deem and Pass’

by Tommy Christopher | 3:41 pm, March 16th, 2010

» 13 comments

The House Democrats’ procedural “Deem and Pass” strategy (also known as the “Slaughter Rule” and “Demon Pass”) was a hot topic at today’s White House briefing, with the AP’s Ben Feller leading off with a series of questions that Press Secretary Robert Gibbs all but ignored. That didn’t prevent CNN’s Ed Henry from pressing Gibbs later in the briefing, in a textbook example of what White House reporters should do. Although he didn’t exactly get a straight answer, sometimes the non-answers can tell you something, too.

Gibbs pretty much sticks with calling the question a “process game,” and he’s going to be right in the future. Once healthcare reform passes, a largely academic procedural move is not likely to have much traction. But right now, this is the thread that both Republican and Democratic opponents of health care reform are pulling on. Evasions, even clever ones, aren’t about to mollify them.

What Gibbs seems to be saying is that the President doesn’t care if the House uses a saute´ pan or a dutch oven, as long as there’s something on the plate by week’s end. I don’t know how well that answer would have played, but I bet he’d stop getting questions about it.

Ben Feller, CNN Ed Henry, Deem and pass, Demon pass, Ed Henry, Health Care Reform, Robert Gibbs, Slaughter Rule

felixw

The President wants an up-or-down vote. Except when he doesn’t want an up-or-down vote.

This administration takes hypocrisy to a new level.
MichelleF

Remember, we are told the this is the smartest press secretary evuh!

The question should, be. “why are you ignoring what the majority of people want?”
The Real Royal King

As to the media angle, Ed Henry is a fine reporter, as he has just indicated.

As to the healthcare/politics angle, you both conveniently overlook the fact that most of the constituent elements in the healthcare plan have huge majorities approving of them. When asked about the plan as a whole, the answers are muddier. What you are suggesting is, when asked “Should unpleasant, fat girls be placed on a desert island?,” 98% of men would say, “Yes”. When asked should your unpleasant, fat cousin be placed on a desert island?,” the numbers would drop to 48% Simply put, you’re polling something which does not exist, an amorphous nothing. There is not the slightest doubt in my mind the vast majority of Americans support comprehensive healthcare reform. On 6 December 1941, most Americans did not want to declare war on Japan. On 8 December 1941, most did. We’re on the morning of 7 December 1941, and opinion is changing.
Olby Sucks

More false equivalencies from the poseur. Most people are perfectly happy with their existing health care. Most are against giving gold plated healthcare to illegals. Most or all are pissed at the 0 (zero) administration for causing their premiums to skyrocket.
MichelleF

King,
Of course with 2000 pages you’re going to find something in there you like, but on the whole people do NOT want it. Those are just the facts.
MichelleF

Olby, you are correct. The last poll I heard somewhere around 80% ( i think it was actually closer to 85%) are happy with their current HC.
MichelleF

Oh it was a CNN poll, 8/10 happy with their coverage.
The Real Royal King

Of course, people are happy with their coverage, Michelle. In fact, they are happy because they are covered. What of the millions who are not covered? What of the millions of hard-working American men and women who will soon not be covered because they or their employees cannot afford 10%, 20% 30% or more annual premium increases. If we can’t do this for people not presently covered, can we at least act proactively to get this under some control? I know you are conservative, Michelle, and conservatives are, by nature, reactive. But, I am just betting that you are one of those people who see children crossing at a dangerous, uncontrolled intersection, and you are not, most assuredly not, one of those miserable souls who says: “Why spend the money on a stop sign? No one’s died here, yet.” Isn’t this similar?

And, guess, what? If you like your coverage, you get to keep it.

I fail to understand the complaint.
MichelleF

I think those who don’t have insurance are the ones we should be worrying about. And I know that you think we’ll get to keep our coverage, but I honestly do NOT believe that. I believe Obama when he says he is for a single payer system and that we can’t get there overnight, but we will get there. I choose to believe that. If you want to believe he didn’t mean that, then I won’t be able to change your mind, so we can remain at an impass. Also, I don’t think your analogy applies here. Obama is talking about these people who are dying everyday due to not having insurance, but his examples are always proven false. As with the lady from yesterday who was in fact, in the hospital receiving care at the time. If it’s so common for people to die due to lack of covereage, why is he having trouble finding an actual example instead of having to fabricate them. Now of course I think there are things that need to be changed (as do the republicans, no matter what the libs say), I just don’t like what’s being purposed.
MichelleF

According to the New England Journal of Med, around 50% of doctors would consider quitting if Obama care passes. 72% think the public option would have a negative impact.

On a side note, my dad works with Dr.s everyday and I ask him the other day what % of the docs he sees are for it. I assumed it would be high number because Obama always has the stage packed with people in white coats, but my father surprised me and said of the ones he works with around 90% are against what is being put forth.
MichelleF

And before anyone says it, I know the public option has been put on the back burner, but we all know that is what they would do if they was anyway to get it through.
The Real Royal King

Michelle: There is no a doubt in my mind that we will end up with a single payer system in the next couple of decades. We are deluding ourselves if we think we can keep paying a spiraling portion of our GNP ans our personal income for health care. We are also deluding ourselves if we believe a piece-meal, patchwork fix is going to accomplish anything. We may not like it, but I think this is much like the civil rights movement in the 1960′s. For 100 years, we patchworked civil rights. Then, when we didn’t seem to think it would happen, boom! A new day in America. It will startle us, and it will seem sudden. But, it will have been almost 100 years in the making. Some of us, would like to enact the inevitable, while others will react, most on both sides of good faith. But, it is going to happen. It simply rather see an orderly, deliberative transformation.
pyrope

Dare we say that Mr. Henry is sprouting some cajones? Nah. Just trying to make the impression that he has.