What editorial writers are saying about Senate health reform debate

A sampling from newspapers across the nation shows editorial writers' views on the rancorous debate in the Senate -- and what it could mean for the fate of the bill.

Don't rush reform

High on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's Christmas wish list is Senate approval of a health care reform bill. While we've followed with interest debate on the issue over the past several months, Senate approval of its version of health care reform just doesn't excite us as much as a lot of other things that would fit in a stocking or under a tree. And given the current pace of progress on health care reform, Reid might want to ask Santa for something else, just in case. ... Given the current position of opposing forces, it doesn't make sense to aim at a Christmas deadline -- self-imposed or otherwise -- and think real progress can be made. Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, Dec. 7

Senate health care follies

The first week of debate on the Senate's health care bill was a depressing mixture of foolish posturing by members of both parties and blatant obstructionism by Republicans. If this is the best the Senate can do, we are in for very rough going. New York Times, Dec. 5

Senate house call

One by one, the obstacles to a once-unimaginable overhaul of the nation's $2.5 trillion health care system are tumbling by the wayside. The Senate's deliberation ... over its prescription for expanding health insurance coverage to most Americans represents, as President Obama noted, another milestone on the road to health care reform. Despite the entrenched and increasingly shrill opposition from congressional Republicans to any and all comprehensive reform, there is growing reason to hold out hope for success. Philadelphia Inquirer, Nov. 22

Gregg's "obstruction": Kudos to him

Liberals are furious at Sen. Judd Gregg [R, N.H.]. They have labeled him an "obstructionist." Apparently they've forgotten that obstructing hastily written legislation is the Senate's job. ... Sen. Gregg sent a letter to his Republican colleagues in the Senate explaining the procedures available to slow the progress of the Senate Democrats' health care legislation. ... Sen. Gregg deserves a commendation for helping his party hold the majority accountable and for refusing to let it ram through a dramatic remaking of nearly one-fifth of the U.S. economy without significant question or debate. Union Leader (Manchester, N.H.), Dec. 5

Health reform debate calls for emotional restraint

Doing nothing is not an option. Neither is ignoring the 800-pound gorillas that have so far been largely ignored or dealt with childishly in this debate. It is not an option because individuals and businesses, especially small businesses, cannot continue to see health insurance costs climb as they have in the recent past. What we ask from the Senate's deliberations, and from the citizens anxiously lobbying their representatives, is a thorough and levelheaded evaluation of the pros and cons of this proposal. The time to strike is when the iron is hot, and the chances for changing this legislation will only cool as the days pass. Patterson (Calif.) Irrigator, Dec. 3

Partisanship trumps hope for cost cuts

The health care reform bill has a long way to go before it passes, if it does pass. But the more we observe the debate, the more we hope the Senate would hurry up and vote it up or down. The more it's subject to cynical partisan maneuvering, the worse it gets. Republicans, we're sure, would love to reclaim the mantle of fiscal responsibility that they lost through eight years of self-dealing pork barrel spending, expanded programs at home and wars abroad paid for by kiting checks. They are doing nothing to help their cause the way they're trying to doctor the health care reform bill. Times-News (Hendersonville, N.C.), Dec. 8