The Republican press offices have been in overdrive today. As John Boehner, the minority leader in the House, made his contribution to the healthcare summit, slamming his hand on the 2,400 page bill brought in as a prop by Eric Cantor, his office put out a statement slamming the “job-killing healthcare proposals”.
(If I were a betting person, I would wager that the number of times the Republicans have used the term “job-killing” this year alone to be in the thousands.)
But Mr Boehner had some advice on rhetoric, apparently without a hint of irony. His statement said: “Yes, Washington Democrats have recently begun incorporating into their rhetoric a few of the same words Republicans have long used. But when you dig beneath the newly-minted rhetoric and actually look at the text of their bills, it quickly becomes evident that they haven’t actually incorporated any of the major health care reforms Republicans support.”
Earlier, Kent Conrad, a Democratic senator from North Dakota, called Medicare the 800-pound gorilla in the room. I’m wondering if that would count as a pre-existing condition?
