While Republicans in Congress continue to oppose the Obama administration in its efforts to pass far-reaching health care reform by year’s end, GOP voices outside the Capitol are standing up for it – and the White House is making sure they’re getting attention.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who continues to wear the patina of movie celebrity as he battles fiscal catastrophe in his state, has joined a rising number of GOP voices to back the Democrats’ current reform bill. And like the others, he called on the Congressional recalcitrants to do the same.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
The Washington Post reports that the high-profile GOP support is being solicited, orchestrated, and publicly spotlighted by the White House this week to pressure both Republicans and balky Democrats to vote on the Senate Finance Committee’s bill in demonstrable, if minimal, bipartisanship.
As it stands, the only potential GOP vote in Congress is Sen. Olympia Snowe, who sits on the finance committee. She has yet to discuss her choice, and Snowe continues to express concerns about the extent and cost of coverage for low- and middle-income families.
Schwarzenegger, who praised President Barack Obama’s efforts for reform while stopping short of endorsing the current bill, issued a statement saying:
“As Governor, I have made significant efforts to advance health reform in California.” Two years ago, Schwarzenegger tried and failed to push through universal health care at home. “As the Obama Administration was launching the current debate on health care reform, I hosted a bipartisan forum in our state because I believe in the vital importance of this issue, and that it should be addressed through bipartisan cooperation.” He urged Republicans and Democrats to “move forward and accomplish these vital goals for the American people.”
Similar support came last week from surgeon and former Senate Republican leader Bill Frist, who offered a qualified endorsement in an interview with Time magazine; on Monday from Tommy Thompson, the health and human services secretary for George W. Bush, who said the current bill “moves us down the path of providing affordable, high-quality health care for all”; and Republican-turned-independent Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York, who said the same day, “The health reform proposal that Congress will shortly consider is shaping up to merit broad, bipartisan support, incorporating Republican ideas and earning deserved support from Republican leaders.”
A vote on the finance committee bill is expected in the next few days.
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