Should the president negotiate with Democrats?

President Donald Trump was asked Wednesday if he’d be willing to include Charles Schumer and the Senate Democrats in the health care negotiations.

“Would you be willing to negotiate with all of them?”

“I gotta find out if he’s serious. He hasn’t been serious,” Trump responded.

But suppose Schumer and the Democrats are serious?

Because a few hours after that exchange, Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen called into CSPAN and essentially started negotiating health care policy with host Steve Scully.

“But you would concede that the current law needs some changes. The current Affordable Care Act.”

“The Affordable Care Act could use some strengthening,” he agreed.

So he acknowledges the problems and sees some common goals.

“Bring down premiums, bring down deductibles, bring down co-pays.”

And he would support the Republican idea that people ought to know what things cost.

“More transparency in pricing is something where there may be common ground.”

And he would provide a choice that isn’t there now:

“Like creating a public option, a Medicaid-for-all choice, which would create more competition which would drive down costs.”

Now, Van Hollen is a Democrat. But I hear some Republican words in there.

I heard CHOICE. I heard COMPETITION.

With the greatest negotiator ever born sitting in the Oval Office, and the Democrats saying they’ll play ball, why not invite the entire Senate to the East Room?

It might be a squeeze but I happen to know that the East Room can easily fit 100 U.S. Senators. All they would have to do is leave their egos outside.

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