Monday, December 21, 2009

McCain hits Obama for failing to reach out to Republicans, while Snowe praises Obama for outreach.

THINK PROGRESS

Throughout the health care debate, Republicans have grumbled that they have been shut out of the negotiations. “[N]o Republican was invited,” to hash out a deal, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said yesterday. “[Obama's] campaign promise on health care reform, which I believed was that we would sit down and negotiate together, Republicans and Democrats, we didn’t. … Republicans were never brought in to the negotiations,” Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) complained this morning on ABC’s Good Morning America. But yesterday on Face the Nation, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) explained that negotiating with the White House and Democrats has, in fact, not been a partisan issue:

BOB SCHIEFFER: Let me ask you this. It’s my understanding that, even after Leader Reid announced that he had the sixtieth vote, the sixty votes he needs, you met again with President Obama. What was– what was that about?

SNOWE: Correct. The President, you know, and I have worked together on this issue. And I applaud him for, you know, his knowledge, his grasp of the issue. It’s his major and highest domestic initiative, on this issue, and he wants to get it done this year, and encouraging me to support the legislation.

Watch it:

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