Didn't look like it to me. The minute-long, rapid-fire statements from various members of Congress proved predictably partisan, with Democrats extolling what they consider to be the bill's considerable virtues and Republicans painting a grim picture of what they see to be its fatal flaws. If anything, it seems the two sides are more locked into their original positions than they were a few months ago, not less. Which means though no one will decisively win today, neither will anyone admit defeat. The two parties are going to grind this one out over the course of months, or even years. Regulators will be hauled before committees by Republicans who don't want the bill implemented. Funding will be zeroed out. Legislation reforming the shortcomings that both sides see in the bill, or doubling down on the strengths both sides see in the bill, isn't likely to get very far. There's simply no consensus in favor of implementation, repeal, or revision. And there's certainly no talk of a compromise.

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David Herszenhorn and Robert Pear summarize the first day of health-care debate: "As the fight over health care returned to the House floor on Tuesday, the debate could largely be stripped down to four questions that are relatively simple to ask, if not to answer: Will the health care law, approved last year by Democrats with no Republican support, increase or reduce future federal deficits? Will the law lead to the elimination of jobs by overburdened employers as Republicans assert, or will it create jobs as Democrats maintain? Will the law raise or lower the cost of medical care for individuals and families, employers, and state and federal governments? And, will the law achieve President Obama’s goal of providing coverage to more than 30 million uninsured Americans?"

Most Americans oppose health care reform, but also its repeal, reports Jon Cohen: "Republican claims that the new health-care law will hurt the country's fragile economic recovery and inflate the deficit resonate with the public, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. But few opponents of the law advocate an immediate, wholesale repeal of the legislation...Despite the relative popularity of the detractors' arguments, there is still little consensus among opponents about the right approach to amending the legislation. Those who do not support the law are split about evenly between advocating for its complete repeal (33 percent), a partial repeal (35 percent) and a wait-and-see approach (30 percent). Fully two-thirds of all Republicans say they want the law repealed, at least partly."

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Jan. 19, 2011