Obama calls for bi-partisanship on healthcare reform

By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982

President Obama last night spoke of a healthcare plan built not on “rigid ideology, but on experience.” Speaking to a Joint Session of Congress, and with Ted Kennedy’s wife Vicki looking on, he said:

“That large heartedness, that concern and regard for the plight of others is not a partisan feeling. It’s not a Republican or a Democratic feeling. It is part of the American character; our ability to stand in another peron’s shoes.”

The New York Times said:

“In embracing [John] McCain and the malpractice projects, the White House appeared to be seeking to lay the groundwork for an argument that the final bill would be bipartisan not because it garners Republican votes but because it contains Republican ideas. That is the same argument Mr. Obama used when the economic recovery package passed with just three Republican votes.“