Posted on 03/31/2010 8:45:06 AM PDT by ocr1
10 days! The GOP can't even muster courage for two whole weeks before they start thinking that maybe, just maybe they are being too strident about the whole health care repeal thing.
Somewhere, but not the offices of AEI, David Frum is smiling.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who chairs the committee responsible for electing GOP senators this fall, said in an interview, "The focus really should be on the misplaced priorities of the administration" and Congress' Democratic leaders.
"The No. 1 concern of the public is jobs and people losing their homes," he said. "The administration has been obsessing on this health care bill."
Asked if he advises Republican Senate candidates to call for repealing the law, Cornyn said: "Candidates are going to test the winds in their own states. ... In some places, the health care bill is more popular than others."
On Tuesday, Cornyn issued a 1,280-word campaign memo that mentioned "repeal" only once. It did not advocate repeal but noted that in a recent poll, "46 percent of respondents support a full repeal" of the health law.
Three weeks ago, Cornyn told reporters he thought GOP Senate candidates would and should run on a platform of repealing the legislation.
Cornyn and others increasingly are focused on several corporations' claims that a provision of the new law that cancels a tax benefit will hurt profits and hiring. This approach places a greater premium on pivoting to the economy instead of dwelling on the legalistic process of trying to repeal the complex law.
"The health care debate provides a natural segue into talking about the economy and jobs," said Nicklaus Simpson, spokesman for the Senate Republican Conference, a policy group.
Now part of this is AP spin to protect their guy in the White House but let's not pretend there isn't a go along-get along reflex embedded in just about every politician. If the path of least resistance is to nibble at the edges of this law, that's what most Republicans will do. It's our job to keep them focused on the task and more afraid of what happens if they go wobbly than not.
That's not to say every Republican campaign this fall should be one word long, to the exclusion of every other issue. As I said last week, talk about whatever you want but always bring it back to the fact that health care and its impact on the economy are the issues that frame everything else. And at the bottom of that issue is one word, repeal. Sure the GOP will put something else in place (I wish we didn't have to, unfortunately that's not in the cards) but first and foremost we will repeal this nation killing health care law.
It might not be a winning formula for every election. That's ok, we don't need to win every election. We need to win enough on a clear mandate to start taking steps in 2011-2012 to repeal this law and build moment going into 2012 for the final push.
Repeal is going to be hard and it's going to be a long process. Look how long it took to get the damn thing in place. We have 3-4 years, not 100 so we need focus and determination because if we don't succeed, nothing else matters.
Man up GOP.
Getting dragged off message whith the distracting screeching about racism and violence coming from the left.
Obama lite.
Cornyn and other Republicans in Washington must try satisfy the need of friendly interest groups for immediate relief from Obamacare and the strategic political need and public desire to pitch the whole damn thing out. Impossible to reconcile in principle, in practice, the best approach for Washington Republicans is to talk out of both sides of your mouth and do both.
If it's even possible.
Before this is over, we’ll need to boot the GOP also.
If you’re not sure about that, repeat these 2 words until you ARE sure:
McLame
Grahamnesty
Many Democrats are communist now and many Republicans are Democrats.
We need to vote them ALL out and our states to beat back the feds and regain state strength.
That’s my opinion of it.
On this course, the DEMS will PICK UP seats in November. It is the wishy-washy, spineless nature of the Repubs that got them booted just a few elections back.
But we keep hearing that we must work THROUGH the EXISTING 2-party system to bring about change.
What’s that I hear? The ringing words of Albert Einstein in defining “insanity”???
It takes balls to keep legislation from becoming law. It takes a revolution to revoke it once it’s in place.
Too bad we as a nation have no balls.
Which is why it was SO IMPORTANT to Democrats that it pass..
Because standing against it means opening yourself up to
“WHY DO YOU WANT TO KILL THE CHILDREN!!!!”,
“Why do you want GRANDMA TO EAT DOGFOOD!!!”,
type of attacks...
This had nothing to do with healthcare, folks...
This is one reason they said it would be IMPOSSIBLE to repeal. Already it’s an entitlement!
ya well they can blame it on the dems and get more cash in dc...they are not better than dems and still dont get it.
Shocking...? Chill out AceOfSpades. If this is true it kind of makes sense for those up for reelection heed the will of the voters of their state.
That’s because the GOP friggin’ sucks.
The only thing it knows how to do is engineer its own defeat.
They are masters at that.
Excellent article, one that brings back the reality to why the GOP is out of power and was so ineffective.
The GOP is simply the lazy stupid party. Cornyn is focusing on corporate tax breaks, not a damn ounce of energy is devoted to passion for American freedom from socialism.
We need to remember that Republicans can cave too and it should be expected.
The Republicans in Congress voted to a member against Obamacare but I suspect only because their votes made no difference. If there had been enough GOP members in Congress too make a difference, you can bet some GOP votes would have been for Obamacare in return for the same bribes that critical demcrat votes were given.
We have got to send a message to the GOP that we will not let them act like democrats.
Probably, but our focus should singularly be on booting as many Dems as possible in November. We can whittle away at the career politicians in the GOP as we go along, but taking back the country from the far Left nutjobs in charge should be priority #1, #2, and #3.
just like FR..lol
Also, this proves Cornball is no conservative...he doesn't seem to have a problem with government making our choices for us, so long as it's popular??
I prefer Jim DeMint's senateconservatives.com over Cornball's RINO Senate committee/fundraiser.
I TOLD YOU SO.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.