Coburn thinks defunding Obamacare is a horrible idea

Washington Post ^ | July 27, 2013 | By Sarah Kliff

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Sarah Kliff: What do you think of the effort underway to defund Obamacare?

Tom Coburn: I don’t think it’s achievable. A good portion of the health-care law is mandatory spending and repealing that would require two-thirds of the House and 67 votes in the Senate. I don’t see that happening.

SK: An argument I’ve heard from some of your colleagues in the Senate is that, if you oppose Obamacare, then the only thing you can do is cut off the law’s funding.

TC: How many people are going to close down the government over ‘I want to get rid of Obamacare’? I’ve lead the charge against it, and I’m not going to do that. What I do want to do is able to be in a position where we can fix it later.

SK: But don’t those run into the same problem as defunding Obamacare, that they would just be vetoed by the President?

TC: You can’t defend letting rich businesses off and not letting individuals off. Nobody wants the medical device tax. And most of the American public thinks you should have to have the right income to qualify for benefits, and have that verified.

[Soul of the South]

“Tom Coburn: I don’t think it’s achievable.”

Nothing is achievable if you don’t try. Ask the American colonists who went to war against Great Britain. Ask Thomas Edison or the Wright brothers. Ask the men who held out at Guadalcanal or scaled the cliffs at Normandy. Ask the people of NASA who planned and executed the moon landing. Ask Dr. King. Ask Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Ask Barak Obama about passing health care.

America was once about trying the “impossible”. Today’s Republican leaders are not Americans in the traditional sense. They are protectors of conventional wisdom and their positions within the elite power structure.

[Count of Monte Fisto]

Voting will do NOTHING to change Versailles on the Potomac.

If voting could change anything it would be illegal.

I prefer calling it Mordor on the Potomac.

[Tau Food]

Here's an open call to public interest lawyers: Why don't you attack the income tax on 13th Amendment grounds, that it equals involuntary servitude?

They'll say that the 16th Amendment to the Constitution is by definition constitutional. They'll say that no one requires you to work and they'll say that you can live on tax-exempt income.

It ain't right (as in fair), but thems the facts, Jack.

[Tau Food]

I think the best way to induce big health care change fast is a boycott of the entire health care industry. If enough people just say no to health care for awhile, the politicians will have to respond with change.

And, in the meantime, the boycotters will probably live healthier, longer lives. Doctors kill as many as they save.

[Liberty Wins]

America was once about trying the “impossible”.

South, you are a patriot!

[Sequoyah101]

And I think Coburn is a horrible idea and a disgrace to Oklahoma.

I wonder who and how much he is being paid? He can’t need the money. Just more greed and power though he says he isn’t running again. For spinate at least.

[olezip]

TC: How many people are going to close down the government over ‘I want to get rid of Obamacare’?

Does this fellow know what he is talking about? If the government is funded except for Obamacare, then the government is NOT shut down.

In fact, the Democrats do it all the time. In 1987 they passed a law to secure our borders, patted themselves on the back, and then never funded that securing our borders. They just funded the amnesty.

Many border problems and illegal alien problems would be solved if the laws on the books were actually funded and enforced.

Sen. Coburn needs to enroll in a course entitled Political Science 101, or maybe he should just retire in disgrace. We desperately need lawmakers with common sense.

[ogen hal]

Just what has coburn done “in the closet” that nsa knows? All these congresslosers are corrupt.

[Sheapdog]

This monstrosity was passed with a simple majority in a procedural move so I don’t see why an effort can’t be made to repeal it with a simple majority. Just keep pushing that angle and see what traction it gets. I’m only dreaming. There’s only a handful of real conservatives left and unfortunately see the communists getting everything their way. When have they not? and they’ll get the rest by the end of the usurpers term he’ll be ready. For exactly what?.. Maybe to sign that peace deal or covenant of death.

[FreeReign]

"Tom Coburn: I don’t think it’s achievable.”

Tom sounds like a lot of people here on FR.

