Republicans backing off "repeal" call of Healthcare Reform Bill

[guyver01]

So.. basically... republicans are now reading the bill, realizing that their constituents might benefit from it, and are backing off? This just reeks of republican "we're against it because they're for it" attitude of adminstrations past.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/23009207/detail.html

Top Republicans are starting to worry about their health care rallying cry "Repeal the bill." It just might singe GOP candidates in November's elections, they fear, if voters begin to see benefits from the new law.

Repeal is politically and legally unlikely, and some grass-roots activists may feel disillusioned by a failed crusade.


"It's just not going to happen," Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said of repeal in a speech Wednesday. "It's a great political issue," he said, but opponents will never muster the 67 votes needed in the 100-member Senate.

Over the next few months, Democrats say, Americans will learn of the new law's benefits, and anger over its messy legislative pedigree may fade.

"My attitude is, go for it," Obama said in Iowa on Friday. "If these congressmen in Washington want to come here in Iowa and tell small-business owners that they plan to take away their tax credits and essentially raise their taxes, be my guest."

 

[Throckmorton]

They were against it before they were for it, just like Medicare, Social Security, and Civil Rights.

 

[nonlnear]

Repeal was never going to be the rallying cry. Everybody knew this. The repeal rhetoric was just a ploy to keep the noise machine running while there was still an outside chance of blocking the bill. It just took a few days for the spin doctors to wind down. The GOP leadership fully support corporate welfare, just like the Democrats do. The GOP especially appreciate not having to take the blame for changing the distribution of profits between the industrialists and the insurance companies.

 

[Matthiasa]

They were against it before they were for it, just like Medicare, Social Security, and Civil Rights.

Actually...

 

[Moonbeam]

There are two attitudes in life, those who look at the world and hope that it can be better and those who fear it can be worse. The former are Democrats and the latter are Republicans.

Soon the Democrats will want to improve on the just passed health care, and the Republicans will be fighting to keep it the same.

 

[Matthiasa]

You forgot a group... the those with tons of money, but they go both ways.

 

[nonlnear]

There are two attitudes in life, those who look at the world and hope that it can be better and those who fear it can be worse. The former are Democrats and the latter are Republicans.

Soon the Democrats will want to improve on the just passed health care, and the Republicans will be fighting to keep it the same.

There will definitely be another bill. I'd put it some time in the 12-18 month timeframe. The endgame looks likely to be a win-win for the Democrats. The second bill will be focused on cost control (no, the Dems were not just being stupid when they omitted it form this one) and whether they pass it or the GOP blocks it, they Dems will come out smelling like roses. If it doesn't pass before the next Presidential election, the incoming administration will have no time to save the system before the high cost provisions of the current bill kick in. It's pure genius.

 

[cubby1223]

So you haven't noticed 15 state attorney generals are taking this bill to the courts?

 

[UberNeuman]

So you haven't noticed 15 state attorney generals are taking this bill to the courts?

Well... good luck with that.....

 

[Matthiasa]

Yeah but they don't really have any real legal ground to stand on with it, only real way is states rights and all and we know how well that works... well most of the time anyways.

 

[nonlnear]

So you haven't noticed 15 state attorney generals are taking this bill to the courts?

Even if they succeed and appeals to SCOTUS come down in the Republicans' favor, SCOTUS is not going to burn the bill. The very Justices who would have any inclination to rule against the Constitutionality of the bill are the same ones who would be inclined to write narrow rulings.

As for the mandate, it can be tweaked in its verbiage so that it is no mandate at all. All they have to do is rename the fine to be a tax, and refund it to people who choose to purchase an approved insurance product. This applies to pretty much all the fines in the bill.

The courts are not going to destroy this bill.

 

[Tristicus]

They were against it before they were for it, just like Medicare, Social Security, and Civil Rights.

You really need to pull your head out of your ass on that one.

 

[irishScott]

There are two attitudes in life, those who look at the world and hope that it can be better and those who fear it can be worse. The former are Democrats and the latter are Republicans.

Soon the Democrats will want to improve on the just passed health care, and the Republicans will be fighting to keep it the same.

And both attitudes have merit. That's why we have a multi-party system, to balance each other out so one side doesn't take things too far. What gets me about this bill is that the Democrats just blatantly trampled the entire Right, as well as some of their own party, to get it through. That's an indication that the government is losing the aforementioned balance, something I find more than a little disturbing.

 

[PokerGuy]

I laugh at this idiotic lefty media notion that the republicans are really worried about the possibility that their constituents will benefit from the bill. This heaping pile of dung of a bill doesn't even really kick in until years from now, while taxes and premiums will go up in short order. Constituents are already extremely angry (look at the polls), and there's nothing in this pile of dung that will do anything short term to make them happier about it between now and november. This is more left wing media trying to help the dems.

... and that's not even considering the fact that companies (like AT&T, caterpillar etc) are saying this is going to cost them a lot of money, and it's going to destroy more jobs.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

They were against it before they were for it, just like Medicare, Social Security, and Civil Rights.

Seriously, can you only toe the Democrat party line?

 

[rudder]

"My attitude is, go for it," Obama said in Iowa on Friday. "If these congressmen in Washington want to come here in Iowa and tell small-business owners that they plan to take away their tax credits and essentially raise their taxes, be my guest."

