About us Login Get email updates
Research
Print

Echoing GOP, conservative media declare GOP the winner of health care summit

February 26, 2010 5:44 pm ET — 11 Comments

Echoing Republican Party talking points, conservative media figures rushed to declare Republicans the winner of President Obama's February 25 health care summit. For instance, Fox News contributor and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin stated that Republicans scored a "victory" while the Democrats engaged in "a whole lot of lecturing again."

Please upgrade your flash player. The video for this item requires a newer version of Flash Player. If you are unable to install flash you can download a QuickTime version of the video.

EMBED

Conservative media: GOP won health care summit

Gerson: The summit was "a draw that went to the Republicans." On the February 26 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, Washington Post columnist and former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson stated: "The Democrats needed a game changer. They needed to change the momentum -- you know, both the legislative momentum and the momentum of public opinion. I'm not sure they got that. You know, the president is always very fluent and informed and did a good job in many ways, but Republicans had strong arguments, their tone was good, they showed that they have alternatives, and so, in a lot of ways, it was a draw that went to the Republicans."

Gerson similarly wrote in a washingtonpost.com piece: "Both sides generally made their cases in a civil and serious fashion. But Democrats carried a burden into the meeting. On the wrong side of political momentum, they needed a breakthrough of some sort. They didn't get it."

Wash. Times: "The ballyhooed bipartisan summit was a rout won by the opposition." In a February 26 editorial, The Washington Times asserted: "Hopefully a lot of Americans were able to watch the presentations today. The ballyhooed bipartisan summit was a rout won by the opposition."

Fox Nation: "Dems lose summit on substance." A headline on the Fox Nation website stated: "Dems lose summit on substance, scramble for nuclear option?"

Palin: GOP won a "victory" at summit, while Democrats stuck to "same old, same old." On the February 25 edition of Fox News' Hannity, Palin said:

PALIN: The Republicans have been asking for an ear in the White House to hear what their proposals have been. Their proposals have been online, their solutions that they want to offer, and yet they've been accused of being the party of no and the party of not having any solutions. Today was an opportunity for them to show what they had been talking about all along.

And so, again, that was a victory on behalf of Republicans to finally be able to express what some of these free market, patient-oriented solutions are that they want to see implemented incrementally, not comprehensively, but incrementally with broad-based support on some of these measure so that we can start meeting the challenges in health care.

Later, Hannity asked: "Question: net winners, net losers. Did the president hurt himself today? Did the Republicans help themselves today in terms of public perception?" Palin responded:

PALIN: The Republicans helped themselves, absolutely. They got to talk about the patient-centered, free-market oriented solutions to health care reform that is needed. We do need to reform much of our health care that we have in America. But they were able to articulate that, whereas the Democrats, the president, it was just more of the same old, same old, and it was a whole lot of lecturing again.

Limbaugh declared health care summit "a clean sweep for the Republicans." On his February 26 radio show, referring to media reaction of the health care summit, Rush Limbaugh stated: "I actually thought what we were going to get here was rave reviews for Obama, but it was so bad that all they can do was say that it was a tie. And when they say it's a tie, that means that it was a clean sweep for the Republicans."

Erickson: Summit "shows the American public that the Republicans have a better agenda, better ideas." RedState.com's Erick Erickson wrote: "If nothing else, today shows the American public that the Republicans have a better agenda, better ideas, and are willing to stand up and oppose a reckless scheme that will increase health care costs."

Conservative media echo GOP talking points

GOP aide: Dems "badly needed a win today and they didn't get it. Not even close." In a February 25 post on his Washington Post Co. Plum Line blog, Greg Sargent wrote: "A GOP aide emails the Republican take: 'They badly needed a win today and they didn't get it. Not even close. Republicans were prepared. The President was pedantic and peeved.' "

GOP Senate website: "Media Says 'Republicans Brought Their "A Team." ' " A post on the Republicans' Senate website titled, "What they are saying about the morning's summit session" summed up the media reaction as follows:

Media Says "Republicans Brought Their 'A Team,'" "Have Been Very Effective," "The Folks In The White House Just Must Be Kicking Themselves Right Now"

— A.H.S.
Support Our Work


Expand All Expand 1st Level Collapse All Add Comment
    • Author by MadRiver Jack (February 26, 2010 6:14 pm ET)
      5  
      If you think the winner of the summit was determined by which side delivered their rhetoric most compellingly, you miss the point. Democrats merely needed for GOPpers to show that they were more interested in delivering talking points than in engaging in the give & take of negotiating--you know, governance and doing the people's business.

