We're buried under snow from a weekend storm here in the Washington metro area. I know we're not going to invoke much sympathy from most parts of the country, but those living in states along the Mid-Atlantic can't go anywhere right now (those of us at Part B News are working from our respective homes today).
Speaking of not going anywhere, health care reform made news just before the Super Bowl kicked off on Sunday. President Barack Obama said he'll hold a bipartisan health care summit Feb. 25
"I want to consult closely with our Republican colleagues," Obama told CBS News' Katie Couric (via The Washington Post). "What I want to do is to ask them to put their ideas on the table ... I want to come back and have a large meeting, Republicans and Democrats, to go through systematically all the best ideas that are out there and move it forward."
Sound familiar? Obama held a similar health care summit last year. He appears to be playing the same moves he played in 2009.
That's unfortunate if you're for health care reform. It's good news if you're against it. As one industry analyst tells me, Obama hasn't learned from all the failures of last year. Republicans are not feeling pressure from their home states and districts to agree, or cooperate, with Democratic led initiatives. They'd be vilified by GOP supporters if they did.
A feel-good summit will be nice to watch. It will make news, but that's about it. I doubt Republicans will receive pressure from their home bases to work with Obama and address some of the serious problems plaguing the health care industry.