“Arrogance, arrogance, arrogance” — that’s what Rep. Tom Price of Georgia, the head of the Republican Study Committee in the House, says he has seen from President Obama during the first part of the health-care summit. “I don’t think his aggressiveness will play well, but that’s his style. He’s a leftist to the nth degree. In his professorial way, he is trying to dictate the terms and facts of the debate. What’s unfortunate is that he is using so many inaccuracies to build his argument. If the president continues like this, I think it will be very tough to have any chance of productive activity today.”
“So far, all I’ve seen is the political theater that everyone expected,” Price adds. “That said, sometimes political theater isn’t bad. The Republicans attending have been able to make some great points. Sen. Tom Coburn, a fellow doctor, has spoken up on defensive medicine, waste, and the incredibly important lawsuit issue. The waste in our system is unconscionable, and he’s hammering that point. Sen. [Lamar] Alexander also started out with an excellent review of the process to date, and how the focus needs to be on improving the current health-care system, not just giving greater power and authority to the federal government.”