No, Republicans Wouldn’t Repeal Health Care Reform

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No, Republicans Wouldn’t Repeal Health Care Reform

Written By : Melissa Clouthier

One of the most maddening arguments from overly-optimistic friends of mine goes like this: Even if the Democrats pass health care reform, Republicans can run against it and say they’d repeal it and then look like heroes when they do it.

The only problem with this flawed logic? The veto pen of Barack Obama for two more years. The only other problem with this flawed logic? David Harsanyi captures it:

To begin with, there exists almost no historical evidence to suggest Republicans will possess either the fortitude or the power to undo a massive government entitlement program.

Can we trust them? Most of you will remember it was the Republican Party’s leadership that pressured conservatives to vote for the fiscally irresponsible Medicare Part D program in 2003. (Democrats like to argue that this illustrates GOP hypocrisy. Perhaps. With Obamacare, the GOP has a chance at redemption.)

Then there are conspicuous problems to consider. Republicans do not possess 60 votes in the Senate — and likely won’t for awhile. Best case scenario, they will have to deal with a president who will veto their efforts to undo the sole “accomplishment” of his presidency.

Obama spent last week campaigning for health care reform, at one point getting some college-age fans worked up about all the free stuff — “free” preventive care and “free” checkups, and so forth — they would receive if his version of health care reform passed.

Which brings us to another stumbling block. If health care is now a “right” and “free” to an ever-growing group of Americans — people who believe stuff can be had for “free” — are Republicans really going to snatch it away from them?

You can already picture the hideous debate, as Republicans fold in the face of accusations that they are working for the murderous profit- mongers against the underprivileged victims of a wretched capitalistic system. (Even today, Jim Bunning stood nearly alone.)

What, in all the years of watching Republicans in action gives any conservative, libertarian or even small-government moderate any faith in these people? It suggest a sweet idealism that I find refreshing, but also stupid.

Every shred of energy needs to be expended to prevent this disaster from starting. Those who suggest it can be repealed need to think of a drug user. Heroin is extraordinarily addictive. Stopping a person after the first hit, is nigh to impossible. After the third? Forget it.

Those who suggest repealing this bill, will be asking heroin addicts across the country to take themselves off the drug. That’s what government entitlements are: Societal Drugs. They hook a person, and he doesn’t even know he’s dying until it’s too late and his freedom is gone.

Better to hide the drugs and destroy them forever, than to allow a person one hit. This health care bill MUST be stopped now or there will be no stopping it later.

Power_System_Oper

The OP is right on the mark.

At this very moment, only 10 GOP members of the House of Representatives have the guts to co-sponsor GOP Rep Paul Ryan’s detailed plan of specific spending cuts which would balance the federal budget without raising taxes.
http://networdblog.blogspot.com/ Christopher_Taylor

Even if the GOP somehow got a majority in both houses and somehow grew the nads to vote for a bill which revoked the Government Health Insurance Takeover act, President Obama would simply veto the bill, confident there’s never going to be enough votes to overturn it.
http://TheNixonTape.Blogspot.Com Dick_Nixon

The OP is right on the mark.

At this very moment, only 10 GOP members of the House of Representatives have the guts to co-sponsor GOP Rep Paul Ryan’s detailed plan of specific spending cuts which would balance the federal budget without raising taxes.
Posted by Power_System_Oper
2010-03-10 09:58:12

strawman/threadjack all in one post.
TheAncient

So far, while feeling pretty good for themselves in the polls, the GOP does not seem able or willing to really capitalize on their position. What they lack right now is a leader to follow. If the bill passes, it gives Republican candidates a real focus for the fall elections and there has already been a lot of talk of running on a repeal the healthcare bill platform. If that happens and the fall elections go in favor of the GOP, a leader could emerge to drive the idea.

While I am still sanguine on the odds of the bill passing, there is one thing for certain. The Democrats are going to lose their majority in both houses and Obama will be unable to pass gas, much less a bill. If the bill passes, it will be worse for the Democrats in the mid-term elections than it would be if the bill fails. So, barring an unforeseen economic recovery, passing the bill is the most disastrous thing that can happen to the Democrats.

Jack Schite might jump in here and say that Obama will have months to explain how good the bill really is before the elections and change everything. As Charles Krauthammer says, perhaps the President’s 38th, 39th, or 40th speech will finally get through to the rubes out there. No way to argue that conclusively, but many people, including myself, believe that the voters understand the bill very well and don’t want it. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating after all.

So, can or will the GOP get the bill repealed? Not without leadership that isn’t apparent today. I suspect that we need to see a changing of the guard and am hopeful that leaders will emerge in the House and Senate who can make this happen.

