I watched the latter half of the summit. The issue of abortion did come up; however, a Democrat lady explicitly stated that “the law of the land is there is no public funding of abortion.” She stated that emphatically, as if preexisting laws made it impossible for the Federal government to fund any abortions. Whether that is the case or not in the USA I do not know. What was really interesting was Obama’s interest in that statement after she made it. It looked as if he definitely wanted to say or add something but he didn’t. He certainly took note.
Otherwise, it was an over glorified discussion committee. What’s interesting is that what the Health Care Summit represented in a nut shell was the Westminster style of government, where the opposition and the government (legislative branch majority + executive) all meet to discuss a bill in public. President Obama seemed to play the function of “governor general,” chairman/president and “speaker of the house” all at once. A curious thing for a republic but not uncommon in other democratic government models.
Lastly, Obama’s style came through quite clearly. His positioning and disarming techniques were politically masterful. I especially like his way of saying, “I agree” and “I agree with you/that” before proceeding to present a conclusion that is not in agreement at all lol, as if he was forced against his desire to do something else. That’s a wonderful way of getting what you want without appearing to block or disregard people.
