Posted on 03/26/2010 7:50:08 AM PDT by Maelstorm
For Republican candidates across the country, the movement du'jour seems to be a pledge to repeal health care reform if elected. Republicans are rushing to co-sponsor and promote efforts to repeal the bill on Capitol Hill. But not everyone is biting, exposing another fissure between the GOP's right and far-right.
The latest GOPers caught in the mix are in Delaware -- with candidate Christine O'Donnell (R-DE) challenging Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) to sign on to repeal plans. Castle, like every single Congressional Republican, opposed the legislation. But he said that repealing "is not realistic."
Similar spats have sparked across the country with repeal-happy candidates like Marco Rubio (R-FL) accusing Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL) of not taking a harsh enough stand. According to the Conservative Club for Growth, which is tracking "Repeal It" pledge-takers, 226 candidates across the country have signed on.
Rubio has been going after Crist to join him as a Repeal It pledge-taker. Even though Crist says he would support rolling back the legislation and his attorney general's lawsuit claiming the bill is unconstitutional, he's not signing. The intra-party warfare smacks of the anti-tax pledge that Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform has been demanding that Republicans sign for years.
As we've reported, the Republicans don't seem settled on their message given the new political landscape of health care reform growing more popular now that its law and facing a newly energized Democratic party.
The splits are seeming to pop up in some of the bluer states where Democrats have an advantage. In Delaware Castle said it doesn't make sense to try and repeal the measure while President Obama remains in charge, since he can veto anything Congress sends him. Castle said it's "not the best use of our efforts."
But according to DelawarePolitics.net, O'Donnell charges that by not signing, Castle is "breaking faith with the people of Delaware and America in refusing to support the conservative-led effort to repeal ObamaCare, a totally disastrous and unconstitutional health bill."
In California, Tom Campbell (R) hasn't signed it, but his Senate primary rivals Carly Fiorina (R) and Chuck DeVore (R) are leading the repeal charge. In the Republican primary race to in Connecticut, longshot Peter Schiff has signed the pledge but Linda McMahon and Rob Simmons have not.
The red states have their splits too. In Indiana, former Sen. Dan Coats hasn't jumped on board, but tea party candidate Marlin Stutzman has. In Utah, Sen. Bob Bennett (R) has a tough caucus challenge from the right. So this week he signed on as a co-sponsor of Sen. Jim DeMint's repeal legislation.
For his part, Obama says Republicans should "go for it," and Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told reporters this week they will hold GOPers accountable for trying to repeal the bill.
"We are actually pursuing every Republican and want them to say for the record that they're for repeal because being for repeal means taking away rights, taking away benefits," Menendez said in response to a question from TPMDC. "We're happy to battle them on that field."
Additional reporting by Evan McMorris-Santoro and Brian Beutler
I guess, but Castle is the only Republican that could win in that state; take my word for it... But don't worry, Castle will vote with the Party in 2013 when we get a new President in and repeal is possible.
I certainly havent watched the nightly network news since last century, nor do I pay for a liberal paper.
But a lot in ‘the middle’ do get influenced.
“Castle is the only Republican that could win in that state; take my word for it.”
Correct, so let’s let him win that and focus on other races in contention.
It is what we don't seem to understand, most of these Party leaders are for this kind of stuff, they just don't want to be caught supporting it. They hide behind the Dems when they are not in power, and the Courts when they are.
Repealing zerocare should be of prime importance.
Already I am hearing of dissembling and humina humina for different quarters of the GOP.
This just can’t be allowed to stand.
Instead of ‘repeal’, I would like to see the R’s run on changing the law-making process so that it slows things down. That will win more seats than repeal promises. Tell me that natural delays will be built into the process, and no more ram-this-thru/ram-that-thru will be allowed to happen.
Run on that promise, and there would be more than enough people to blow thru a veto of ‘repeal’...
The primaries is where we need to flood the ballot box.
Case in point FL. The GOP leadership is pooping a brick because their RINO has failed.
Take out the go along to get along RINOs today, and we take the leadership back on primary+1
Josh Marshall, the guy who runs the talking points memo website, he’s one really slimy communist.
Right on!! How about; No vote until a bill has been posted,for the public to see, in it's entirety, for thirty days? Today this means the Internet.
If there are amendments after this thirty day period, the whole process starts over.
There could be provisions for those things that are truly emergencies. Emergency would mean National Security, or natural disaster where delay would cause significant looss of life. Property would not be a consideration.
We need to forever take away the ability of law makers to make laws that redistribute wealth. We need to enshrine individual sovereignity even more so in the constitution.
I completely agree. I am just saying that more people will 'sign on' if the promise is to fix 'the process'. That said, I don't know how much more clear we have to make things. The constitution does not allow for redistribution of wealth - but we have allowed it. And now, we have to fight to get back to where we need to be.
“I guess, but Castle is the only Republican that could win in that state; take my word for it...”
OK. But better for all that he taste a little bit of competition and know that we’re around, imho. We need to keep people honest. This is the year to do that!
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