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The Secret Republican Plan to Repeal 'Obamacare'
National Journal ^
| 3/28/13
| Chris Frates
Posted on 03/28/2013 6:10:14 PM PDT by SoFloFreeper
A few minutes after the Supreme Court issued its landmark decision upholding President Obamas health care law last summer, a senior adviser to Mitch McConnell walked into the Senate Republican leaders office to gauge his reaction.
McConnell was clearly disappointed, and for good reason. For many conservatives, the decision was the death knell in a three-year fight to defeat reforms that epitomized everything they thought was wrong with Obamas governing philosophy. But where some saw finality, McConnell saw opportunity and still does.
Sitting at his desk a stones throw from the Senate chamber, McConnell turned to the aide and, with characteristic directness, said: This decision is too cute. But I think we got something with this tax issue.
He was referring to the courts ruling that the heart of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, the so-called individual mandate that requires everyone in the country to buy health insurance or pay a penalty, was a tax. And while McConnell thought calling the mandate a tax was a rather creative way to uphold the law, it also opened a new front in his battle to repeal it.
McConnell, a master of byzantine Senate procedure, immediately realized that, as a tax, the individual mandate would be subject to the budget reconciliation process, which exempted it from the filibuster. In other words, McConnell had just struck upon how to repeal Obamacare with a simple majority vote.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationaljournal.com ...
TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: brilliant; death; deathcare; health; healthcare; life; mandate; mandatetax; mcconnell; nothealthcare; obamacare; romneycare; socializedmedicine; taxmandate
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...when it comes to legislative strategy, McConnell plays long ball. Beginning in 2009, the Republican leader led the push to unify his colleagues against Democrats health care plans, an effort that almost derailed Obamacare. In 2010, Republicans, helped in part by public opposition to the law, won back the House and picked up seats in the Senate. Last year, GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romneys embrace of the individual mandate while Massachusetts governor largely neutralized what had been a potent political issue.
But, in the next two years, Republicans are looking to bring the issue back in a big way. And theyll start by trying to brand the law as one that costs too much and is not working as promised.
Democrats will be tempted to continue to write off the incoming fire as the empty rhetoric of a party fighting old battles. But that would be a mistake. During the health care debate, the GOPs coordinated attacks helped turn public opinion against reform. And in the past two years, no more than 45 percent of the public has viewed Obamacare favorably, according to the Kaiser Family Foundations tracking polls. Perhaps even more dangerous for Democrats, now-debunked myths spread by Republicans and conservative media remain lodged in the public consciousness. For instance, 40 percent of the public still believes the law includes death panels.
To: SoFloFreeper
In the next two year????
Why not NOW!!
answer: THE GOP SUPPORTS OBAMACARE/ROMNEYCARE
or they would have passed a bill to kill it yesterday.
2
posted on
03/28/2013 6:14:14 PM PDT
by
Diogenesis
(De Oppresso Liber)
To: SoFloFreeper
Several states including California which is mine has insurance carriers saying they are going to raise the hell out of rates due to Obamacare.
Those that are expected to pay nothing will of course love Obamacare and vote Obama and democrats. Those takers and the government union thieves make up that 47%, the rest are going to get pissed as more of the law is enacted IMO.
3
posted on
03/28/2013 6:15:17 PM PDT
by
A CA Guy
( God Bless America, God Bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
To: SoFloFreeper
Shhhhhhhbh it’s a secret!!!
4
posted on
03/28/2013 6:16:02 PM PDT
by
4everontheRight
(And the story began with..."Once there was a great nation......")
To: SoFloFreeper
Um...the death panels are not a myth. They aren’t called death panels formally, but that is just what they are.
To: Diogenesis
sigh.
They cannot repeal it now. Can. Not.
To: SoFloFreeper
Why does it have to be a secret?
My secret is that I despise Democrats and Republicans alike. Same critter, different restroom or coat closet.
7
posted on
03/28/2013 6:16:46 PM PDT
by
elkfersupper
( Member of the Original Defiant Class)
To: fatnotlazy
To: SoFloFreeper
9
posted on
03/28/2013 6:18:07 PM PDT
by
lowbridge
(Joe Biden: "Look, the Taliban per se is not our enemy.")
