Obama and Democrats hoping to get Health Bill on the Fast Track

From USA Today

The White House didn’t say much about last night’s health care talks between President Obama and congressional Democrats, but officials made it clear they’re cool with fast-tracking the final phase of legislation, with no public hearings and no Republican involvement.

“The president is anxious to get the differences worked out and get a bill to both houses and passed out of them,” said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.

And the president will be deeply involved. The White House just announced he will meet again this afternoon with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other top House Democrats.

Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada — who led a delegation to the White House early last evening — have not appointed a House-Senate conference committee to work out differences in their divergent health care bills.

Instead, Democrats in both chambers are negotiating among themselves in hopes of forging a common bill than can be approved as amendments to the existing legislation.

Republicans are making an issue of this strategy.”I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that a bill that’s been written outside of the view of the American people will continue to be handled by Democrats in the same way again,” said Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Other critics have pointed to Obama’s campaign pledge about “bringing all parties together, and broadcasting those (health care) negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people can see what the choices are.”

Indeed, C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb sent the White House a letter this week reminding officials of that promise.

Don’t hold your breath on televised health care negotiations, however.

Said Gibbs: “I don’t think there’s anybody that would say that we haven’t had a thorough, robust, now spanning two calendar years’ debate on health care.”