I'm not so sure. If Republicans put a stick in the wheel of the cart before it goes over the cliff, then they will be blamed for the subsequent wreck.
On the other hand, if they sit back and let the train wreck happen, then they could pick up enough clout in the next election to force an outright repeal.
If I were a Democrat I would be praying for defunding. I wouldn't vote for it. But I would pray for it. It may be the last chance for the Dems to escape the blame for the mess coming down the pike.
If defunding occurs I'm sure the MSM will know who to blame! They will start screaming as soon as the bill gets out of committee. In the eyes of the MSM, from that point forward, the Republicans would be to blame if your Mom's cake fell in the oven.
Right now the Republicans have “clean hands”. Nobody from the Republican side of the aisle voted for this monstrosity. Once they diddle with the funding, then their fingerprints will be on it and they will get the blame.
Can’t you hear Obama claiming that the exchanges would have been just fine if they had had the money to pull it off? Can’t you imagine him cynically choosing to pull the funds in a way that guarantees finger pointing? Wise up folks. This is the guy who shut down White House tours in order to make a point.
It doesn't matter what the Pubbies do. The MSM is going to blame the eventual failure of Obamacare on them anyway. Whether they muster the votes to defund it, or let if fall under its own weight, won't have a single thing to do with the liberal talking points afterwards.
We conservatives are the only ones who are going to know what really happened, and the Dems won't get an ounce of blame for the wanton destruction and economic devastation to come.
I'd like to see the Repukes repeal Obamacare after taking both houses of Congress, but I'm fresh out of optimism on that. I think the political process has become so fubar, that nothing except an historic 'reset' is going to fix it.