To: Diogenesis
No, the answer is it will take the bad law in some people’s faces draining their wallets before they wake their lazy butts up and vote something other than Democrat.
It is hard to fight a party that buys votes for power using the Treasury.
10
posted on
03/28/2013 6:18:15 PM PDT
by
A CA Guy
( God Bless America, God Bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
To: SoFloFreeper
Oh, Bullsh!t !
The GOP will lie to us in a heartbeat! But what do we do when our side is full of TRAITORS?
I submit the following for proof.
Check out this link,
"Senate Republicans Willfully and Knowingly Lie to Their Constituents (vote to fund Obamacare)".
The following Senators voted to pass the continuing resolution even though it still funds Obamacare. If any one of those senators tells you they did not vote to fund Obamacare or, in fact, voted against funding Obamacare,they are being mendacious.
They may have voted for Ted Cruzs amendment,
but after it failed,they still knowingly and willingly voted to fund Obamacare.
And now they are lying to their constituents who call them out on it.
Many of these same Senators are also supporting separate legislation to foist a massive tax increase on the American people.
11
posted on
03/28/2013 6:22:38 PM PDT
by
Yosemitest
(It's Simple ! Fight, ... or Die !)
To: SoFloFreeper
I’m not a big fan of McConnell...but his strategy here seems pretty good given the realities of the Senate.
12
posted on
03/28/2013 6:22:44 PM PDT
by
C. Edmund Wright
(Tokyo Rove is more than a name, it's a GREAT WEBSITE)
To: C. Edmund Wright
The GOP should
SHUT THE GOVERNMENT DOWN !
We have the power to DO IT !
13
posted on
03/28/2013 6:28:10 PM PDT
by
Yosemitest
(It's Simple ! Fight, ... or Die !)
To: Diogenesis
Why not NOW!! How, exactly, would you propose they do that?
The House would vote to repeal it. Then what?
14
posted on
03/28/2013 6:29:31 PM PDT
by
okie01
(The Mainstream Media: IGNORANCE ON PARADE)
To: SoFloFreeper
Why not?
Why NOT try?
Answer: MITT ROMNEY and GOP began ObamaCARE/DeathCARE
and they WILL NEVER GET RID OF IT.
FUGOP
15
posted on
03/28/2013 6:29:48 PM PDT
by
Diogenesis
(De Oppresso Liber)
To: SoFloFreeper
The real deal:
YOU ARE THERE
THE IMPOSITION OF OBAMACARE/ROMNEYCARE
AND DEATH PANELS BY MYTH ROMNEY,
THE SWIMMER AND THEIR TRAINED (INCARCERTED, TESTIFYING) FELON.
16
posted on
03/28/2013 6:31:16 PM PDT
by
Diogenesis
(De Oppresso Liber)
To: elkfersupper
It has to be secret because they are using stealth technology. You will never see it coming.
17
posted on
03/28/2013 6:31:32 PM PDT
by
bmwcyle
(People who do not study history are destine to believe really ignorant statements.)
To: SoFloFreeper
How about before we get rid of Obamacare, we bring back US jobs?
Huh?
What is the GOP going to do?
Either back US jobs. Or don’t. But if you don’t back US jobs, then get out of the way as for who pays for healthcare, because it’s not going to work as an employer paid benefit if you do not have a JOB.
Stop getting rid of US jobs. Then we’ll talk.
To: Diogenesis
The House passed a bill to repeal ObamaKKKare. The Senate is ruled by Democrats ~ no legislation gets sent to the floor without the approval of Harry Reid.
I presume everybody knows how the Constitution works in regard to passage of legislation.
19
posted on
03/28/2013 6:45:45 PM PDT
by
muawiyah
To: fatnotlazy
They set the standards of care ~ and are very real. If the standard of care for 70 year olds is a pain pill, that’s what you get.
20
posted on
03/28/2013 6:47:00 PM PDT
by
muawiyah
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