The GOP claims it wants to "repeal and replace" the Obama health care law, and Mitt Romney even campaigns in front of "Repeal and Replace" backdrops. In the wake of a complete Supreme Court rejection of the heath care bill, or Romney's promised fifty-state waiver if he becomes president, some Republicans in Congress have suggested that they might retain some of the plan's more popular elements. In fact, Romney's own plan retains a couple of the bill's elements.
So Republicans really will replace the bill if they get a chance -- right?
The hell they will. Some of them may think they will, but they won't be allowed to. Their own inflamed hordes won't let them.
Did you see the exchange between Republican senator Roy Blunt and sneering wingnut rage junkie Michelle Malkin?
In a blog post, Malkin lashed out at Blunt for advocating a closure of Medicare's "donut hole" for prescription drugs, as well as a guarantee of coverage for people with preexisting conditions and the retention of the requirement that employer health plans cover children up to age 26 -- a provision of the health law that Malkin calls ... wait for it ... "the slacker mandate."
This led to an angry exchange between the two of them on Twitter. The whole thing is at the link directly above. Actually, "exchange" is not the right word -- the two had an angry dialogue ...
.@michellemalkin To be clear, I’ve long supported the full repeal of #ObamaCare & replacing with common-sense health care solutions.
— Senator Roy Blunt (@RoyBlunt) June 14, 2012
.@RoyBlunt Let me be blunt, Senator: On what planet is the slacker mandate a "common sense health care solution?"
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) June 14, 2012
... and then Blunt left, after which Malkin continued tweet-yelling at his Twitter-back.
Do I have to tell you who's going to win this fight if the Supreme Court gives us total repeal, or if Romney wins?
Yeah, I know, I know -- Michelle Malkin was attacked by Juan Williams on Fox News a couple of days ago. If you're being attacked by a Fox News hack employee, you must be beyond the pale, right? Well, no -- as Roy Edroso points out, this exchange made Malkin the queen of the right-wing blogosphere.
Remember, Malkin's the one whose last book spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. (The Times's online archiving of lists is spotty, but I see the last Juan Williams book here, way down at #26.) The crazies agree with Malkin that Williams is a liberal. Malkin represents the right-wing zeitgeist.
Do you recall the three great wingnut rebellions against George W. Bush? Harriet Miers, Dubai Ports World, and immigration reform? Any attempt to retain even a shred of the Obama bill would lead to a winger revolt that would make those look like garden parties.
Sorry, Mitt -- if you think you're going to get to co-opt the center by putting through a crappy health bill that nevertheless retains a few popular Democratic provisions, you're nuts. If you win, your own party is going to ensure than millions of people you or the Supreme Court have dumped from the rolls are never, ever allowed back on. Too bad, but this is a tiger you chose to ride.
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SEE ALSO: "Tensions Grow Between GOP, Conservatives On 'Obamacare'"
Prominent conservative groups like FreedomWorks and the Club For Growth aren’t happy and are warning Republicans not to go down that road.Forget it. Not gonna happen.
The right flank of the congressional GOP isn't hiding its misgivings either.
"Some would argue that maintaining mandates that have encouraged millions of young Americans to drop their existing coverage to obtain 'free' insurance through their parents is inconsistent with this objective [of improving the economy]," wrote arch-conservative Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) on his website....
Republicans on the Joint Economic Committee published a post on their web site warning that the under-26 provision will impose "costs and perverse incentives, both to the health system and the economy as a whole."
7 comments:
It won't matter anyway.
This is all just a shadow debate over the actual zeitgeist of the right-wing in the country.
There is a very, very strong eliminationist streak right now in our right-wingers - reminiscent of early 1930's Germany (feck Godwin and his feckin' Law!!!).
From what I just wrote at WaMo, and maha's site:
I think there will be an American “Reichstag Fire” moment – most probably AFTER the election if the R’s win, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it came before.
It may not be a literal fire – it could be the economic collapse in Europe, and its effects here.
And Liberals, Democrats, Blacks, Immigrants, and Homosexuals, will be blamed for it and and demonized.
And we’ll see the right-wing takeover of this country completed by the end of this decade – if not sooner.
We will be a Domionist Christian Fascist nation, spiraling ever faster into hopeless Banana Republic status, with an eliminationist Junta in charge, aided and abetted by corporations who look forward to cheap serf-worker labor, all approved by the Supreme Court, and blessed by the Church of America.
Don’t bet that it CAN’T happen here!
I’ll “see you in the gulag.”
I’ll save you the lower bunk.
Until they come for us, that is.
I think it'll be too soon. The right wants us poor, desperate, and complacent. They're going to go all Scott Walker on us and hope we just take it like sheep -- a few protests, but the bills eventually pass. We have less, the U.S. slouches toward becoming a country with a Third World labor market, and business is happy. No Hitler stuff -- not unless there's a risk we're starting to develop class consciousness.
I don't know, Steve, but I hope you're right.
It seems to me that their ever crazier base won't be happy until they see more than a few LITERAL eliminations - and by that, I don't mean people being ousted from office. And they will keep going through politicians until they find one willing to do it - and, if you've been listening to some of the Congresspeople, I don't think they'll be lacking in candidates willing to do it.
That, and Conservative Jesus HATES him some Liberals!!!
I know this sounds crazy. But if things get bad enough, I DO think it can happen here.
Maybe I'm suffering from an overactive imagination.
I sure hope so.
I don't really hope I'm right. What they're about to do is bad enough.
Ooooops!!!
Good point!
It's just that it's mild compared to what I fear.
Ahhhhhuuuhhhhhmmmmmm... Victor: "9/11", Reichstag Fire?
Ten Bears,
Close.
But more and worse is coming!
9/11 gave them a lot of what they wanted.
Now, they want what they have dreamed of - a permanent Conservative majority in America - by ANY means.
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