What is there to hide? Dems craft reform “behind closed doors”

During his campaign, then-Candidate Obama promised to usher in a new era of transparency.  Americans, he said, would finally be welcomed in to the world government.  They would be able to see what really goes on in Washington.  Speaking of health care reform, Mr. Obama said:

… and we’ll have the negotiations televised on CSPAN so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents and who is making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies.

Now, however, Democrats are “huddling behind closed doors” in an attempt to leave the American people out of the process.  According to Christina Bellantoni of TPM, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and other top Democrats have been meeting in private with White House advisors in an effort to create a bill that will attract the votes of 60 of their colleagues in the Senate.

The group is under pressure to get a deal done quickly, but they also are attempting to avoid the media spotlight as dozens of reporters camp outside Reid’s senate office… White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was pushed during his briefing today on whether Obama was really meeting his transparency pledge since these meetings are shrouded from the public.

“The merging of two committee bills is just one step along a long process,” he said. “And I think the American people have — have gotten quite a bit of news coverage on this topic.”

A new video released by the House Republican Conference entitled “Behind Closed Doors” points to the fact that mere “news coverage” is not what the President promised during his campaign.  He promised transparency.  He promised a seat at the table.  And the lack thereof has many Americans asking, “What have Democrats got to hide?”