      Now America sees that REPOs were not excluded by the majority; this minority chose to exclude themselves. On to reconciliation!
      Report Abuse
      • Author by sambo (February 26, 2010 7:34 pm ET)
        5  
        It'll take GOP supporters a few days to figure out what really
        happened yesterday
        Report Abuse
    • Author by ActivelyComplacent (February 26, 2010 6:54 pm ET)
         
      That's right, the "Platinum" medal goes to the GOP. Who needs that "socialist" gold you win by playing by the rules? You guys just don't get it, getting your contradictions and hypocrisies called out to you TWICE just means your predictable attack points and poor defensive strategy was better than the other team's, at least in your own playbook.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Porkeater (February 26, 2010 7:36 pm ET)
      2  
      It's easy to see what she had written on her hand today: "patient-centered, free-market oriented solutions to health care reform"
      Report Abuse
    • Author by At_odds (February 27, 2010 3:38 am ET)
      4  
      I am glad the republicans FINALLY had a chance to express their views on this health care discussion.

      Always being shunned by the elitist democrats and mainstream media. You have to understand they don't have a stage to promote their values. Its not like they have been able to infiltrate the media by hiring conservative politicians to regurgitate talking points and cheerlead for them after debates (No gender discrimination implied, Mrs Palin. Please don't get your panties in a bunch...Oops there I go again...Pig...lipstick...).

      Anyway, now we all know that John McCain realizes that the election is over, and that the conservatives want tort reform, and selling over state lines, and that we could lower premiums by buying really shoddy health insurance (with less regulation than we currently have). We now know that the conservatives contest the view that premiums would drop, even though they will for most Americans.

      I wonder what we will find out the next time we have a televised debate. Obamas a communist, drill baby, drill, guns are good, God bless America, pork barrel spending is bad, and most ironically, Obama is not transparent enough.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by whatIthink (February 27, 2010 12:53 pm ET)
      3  
      I think with all this talk about who "won" and who "lost", the bigger picture has been shoved to the background. 45,000 people die every year due to lack of health insurance. That's 124 people a day. During their 7 hour "talk", 35 people died due to lack of health insurance. There were no winners from the summit and the only people that truly lost were the people that continue to die due lack of action.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Dradeeus (February 27, 2010 3:51 pm ET)
      4  
      As far as an end result, no one really "won", but neither was anyone expecting to "win." The point of the meeting was arguably a concession to Republicans who complained (unjustifiably) that democrats stonewall them.

      And Senate Republicans have proven that no amount of debate will get any "yes" votes, ever. Saying they "won" is like saying that a sports team that refuses to play, won the game.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Slow Cowboy (March 01, 2010 1:18 am ET)
         
      To be frank, its hard to see how the prez and co came out with any sort of benefit from this sham of a meeting.

      It was held for two apparent reasons: to seek bi-partisanship and to make up for the closed door sessions on the debate.

      Looking at what has come out of it nothing has changed, and we still hear threats from Democratic leadership that they will move forward without Republicans. And as far as the back door deals go, how will we know? Further, there's been no change on the NE and LA deals, so there's no reason to think anything has changed on that point, either.

      I happen to think Gerson's points are fairly astute, because the GOP did offer ideas and solutions. They are willing to play ball, but its not the game the Dems want to play. So, the Dems are just going to play their own game.

      So much for bi-partisanship and good faith. And because those two items are now in question, the Dems did little to help their cause. On the other side, the GOP at least looked like they do have something to say on the issue.

      (Please do not argue that their message is not good, because whether you like it or not is not the issue- the issue is that they have something to add to the discussion.)
      Report Abuse
    • Author by political_left-religious_right (March 01, 2010 12:33 pm ET)
         
      Let's not forget that the wingnuts claimed beforehand that the whole summit was going to be a "trap," thus giving themselves a convenient excuse if they didn't do a good job. In Debate 101, this is called "poisoning the well." When you set the bar so low that you have to use cheap debating tricks like that, it's no surprise that they can come out of it declaring victory.

      Then again, how many of these same sources declared that McCain and Palin were victorious in the debates, when in real life they collectively went 0-4?
      Report Abuse

my.MediaMatters.org

Login  Sign Up

Push Back

Phone calls, emails and letters from the public do make a difference. Remember that to be effective you must be polite, and professional. Express your specific concerns regarding that particular news report or commentary, and indicate what you would like the media outlet to do differently in the future.