Trying to defund Obamacare is "nuts"...

Charles Krauthammer, conservative columnist, contributer to Fox News, writer for National Review---


"This is nuts. The president will never sign a bill defunding the singular achievement of his presidency. Especially when he has control of the Senate. Especially when, though a narrow 51 percent majority of Americans disapproves of Obamacare, only 36 percent favors repeal. President Obama so knows he’ll win any shutdown showdown that he’s practically goading the Republicans into trying.

Never make a threat on which you are not prepared to deliver. Every fiscal showdown has redounded against the Republicans. The first, in 1995, effectively marked the end of the Gingrich revolution. The latest, last December, led to a last-minute Republican cave that humiliated the GOP and did nothing to stop the tax hike it so strongly opposed.

Those who fancy themselves tea party patriots fighting a sold-out cocktail-swilling establishment are demanding yet another cliff dive as a show of principle and manliness.

But there’s no principle at stake here. This is about tactics. If I thought this would work, I would support it. But I don’t fancy suicide. It has a tendency to be fatal."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...d6f816-fada-11e2-9bde-7ddaa186b751_story.html

 

Does it matter if the bill is signed or not? Or if it makes it through the senate?

All that matters is that folks can go home to their districts and pretend that they did something.

 

And if that's all that matters to those folks, they should return to their districts and be voted out of office.

Obamacare is a destructive event that will impact lives in a real and noticeable way. I can understand why its very easy to ignore the rabble over most legislation because we rarely see the results, but with Obamacare everybody is going to get a front row seat to the show. You'll see it in your paycheck, you'll possibly see your hours cut or your job eliminated all together, you'll see the growth of clumsy bureaucracy, you'll see the further dwindling of personal privacy, you'll see the death panels, and you'll see the quality of care diminish.

I say fight the fight even if its futile, and you're right it doesn't matter if it makes it through the senate or even the congress. This President has proven his ability to ignore those bodies of government when it suits him.

 

Sure....that's why they passed their FORTIETH "repeal Obamacare" bill. Pointless "show vote"....but it lets them go home and tell their Tea Partyers they're "working hard to stop the Obama agenda".

But Krauthammer is pointing to this move by Cruz, Rubio, Lee, etc. A "threat" to shut down the Government if they can't get "Obamacare defunded". And ol' Chuckie has been around long enough to know that will ENTIRELY....blow up in the face of Republicans.

For the Left and Democrats though...we have allies working for us....called the Tea Partyers, ditto-heads, Hannitized, and Beck Bunch.

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Krauthammer isn't talking "futile" ....he's talking "suicide". A stunt ...that will blow up in the face of Republicans and RUIN their credibility (such that there is) of asking voters to keep them in the House and give them the majority in the Senate next year.

 

Its not nuts. Obama won't sign it and that is that. Shut the government down. He's the one who pushed the law, we all see what a train wreck it is, hell just yesterday he made it so congress doesn't have to participate in it at all

Its dying.

 

Strong possibility, but for the sequestration style blame game that follows, I think.

 

Your false narrative, and bong hits are laughed at.

There are principles at stake here, The government has no business being in the healthcare business, and theyre making matters worse not better.

 

Nuts was allowing this disaster to become law in the first place. It's like building the roof and shingling it, then trying to lay the foundation and build the house with it in the way. Nothing about this make-it-up-as-we-go health care BS is viable.

 

Meh, I am certainly no fan of the AFA, but to sit there and pass these stupid bills for no reason other than to look good for your adoring public strikes me as an incredible waste of time and money.

 

The AFA is an incredible waste of time and money, and always has been. Thats why democrats lied about how much it costs.

Theyve been lying the entire time.

 

Republicans don't even have an alternative. Want to go back to the same healthcare system we had before? Lol, what a waste of space these nut job Repubs are. If you're Obama, let the Republicans destroy the country. You don't have any more elections to win, you don't have to worry about the results... let the Republicans destroy the country so we can get rid of the crazies once and for all and get back to a normal 21st century country. It's getting beyond embarrassing.

 

Um, yeah. If you look at the first sentence of mine in the post where you quoted me, you will see I note my displeasure with the AFA.

 

Um, yeah. If you look at the first sentence of mine in the post where you quoted me, you will see I note my displeasure with the AFA.

 

Thats false, completely false.

republicans made many offers and options to reduce costs. like allowing a national healthcare exchange where people can choose plans from any state, not just the one they currently live in.

[video=youtube;o1yTY2MciOk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1yTY2MciOk[/video]

 

Tell me this, what is it you like about the bill. straight up honest question.

 

obamacare is being rejected by 77% of the American people. We haven't had a balanced budget in 4 1/2 years since Obama got elected. Defunding obamacare is the least the Congress can do to stop this train wreck. And defunding obamacare doesn't have to lead to shutting down government. At that point it will be up to Obama whether the government gets shut down or not. The rest of the unbalanced budget will still get funded.

