Today was not a good day for President Obama and the Democrats. The Republicans didn’t look like a bunch of know-nothing, childish, just-say-no obstructionists with no ideas of their own.

Should the president and his allies go forward with pushing this disaster via reconciliation, the blowback will be immense.

Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin made one of the best cases that the Senate bill – which the president’s plan closely tracks – is a fiscal nightmare.

A few other points of note:

Going into the meeting, Obama said he was going to spend time listening. Here’s how the talk time broke down:

Obama:             119 minutes

Dems:              114 minutes

Reps:               110 minutes

The Democratic tactic of sharing sob stories about health insurance was a waste of time and did their case no good. We all know that sometimes the current system doesn’t work. Despite the repeated contentions of the Democrats, the choices aren’t the Obama Plan or No Plan. So what’s the purpose of the emotional blackmail?

Finally, via Ace, comes Obama’s rules of order from today’s summit.

1. Democrats get more time because "I'm the President."

2. Republicans may not criticise [sic] my bill. They can only talk about things on which we agree.

3. Republicans may not use the word "Washington" because it tips the scales.

4. Republicans may not use or reference an actual copy of the Senate bill. That's a "prop" and it's unfair.

5. We're not in "campaign mode anymore," by which he means McCain cannot mention his dirty dealings.