"
The Republican summit strategy is twofold: to portray the Obama plan as radical and ruinously expensive, while reassuring a potential television audience of millions that the GOP takes the health-care crisis seriously and is prepared to address it headon.
But Republicans are not prepared to match every Democratic provision with one of their own. "You will not see from us a 2,700-page comprehensive rewrite of one-sixth of our economy," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.). "We don't think that ought to be done."
"
Their goal is to present voters with
a clear choice between
a Democratic approach that seeks to expand the government role in health care, and the
Republican aim of finding solutions in
the private marketplace.
"There'll be no question as to where Republicans stand," said House Minority Whip Rep. Eric Cantor (Va.).
"It is with a much more common-sense, modest approach to health-care reform."