Winners and Losers of the Health Care Summit

Obama, Coburn looked good, Reid and McCain looked bad
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 26, 2010 7:38 AM CST
Winners and Losers of the Health Care Summit
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden walk back to the White House, from the Blair House, Feb. 25, 2010, after meeting all day with Republican and Democrat lawmakers.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Neither side came away with what it wanted after yesterday’s bipartisan health care summit, but there were plenty of winners and losers. Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post breaks it down:

Winners

  • Tom Coburn—His call to eliminate fraud emerged as a rare point of agreement, getting widespread kudos.
  • President Obama—He looked like a guy genuinely interested in compromise. His performance single-handedly saved the day for Democrats, who otherwise looked unimpressive.
  • The Senate—Not many House members had an impact, except for…
  • Paul Ryan—The GOP’s policy guy cemented himself as a rising star, using actual data to back his points.
Losers
  • Harry Reid—He’s more of a behind-the-scenes guy, and his combative performance proved why.
  • John McCain—Looked on the verge of erupting at all times.
  • Genuine Discussion—Despite Obama’s best efforts to keep people on topic, the day saw a predictable stream of talking points. But...
  • Cable News—...Everyone at least stayed civil, leaving cable with few moments to obsess over.
(More health care summit stories.)

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