Democrats Try Tougher Tone on Health
By JONATHAN WEISMAN and JANET ADAMY
WSJ
WASHINGTON -- A top White House adviser said he doubted that two Senate Republicans at the center of health-care talks are negotiating seriously, as Democrats adopted a more confrontational tone accusing Republicans of blocking change.
As lawmakers return from their summer break, it may be time for Democrats to scrap grand, bipartisan plans and nail down a new, focused message to isolate Republicans and get a health-care reform bill passed, WSJ's Jonathan Weisman reports.
Senior adviser David Axelrod was responding to broadsides against Democratic health plans by Republican Sens. Mike Enzi of Wyoming and Chuck Grassley of Iowa. Mr. Axelrod said Democrats would reach out to other Republicans to finish a deal this year.
He added that President Barack Obama is considering laying out a more detailed vision of what he wants in a health-care overhaul.
Sen. Enzi charged in a radio address Saturday that Democrats are "cutting hundreds of billions from the elderly" and planning "to limit or deny care based on age or disability of patients." In a fund-raising letter, Sen. Grassley exhorted supporters to "help stop 'Obama-Care.' " The senators are two of the three Senate Finance Committee Republicans in the so-called Gang of Six pursuing bipartisan talks.
(More here.)
WSJ
WASHINGTON -- A top White House adviser said he doubted that two Senate Republicans at the center of health-care talks are negotiating seriously, as Democrats adopted a more confrontational tone accusing Republicans of blocking change.
As lawmakers return from their summer break, it may be time for Democrats to scrap grand, bipartisan plans and nail down a new, focused message to isolate Republicans and get a health-care reform bill passed, WSJ's Jonathan Weisman reports.
Senior adviser David Axelrod was responding to broadsides against Democratic health plans by Republican Sens. Mike Enzi of Wyoming and Chuck Grassley of Iowa. Mr. Axelrod said Democrats would reach out to other Republicans to finish a deal this year.
He added that President Barack Obama is considering laying out a more detailed vision of what he wants in a health-care overhaul.
Sen. Enzi charged in a radio address Saturday that Democrats are "cutting hundreds of billions from the elderly" and planning "to limit or deny care based on age or disability of patients." In a fund-raising letter, Sen. Grassley exhorted supporters to "help stop 'Obama-Care.' " The senators are two of the three Senate Finance Committee Republicans in the so-called Gang of Six pursuing bipartisan talks.
(More here.)
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