Just Say No

That's the advice that Erick Erickson of Red State and a lot of other conservative leaders are giving Republicans today in light of Obama's invitation to a televised health care summit:

Remember that? Democrats returned to Washington after being battered all of August over the health care plans. Barack Obama decided to rebuild their energy and so he spoke at a joint session of Congress to talk health care.

Throughout the speech he said he wanted to hear about GOP counter-proposals and repeatedly accused them of having none. Every time, congressional Republicans held up their proposals so he could see they did have counter-proposals.

Nonetheless, from that speech in September until today, Barack Obama has insisted the GOP had no proposals. He insisted the Democrats work behind closed doors and shut out the GOP.

Now, because the House Republicans gave the President a chance to improve his image at their retreat, Obama wants to sit down with Republicans at his guest house in front of TV cameras and discuss the proposals the GOP has had all along that he pretends he knew nothing about.

If Barack Obama cannot be genuine and interested in Republican ideas when the cameras are turned off, there is absolutely no way he can be genuine and sincere with the cameras turned on.

The GOP is often referred to as the stupid party. Let’s pray they aren’t stupid enough to sit down with a President who has for six months dismissed them as having no ideas. Barack Obama says he wants a bipartisan approach to health care now. Well, there is bipartisan support for scrapping the current proposals and starting over.

Unless Barack Obama says they should scrap the present plans and start over, the GOP should not entertain his invitation to use a gaggle of Republicans to rehabilitate our socialist President.

Michelle Malkin and Rush Limbaugh, among others, are also advising Republicans to stay away from this thing.

Frankly, I don't know how you refuse an invitation from the president for something like this so I'm sure the GOP will attend. The question then will be whether they're really ready for an environment that will be stacked against them. Obama will control the discussion and the talking points, and the staging will be carefully prepared to make the GOP look like they're the only thing that's preventing the country from receiving health care.

The president has ignored GOP ideas from the beginning, insisting in public statements that the GOP has no plans. This event is a Hail Mary pass by Obama to try and reclaim some momentum on the issue. The GOP must not allow him to use them as TV props.