Republicans, Say It Isn't So

After two attempts to repeal and replace Obamacare simultaneously have failed to get through the Senate; the latest proposal involves repealing Obamacare and implementing a two-year delay to allow Congress to come up with a replacement plan.  This bill would use the budget reconciliation process, which only requires the support of a majority of Senators as opposed to a 60-vote supermajority.  This should pass with no difficulty; as all but one sitting Republican Senator voted for a repeal bill in 2015.  The lone holdout was Maine Senator Susan Collins; the political equivalent of Diet Coke.  Now, two additional Senators who voted for the inconsequential repeal bill in 2015 have come out in opposition to it.  Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have indicated that they will vote “no” on a repeal only bill, despite voting yes in 2015.  What caused them to change their minds?      

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) expressed one possible theory during an appearance on Hannity Thursday night.  According to this theory, some Republicans are actually happy Obamacare is staying on the books.  They voted for the repeal in 2015 because they knew President Obama was going to veto it; thereby preventing it from becoming law.  Now that the repeal actually has a chance to become law, these Republicans have developed a bad case of cold feet.  Like Senator Cruz, I sure hope this is not the case.  If it is the case, then that means these Senators lied to their constituents.  Republicans repeatedly assured the American people that if they were given complete control of the Federal government, repealing Obamacare would be a top priority.  Now that the voters have actually given Republicans a chance to fulfill that promise, the GOP appears likely to blow this historic opportunity because of a civil war between moderates and conservatives on what the replacement bill should look like.  If the bill moves too far to the left, conservative Senators will jump ship.  If the bill moves too far to the right, the Moderates will refuse to vote for it.  The math is not on their side.  The Republicans hold 52 seats in the Senate and three Senators have already come out against a repeal-only bill. The Democrats have shown that they will not support any healthcare bill proposed by the Republicans; vowing to remain tethered to Obamacare until the very end.  Not surprisingly, the Democrats have resorted to scare tactics in their efforts to derail Obamacare’s repeal.  Democratic politicians have made speeches and/or released statements where they argue that the Republicans’ attempts to repeal Obamacare will cause people to die.  Far-left groups such as Move On.org send angry “constituents” to town halls of elected Republicans in congress; hoping that the fear of these types of confrontations will convince Republicans to abandon their effort to repeal Obamacare and work with Democrats to “improve” the law.

Sadly, it appears as if the Democrats’ efforts have succeeded; leading to the second theory as to why some Republicans who voted for repeal in 2015 now say they will refuse to do the same now.  They are too afraid of the backlash.  Moderate Republican Senators refuse to vote for any healthcare plan that would roll back the massive, unsustainable Medicaid expansion because they don’t want to be seen as “heartless.”  Senator Shelley Moore Capito said she “did not come to Washington to hurt people.”  Apparently, Moore Capito and a few other Republicans have bought into the Democratic Party’s philosophy that those who do not support cradle-to-grave entitlements are not compassionate.  Instead, they should embrace the philosophy of Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, who said “We will measure compassion and success by the number of people we get off those programs.”  It is sad to see that many so-called conservatives do not share this view.    

 

 

 

 

Rush Limbaugh responded to the 2012 re-election of President Obama by saying “It’s very difficult to beat Santa Claus.”  President Obama and the Democrats took on the role of Santa Claus and his elves, giving “free” healthcare to the American people.  In reality, Santa Claus does not exist and Washington, D.C. does not have the endless supply of resources that the mythical North Pole does.  Republicans are forced to take on the roles of the Repo men cleaning up the messes made by the Democrats; who spend taxpayer money as if it grows on trees.  This role will not score popularity points with the Marxist Mainstream Media, which too many Republicans desperately seek the approval of.  President Trump hopes that a meeting with people whose lives have been negatively affected by Obamacare will motivate Congressional Republicans to act on their promise to allow the American people to regain control of their healthcare from the Federal government.       

 

 

With the 2018 midterms still more than a year away, Congressional Republicans still have plenty of time to enact a conservative legislative agenda; including the repeal of Obamacare, tax reform, and the construction of the much-promised “big, beautiful” wall on the border with Mexico. Enacting this agenda should ensure a strong performance for the GOP on Election Night 2018; as conservatives will turn out in droves to give Congressional Republicans a vote of confidence.  But if they should let the voters down, they risk the re-emergence of Speaker Nancy Pelosi; who will do everything in her power to ensure the failure of the Trump Presidency.  Congressional Republicans can’t expect to keep dumping their voters at the altar without suffering the electoral consequences. If they abandon their principles and cave to the Democrats’ every wish, the Republican base will feel no need to get out and vote on Election Day next year.  I sure hope Republican politicians were sincere when they promised to repeal Obamacare.  If not, then the country will go deeper in dept as the Democratic Congress passes single-payer healthcare.  Republicans, save America’s healthcare before it is too late.