It has been hard for me to understand how Democrat Representatives can be made to vote for a bill that will almost certainly ensure their demise in the fall, but I have historically given Representatives more credit for being savvy than they deserve.

TheAncient
http://actsoftheapostasy.blogspot.com/ LarryD

But aren’t there ways for the GOP to minimize the bill’s impact a) should it pass and b) should they get majorities in both houses this fall?

They will have control of the spending at that point. And while I concur that they didn’t do a great job of reining spending while Bush was president, I’m inclined to believe they wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. And there are ways to whittle down the impact – such as attachments to bills Obama would be likely to sign. See if he has the guts to veto a bill he likes because of an amendment he doesn’t like.

At the end of day, though, Melissa is correct. Stopping the bill is of the utmost importance. If it passes, then the only hope for the future might merely be minimizing its impact.

And maybe a future conservative president will be extremely bold and eliminate the Dept. of Health and Human Services. Without that, who’s left to administer the ~~death panels~~ programs?
Mike_M

“It has been hard for me to understand how Democrat Representatives can be made to vote for a bill that will almost certainly ensure their demise in the fall”

You’ve seen how Obama does business. It shouldn’t be a surprise at all.

The Dem leadership is presenting the bill to Congress as a fait accompli. “It’s going to pass”. So get on board now and collect your bribes, or you’ll be left out in the cold and cut off from reelection support if you vote no.

Obama is managing Congress like a Commisar. Point a gun at their backs and tell them to charge the enemy or get shot from behind. Of course, with Obama being unpopular and the bill being even more unpopular a Congressman stands a better chance of getting reelected by opposing the bill…however he has to break ranks with the party and become a pariah to do it.

It’s all one big circular firing squad based on threats and bribes. Moving forward is death and moving backward is death. That’s the reason this debate has been stalled for 9 months now.
Crimsonfella

Reading stuff like this just plain sucks.I know we must face this though and not put our heads in the sand but this just sucks.Looking on the horizen I just don’t see a way to stop this move to socialize america.We have some good conservative Republicans standing on principle but too many times they are simply outnumbered.I hope and pray this can be stopped but I’m not convinced.Elections have consequences and this country has been misgoverned for so long that too many people seem to be used to it.I know we’ll never have perfection but true conservatism has never really been tried despite all of the things the movement has warned us about and yet has been totally smeared by the left.This slow march toward socialism started along long time ago.Hell I still could’nt have voted for McCain the Maverick. Hey Jesus is still coming though!
Crimsonfella

We are doing the samething that destroyed the roman empire taxing the people because of out of control spending until you go broke.Empires last on everage for about 200 to 250 years throughout history.
Crimsonfella

Caligula? Anybody?
Crimsonfella

Government run amuck? I see many things that contributed to the roman empire collapsing.Is history repeating itself? Is the same principality(demonic sprit) (oh no! yeah it in the bible I guess I’m a bible thumper right wing extremist!) that ruled during the roman empire over america trying to do the samething again to destroy america and the west?And if so God has to take care of his people atleast so that his work can get done which is mostly about souls?Right?
http://networdblog.blogspot.com/ Christopher_Taylor

I think the Democrats in congress are insulated from how mad people are and believe that they’ll do fine. Harry Reid is sure that if the bill passes, people will like it and the anger will go away. They also seem to think that people are unhappy because the Democrats haven’t passed the bill rather than because they’re trying to. So they are out of touch and clueless and think that passing will help them out.

And then there’s the delusion that passing this will give the Democrats a permanent majority by making the people dependent on government. It won’t, not any more. I wrote more extensively about this on my blog but in brief: consider the GOP majority that was going to be permanent because they kept passing goodies to hand out. Yeah, that worked out real well didn’t it? Not any more.
Mike_M

“Caligula? Anybody?”

I was thinking more Louis XVI, but that works too.
http://rightwingrocker.blogspot.com RightWingRocker

What, in all the years of watching Republicans in action gives any conservative, libertarian or even small-government moderate any faith in these people? It suggest a sweet idealism that I find refreshing, but also stupid.

Stupid, indeed.

RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
http://rightwingrocker.blogspot.com RightWingRocker

What they lack right now is a leader to follow.

What they lack is a set of beliefs consistent with the Founders’ vision. They could all lead together if they had that.

RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
http://rightwingrocker.blogspot.com RightWingRocker

I’m inclined to believe they wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

Don’t be foolish. They could have reined it in under Clinton as well. Look how great that worked out.

RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com