So who is paying the taxes to give small businesses (with under 25 employees whose salaries do not exceed $50,000) the subsidy? Spending is not being decreased at all... so how will the government make up for these tax credits?

I mean if you enact a bill into law that relies on improving the bottom through fines, yet do not include any enforcement mechanism... how will taxes not have to be raised? And how will taxes not have to be raised because the savings expected from a 21% cut in medicare reimbursements... has been delayed. Supposedly to be go into effect after congress reconvenes... but who knows.

As you age, you require more medical care, but now premiums cannot increase for that reason. So 20 somethings will have to pay 10-30% more. With no enforcement mechanism for enforcing fines for not buying insurance... what do you suppose many health young adults might do? Where will that money come from?

 

[PokerGuy]

So who is paying the taxes to give small businesses (with under 25 employees whose salaries do not exceed $50,000) the subsidy?

I mean if you enact a bill into law that relies on improving the bottom through fines, yet do not include any enforcement mechanism... how will taxes not have to be raised? And how will taxes not have to be raised because the savings expected from a 21% cut in medicare reimbursements... has been delayed. Supposedly to be go into effect after congress reconvenes... but who knows.

As you age, you require more medical care, but now premiums cannot increase for that reason. So 20 somethings will have to pay 10-30% more. With no enforcement mechanism for enforcing fines for not buying insurance... what do you suppose many health young adults might do? Where will that money come from?

The president thinks people are stupid enough to believe that this pile of dung bill will have no extra costs associated with it, that somehow the magical cost fairy will reduce health care expenses. Someone has to pay for it, and that means more taxes. No matter how you spin it. More taxes, more taxes more taxes, because those in DC will never curb spending.

 

[Mursilis]

So.. basically... republicans are now reading the bill, realizing that their constituents might benefit from it, and are backing off? This just reeks of republican "we're against it because they're for it" attitude of adminstrations past.

No, this just reeks of an understanding that free things are usually very popular. Repubs run on cutting things, but rarely, if ever, follow through with that - look at the '94 GOP takeover of Congress. Which federal departments did they shut down again? Oh, right, none. Everyone knew from the beginning that the GOP wasn't going to repeal this bill.

 

[Mursilis]

The president thinks people are stupid enough to believe that this pile of dung bill will have no extra costs associated with it, that somehow the magical cost fairy will reduce health care expenses. Someone has to pay for it, and that means more taxes. No matter how you spin it. More taxes, more taxes more taxes, because those in DC will never curb spending.

No, that probably means more debt. Do you seriously think the Dems are going to raise taxes by any significant percentage? That's political suicide. Why raise taxes, and harm yourself politically, when you can just float more debt, which no one cares about?

 

[PokerGuy]

No, this just reeks of an understanding that free things are usually very popular. Repubs run on cutting things, but rarely, if ever, follow through with that - look at the '94 GOP takeover of Congress. Which federal departments did they shut down again? Oh, right, none. Everyone knew from the beginning that the GOP wasn't going to repeal this bill.

Very true, except that those free things are not really free, they end up costing us much more than what we get. Stupid people don't realize this and end up voting for the moron politicians.

 

[Mursilis]

Very true, except that those free things are not really free, they end up costing us much more than what we get. Stupid people don't realize this and end up voting for the moron politicians.

In America, it's all about the short-term. No one thinks ahead. A few weeks back, CNN-Money had an article about people's retirement savings, and how low the average person's was. Same with all these dummies buying homes they could not afford. People just focus on the short-term, and vote for politicians who do the same.

 

[sportage]

Hey... when even "ONE" republican starts ranting and repealing their own gov supplied congress healthcare... THEN maybe I'll believe them.

Besides, Obama is on a roll and they are not ..quite.. sure how to deal with that.
They took the "Waterloo" approach and lost... So just maybe they -R- thinkin they should
change their tune? iTunes? Just plug in and sync...

 

[spidey07]

I just heard Mitch McConnell on an interview this morning they will very much be pushing for repeal and replace, it's what The People want. If they can't do that then they'll just defund it to kill it.

For the first time since 1994 the republicans are ahead in party line vote polls. Meaning regardless of candidate, people will vote republican over democrat. I think the only other time was like 1960.

 

[nonlnear]

I just heard Mitch McConnell on an interview this morning they will very much be pushing for repeal and replace, it's what The People want. If they can't do that then they'll just defund it to kill it.

I don't think they'll be able to pull it off in time. The GOP would have to take over both houses and craft a new, better (more popular) bill, and pass it through both houses amid strident White House and Tides Foundation opposition before 2012. And for what? To prove to the people that the GOP can pass a health care bill, but only after the Dems can? As much as I would love to see some more of the GOP ideas integrated into the system (and some of the bad ideas in the current bill - which, admittedly, is a mixed bag - removed), I just don't see it playing out that way. The GOP will find it much easier to just apply a few tweaks here and there.

This will play out the way it always does. The Dems create a monster, and the GOP gives it a haircut. Then the Dems create another monster, and the GOP gives that one a haircut. Occasionally the GOP creates a monster too. When that happens, both parties feed the monster steroids. Neither party is truly "anti monster".

 

[Matthiasa]

You really need to pull your head out of your ass on that one.

Seriously, can you only toe the Democrat party line?

To be fair the democrats(specifically dixiecrats) that were against that stuff at the time are now mostly part of the republican party... so while not technically true, it would actually be accurate if given a more modern context.