Nothing is achievable if you don’t try. Ask the American colonists who went to war against Great Britain. Ask Thomas Edison or the Wright brothers. Ask the men who held out at Guadalcanal or scaled the cliffs at Normandy. Ask the people of NASA who planned and executed the moon landing. Ask Dr. King. Ask Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Ask Barak Obama about passing health care. America was once about trying the “impossible”. Today’s Republican leaders are not Americans in the traditional sense. They are protectors of conventional wisdom and their positions within the elite power structure.

Amen. Without trying, losing becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

Seems now that people would rather give up, rather than invest their emotions against long odds to try and change things.

[savedbygrace]

I am so embarrassed I ever voted for this man. And I’ve done that more than once. Shame.

[FreeReign]

Even Sen. Coburn has adopted the "rich businesses" language of a Marxist.

Yup...noticed that too.

Seemingly, the coward will only fight using Marxist arguments.

[FreeReign]

SK: What do you think of legislators who say that they’re willing to shut down the federal government over Obamacare funding?

TC: If you’re actually going to do that, and hold it, that’d be fine. The problem is that I know the strength of the backbone of the Senate and House, and as soon as the heat gets hot they’ll fall like wet suits.

Tom blames his lack of backbone on his colleagues.

His argument is that 'he would be in if only everybody else was in'.

So nothing happens.

[PotatoChop]

“SK: What happens if the House moves forward with this strategy? They probably have the votes to do this.

TC: They’ll never get the votes to carry out the strategy in the Senate. It’s dead now. They’re not going to target the votes. So the Senate will never shut down the government over this but that will create a problem. If they carry out this strategy in the House, either [House Majority Leader John] Boehner is going to have to make a deal with the Democrats to pass the CR, so he’s going to have to allow a whole lot more spending in what comes over, and we are not going to do that.”

Since when does the US Senate have to agree to a spending bill BEFORE Obamacare is defunded? All spending bills MUST originate in the US House of Representatives NOT the US Senate. If the House refuses to fund Obamacare, there is NO longer authority to send tax dollars to fund Obamacare. The US Senate has no vote in this matter what so ever! Is Coburn actually telling the American people that is the Senate does not vote to defend Obamacare, the House can't defund it? How crazy is that statement!

The Republicans can stop ALL spending in the House, but elects to continue making deals with the liberals and spend, spend, and spend without end!

Coburn is desperate telling this lie to the American people!

[PotatoChop]

If it means losing the next election, who cares! Shut down this out of control government! The American people are behind “defunding” Obamacare, the American people are behind limited government, the American people are behind reining in this government, so what is the problem? Instead of worrying over “who is not going to like me” or “they will blame the republicans for shutting down the government” who cares who the moochers blame, who cars what NBC, ABC, or CNN says about the Republicans, they say it now. Take a stand, get a spine and shut this damn government down until Obamacare is defunded and cast into the pits of hell from whence it came, secure the borders (100%, this is America, there is nothing we can't do, even if it means sending soldiers to the border), end the EPA, hell, there are so many things the conservatives could accomplish if they only had some backbone, a pair of balls, and the will to stand up against these Marxist in the White-house! So they get the feelings hurt, the liberals don't say anything in favor of the Republicans now, so big deal, shut the government down until this government gets back under control by the American people and their representatives, then learns the government only operates at the pleasure of the American people, who can, and will shut it down anytime it gets out of control! Stop pissing on your self's Republicans every time someone says something unfavorable about you! Worry about the American people who elected you to office and this Country's future!

[Principled]

i agree with you except I don’t think shutting it down will result in the defunding of 0bamacare. 0bama simply would die before he let that happen.

Shutting down is what 0bama wants. It takes ALL attention away from the advantage the Rs currently have - takes attention away from 0bamacare, away from Benghazi, away from IRS abuses, away from the economy. It’s what he wants and it’s easy to see why. Plus it would not result in defunding. 0bama will be happy to let America wither while he waits for Rs to cave.

The only thing that will work is repeal. So i think it would be good to vote but not good to shut down over it. Publicize the vote, offer plenty of ways around the shut down and publicize them too. But no shut down.

The danger I perceive in this strategy is that with time, it will be harder to get rid of it. But I don’t think this is quite time to go all in.