 

With out a public option I don't like much about the bill. What I do like is the tax on able bodied individuals who do not have health care but make an income. I also like forcing companies to provide healthcare to their employees, like the fact they can't deny people with a medical condition, and I like the fact I can keep the same healthcare plan I have now. This healthcare bill has very very little effect on me.

 

Ryan's plan was built around state-based exchanges. Which is what we now have.

That said, the House Democratic bill in 2009 used a national exchange. It fell to the wayside in favor of the Senate's preference for federalism, which translated into exchanges designed and operated by the states.

 

C'mon Gorn it's a great strategy. The Republicans can say we tried 40 times, but the Senate Democrats wouldn't even vote on it, we just couldn't shut down the Government over it. This way when Obama Care train wrecks every last bit of it will be on the Democrats. My EX's health plan from wally world is vastly better than the Obama Care Platinum plan and for $400 a month. Even the fairly crappy silver plan would cost her only $74 a month less, but with a lot more expense out of pocket.

I say let 'er rip. The Republicans only need 14 out of the 21 Democrat seat up in the Senate and 27 more in the House to get an Obama Veto proof majority. Considering the Democrats lost 69 seats in Congress for just voting Obama Care into law, when it belly flops right into 65 Million People's lives that could lose their Employer-Sponsored Coverage........well it ain't looking to good for Democrats in 2014.

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The Obama High Speed Health Care train is going full speed ahead toward the bridge above. I hope the Republican's don't try to hard to stop it. There are tens of millions more that will be hurt by Obama Care than helped by it. I have a reserved spot by the bridge to witness the Obama Care express go barreling over that one, popcorn and adult beverages ready to watch what will be the tantamount to the end of the Democrat party, I can hardly wait.

 

"Obamacare is a destructive event that will impact lives in a real and noticeable way."

-not.

What's amazing to me is that the right refuses to recognize that the health care mess was a disaster that we could not allow to go on. So the congress and president passed into law a sweeping change that is phased in to allow industry some adjustment time, and that ends preconditions, denials of coverage, and requires that 80% of premiums pay for actual health care (among other things).

More than 2 million seniors saved more than $1.2 billion on prescription drugs—an average of $550 per person—in 2011.

And jobs? Across the country, 350 new community health centers were built and nearly 19,000 new jobs were created in 2011 alone to provide critical health care to the 50 million Americans living in medically under-served areas.

The ACA is not perfect, but the normal process is to first pass a sweeping change, then as problems show up they should be fixed by modifying the ACA.

You want it repealed you say? Which of these do you object to and WHY? ---

- Insurance companies will not be able to deny coverage to anyone, including those with pre-existing conditions

- Small business tax credits

- Those with insurance can keep existing plans

- Insurance companies cannot impose lifetime limits on coverage

- Annual Coverage limits were increased

- Kids can remain on parents policies until age 26, giving them timne to get established and obtain their own coverage

- lowers Medicare spending by $450b

- Coverage for preventative care without co-pays or deductibles

- cannot increase premiums without reason

- 80% of premium revenue must go to actual medical services

 

Once the ACA is in place and operating, I suspect that people insured by their employer won't even notice. And most of those helped the most (lowest income and largest subsidies) aren't regular voters anyway. Access to medical care probably won't inspire them to register and vote.

 

I find it humorous that the party of fiscal conservatism has wasted 50 million on 40 votes that they knew wouldn't go anywhere. I can understand 1 or 2 for the at-home election advertising, but 40? That sounds like clock-running to me.

 

I suspect you'd be wrong.

Once one company in an industry off loads the company sponsored health care cost onto the backs of their employees, the rest will follow quickly or face going out of business or having the board of directors booted by the stockholders.

 

The fine that is put on healthy adults who don't have insurance is not anywhere near enough to cover the costs so that is just a moot point.

 

Why is it humorous? Once Obama Care belly flops it's way into up to 65 million voters lives like a Boeing 777 coming in too low, those 40 votes will be of paramount importance in 2014. The Democrats in the Senate buried them all. When Obama Care turns into a train wreck like Top Democrat Max Baucus who helped write the ACA bill said it would, Those 40 bills passed in the House, buried in the Democrat controlled Senate will mean a whole lot. Imagine 65 million voters all cheesed off losing their good company sponsored health plans in favor of the crappy exchange plans, then the political ads in the run up to the 2014 elections point out how the Republicans tried 40 times to stop it but the Democrats would have no part of it. There are 21 Democrat seats in the Senate, the Republicans need 14 for a veto proof majority in the Senate and 27 more in the House to get an Obama Veto proof majority. Considering the Democrats lost 69 seats in Congress for just voting Obama Care into law, when it belly flops into up to 65 Million People's lives that could lose their Employer-Sponsored Coverage........well it ain't looking to good for Democrats in 2014..