Though it was President Barack Obama who dominated the Sunday morning news shows today, several GOP leaders also took to the airwaves to offer rebuttals — and not just Michael Steele.
On Meet the Press, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) blasted the House’s health reform bill as “a giant takeover of our health care system” and then, in almost the same breath, said “I don’t know that the tone of the debate has gotten out of control. It’s been spirited.”
“The Congress will not pass this,” Boehner said of health care reform. “It’s really time for the President to hit the reset button.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), sitting next to Boehner, jabbed at the President’s blanketing of the news shows this morning, saying “The President is selling something that people quite frankly are not buying. He’s been on everything but the Food Channel.”
He can be on every news show until the end of time. If he doesn’t get Republicans and Democrats in a room and get off TV, we’re never gonna solve this problem.
On State of the Union, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) also suggested that Obama should just give up on health reform, saying “winning is stopping and starting over and getting it right.”
If, on the other hand, Democrats pass health care reform with a 51-Senator reconciliation vote in the Senate, McConnell said “what they’ll be doing in effect is jamming through a proposal to rewrite the economy with about 24 hours of debate.”
“That will produce a very, very severe reaction among the American people,” he said.
Regardless of what happens with health care, Boehner said he likes the GOP’s electoral prospects in 2010.
“I’m looking forward to a good year next year,” he said.
