Ignore the spin war about Obamacare
It’s irrelevant. Rinse, repeat.
By Jonathan Bernstein, WashPost, Updated: November 6 at 4:30 pm
So you thought Republicans had finally given up on “repeal and replace” as their slogan about the Affordable Care Act? It seemed to be dead and buried more than a year ago. But this is one that just can’t stay buried. In a new op ed piece, Paul Ryan claims that, yes, Republicans still intend to use the “republican remedy” of winning elections so that they can, yes, “repeal and replace Obamacare.” It’s back!
Granted, judging by their response to the results in Virginia, Republican spinners seem to have decided that actually winning those elections doesn’t count; it’s good enough, they want us to think, for them to do better than pre-election polls predicted and then credit it to Obamacare. But we can ignore that; Democrats have for years now proven that they’re not going to be baited by that sort of thing into abandoning reform. Republicans will actually have to win elections to supposedly implement “repeal and replace.”
So it bears repeating again: Republicans have been promising “replace” for three years now, and still haven’t bothered developing a “replace” bill. Ryan was one of a set of Republicans who pledged to develop a replacement bill back when the Republicans first voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2011. Republicans decided it was far easier to stick to repeal votes, and more repeal votes, and ultimately to shutting down the government over Obamacare.
But never a replacement. Indeed: Ryan’s op-ed doesn’t even hint at what “a real alternative” might include.
(More here.)
By Jonathan Bernstein, WashPost, Updated: November 6 at 4:30 pm
So you thought Republicans had finally given up on “repeal and replace” as their slogan about the Affordable Care Act? It seemed to be dead and buried more than a year ago. But this is one that just can’t stay buried. In a new op ed piece, Paul Ryan claims that, yes, Republicans still intend to use the “republican remedy” of winning elections so that they can, yes, “repeal and replace Obamacare.” It’s back!
Granted, judging by their response to the results in Virginia, Republican spinners seem to have decided that actually winning those elections doesn’t count; it’s good enough, they want us to think, for them to do better than pre-election polls predicted and then credit it to Obamacare. But we can ignore that; Democrats have for years now proven that they’re not going to be baited by that sort of thing into abandoning reform. Republicans will actually have to win elections to supposedly implement “repeal and replace.”
So it bears repeating again: Republicans have been promising “replace” for three years now, and still haven’t bothered developing a “replace” bill. Ryan was one of a set of Republicans who pledged to develop a replacement bill back when the Republicans first voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2011. Republicans decided it was far easier to stick to repeal votes, and more repeal votes, and ultimately to shutting down the government over Obamacare.
But never a replacement. Indeed: Ryan’s op-ed doesn’t even hint at what “a real alternative” might include.
(More here.)
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2 Comments:
Today's Brain Quiz -- How many if's below :
If the law works — if the website is repaired, if people sign up through the exchanges in sufficient numbers, if competition on the exchanges really does bring costs down without undermining the kind of care consumers want, if Medicaid expansion goes smoothly where Republican opposition allows — then there’s no chance that it’s going to be repealed, or delayed. If it really does collapse, then it’s certain that it will be delayed or even replaced, although again that would mean building on what’s been done.
If is a mighty big qualifier ... that is irrelevant in the elections.
In elections its about perceptions not facts ... for example, if Obama is elected, he will take away your guns; he was elected, he expanded gun rights; and yet people still voted against him for his second term.
That's why the Democrats have a problem. Yes, those that opposed healthcare will still blame the Dems, but now that people hear how this will impact their pocketbook, they will blame the Dems.
A single-payer plan that would have eliminated the insurance companies would have saved consumers money and the Dems grief.
There will be few stories from the people that benefit but a lot of bellyaching from those that believe that Obamacare raised their insurance costs.
Yet, I am disappointed in the failure to acknowledge that the Republicans have offered a plan - H.R. 3121, the “American Health Care Reform Act of 2013" which has 97 co-sponsors.
That's what the Dems need to talk about ... read the bill, it's only 181 pages (here is my analysis of their proposal.
So if you think that insurance companies should decide that it is a "lifestyle choice" for your child to have a hearing aid, and pre-existing conditions are not a concern, the Republicans have a great plan.
What should we expect when a major social program is 'passed' with via parliamentary procedure with no votes from the opposition?
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