Barbour Criticizes Obama's Health Care Haste
Leading Republican governors seemed to downplay the statements from Sarah Palin while embracing to an extent the passion of town hall participants who have been vocal in their opposition to health care reform.
Gov. Haley Barbour (R-Miss.), chair of the Republican Governors Association, told reporters this afternoon that one reason people are reacting so strongly around the country is because they think the White House is moving far too quickly on an issue of tremendous concern.
"The Obamas took six months to pick a dog. How come they [had] to pass a health care bill before the August recess?" he said. "Everything has been, 'We gotta do it right now.' The American people realize this is too much, too far, too fast, too many trillions of dollars."
Gov. Sonny Perdue (R-Ga.) took a swipe at Democratic leaders for diminishing the voice of ordinary Americans, saying the town hall meetings are "democracy in action."
"For some Democratic members of Congress to call that anti-democratic is just ludicrous," he said, no doubt referring to the op-ed today from Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. "They want to blame things on Astroturf, [but] these are citizens that are very concerned, very fearful for their jobs, and their family, and their future health needs."
Perdue sidestepped a question about former Gov. Sarah Palin's comments on Facebook this weekend calling President Obama's health care plan "evil," saying she "can speak for herself." Barbour, who said he hadn't heard Palin's comments, said, "Every governor's got his or her own view."
"But there's a broad if not unanimous view that's nonpartisan from governors that we do not want and cannot bear an unfunded mandate being placed on us," he said, citing a potential expansion in Medicaid spending.
Barbour also praised the role of Republicans in Congress during the debate, countering Democratic complaints that they have not offered their own solutions in part by targeting the media.
"I recognize that the press is not going to give much coverage to the Republican plans," he said. "But I think there has been enough activity by members that anybody who pays attention knows that Republicans in Washington and Congress are saying, 'Here's some things we ought to do.'"