President Barack Obama on Sunday unveiled a major political gambit on his stalled health care plan to millions of Americans tuning in for the Super Bowl, summoning Republicans to a White House summit. In his most personal effort yet to salvage his historic reform drive, Obama said in a television interview he would call the opposition party to the top-level meeting following a congressional break between February 15 and 19.
"After the recess. I want to come back and have a large meeting, Republicans and Democrats to go through systematically all the best ideas that are out there and move it forward," Obama said in a CBS interview. His attempt to cut health care costs, improve access to treatment and rein in abuses by insurance giants is on life support amid a shifting balance of political power ahead of congressional elections in November.
Failure to pass a bill would cast doubt on prospects for Obama's already pared-down reform agenda, and inflict a damaging blow to his political authority in Washington.
His offer to include Republicans may signal however that any eventual compromise agreement would fall far short of the sweeping health reform law envisaged by many of his most fervent liberal supporters. The president rolled out his new strategy in an interview on the pre-game show for the National Football League Super Bowl championship game - guaranteeing himself a captive audience watching on television.
Annual Super Bowls garner television audiences in the tens of millions, and although Obama's appearance came two hours before kick-off when audiences were yet to peak, it came as many viewers were tuning in. Saturday, Obama vowed he would overcome a "blizzard" of political opposition and salvage his health reform effort. Republicans have accused Obama and congressional Democrats of using their majority on Capitol Hill to systematically shut them out of the health care reform effort.
John Boehner, the top Republican in the House of Representatives, welcomed Obama's announcement, and laid out an initial bargaining position. "Obviously, I am pleased that the White House seems interested in a real, bipartisan conversation on health care," Boehner said in a statement.
Boehner called on Obama to abandon his bid to pass comprehensive reforms of America's mostly private health care system, and to start a "step-by-step" process to lower health care costs and expand access to treatment. Senate Democratic majority leader Harry Reid said that Democrats had tried to work with Republicans from day one on health care - implying that the opposition party had always intended to sabotage the effort.
"Senate Democrats will not relent on our commitment to protecting consumers from insurance company abuses, reducing health care costs... and cutting the deficit." House Democratic majority leader Steny Hoyer said in a politically loaded statement that he was ready to work with Republicans "who are sincere about providing constructive solutions to common challenges and willing to reach bipartisan compromise."
The House of Representatives and the Senate have passed rival versions of health care legislation, but have been unable to reconcile the two bills. After winning a Massachusetts seat last month, Republicans snatched away the Democratic 60-vote super majority in the Senate and gained the power to block the final bill with filibuster obstruction tactics.
Some moderate Democrats from conservative states meanwhile appear deeply uncertain about casting difficult votes to pass the now unpopular measure ahead of tough mid-term congressional polls in November. Obama said Saturday he would not give up on his effort to pass health care. "Just in case there's any confusion out there, let me be clear. I am not going to walk away from health insurance reform," Obama said, in one of his feistiest speeches since his 2008 election campaign. "I'm not going to walk away from the American people. I'm not going to walk away on this challenge. I'm not going to walk away on any challenge.'
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