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1. ObamaCare (the Affordable Care Act) was negotiated for over 9 months in Congress. Significant changes were made (including gutting the public option) at Republicans' request. They ended up not voting for any of it. It is now the law, upheld by the Supreme Court. It shouldn't be negotiated, just like funding for the Federal Highway Maintenance, upkeep of our Nuclear Missiles or paying for the Library of Congress shouldn't be "negotiated" as part of a self-made budget crisis.
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2. The House refused to "negotiate for the last six months. The Budget, which the House demanded the Senate pass, was passed over 6 months ago but the House of Representatives - driven by the Tea Party - refused to go into a conference committee because they were afraid their leaders would compromise.
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3. The Senate's final funding version IS ALREADY A COMPROMISE, having passed a budget that adhere to the sequester instead of the Budget they originally passed. (The Senate compromised when the Hosue refused to negotiate (see item #2).
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AND 4. Both the President and Senate Leader Harry Reid have agreed to negotiations if the House can pass a clean bill to fund the government at sequester levels for 6 weeks. SIX WEEKS. That thengives everyone six weeks to negotiate a bill.
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But what the Republicans have demanded - and they won't compromise on, is to delay providing access to health insurance. The fact that 20,000 people have signed up the first day - and millions more have tried to access the system ... well that kind of shows it is needed and desired.
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So to the Honorable Representative from Ohio, Speaker John Boehner, one must call bullshit. FYI - No one listens to me, but I feel better.
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Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
Speaker John A. Boehner, after a meeting with President Obama and other Democrats, said they were not willing to negotiate.