Obama's healthcare law: Historic reform and signature failure - latimes.com
His [Obama's] one condition was a healthcare plan that would protect Americans and could pass," said Neera Tanden, a former senior White House health advisor.
Several Republican lawmakers signaled interest in working with Obama. But almost at the outset, the GOP leadership was dug in.
"There were legitimate policy disagreements," said John McDonough, a former aide to the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), "but the clear message we heard from the GOP staffers was they couldn't move without a signal from McConnell."
The Republican Senate leader pressured GOP senators to stop negotiating with Obama. "It was intense and it was constant," said one former Republican aide, who asked not to be identified discussing internal party tensions.
Healthcare leaders got a similar message. One executive said he received several calls from senior GOP lawmakers warning that he would regret participating in the process. Another said he was told that Republicans would not do anything to make the legislation better. "Republicans were going to vote against the law, no matter what," a third executive said.
All three declined to speak publicly for fear of angering GOP congressional leaders.
Despite the hostility, Obama spent most of 2009 pursuing Republican votes.:-(
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