Will The Health Care Repeal Save Obama’s Presidency
By Kelly Johnston on February 9, 2011, 3:21 pm
“Instead of focusing on creating jobs, Congressman Bass and his Republican colleagues are doggedly focused on repealing the new health law, which would actually hamper job growth,” Tom McMahon, executive director of Americans United for Change, said in a statement.
Bill Passed With Ease
The GOP-led House last month easily passed a bill to repeal the law, which President Obama signed last year. Democrats earlier this month blocked the GOP’s attempt in the Senate.
Not Obama’s Original Idea
So the law is not Obama’s original concept. “Obamacare” is just a snide term used to trivialize the reforms in what is officially the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. Nor is it government-run health care. The plan that passed last March — the plan with no “government option” — is an effort to improve, and expand Americans’ access to, private insurance for care by private enterprise.
Trying To Save Himself
The president knows that his health-care law remains unpopular and that it was a driving force behind the historic losses Democrats suffered in the 2010 elections. So to protect vulnerable Democrats in 2012 (including himself) and blunt the GOP’s push toward full repeal, the president is seeking to enlist the Republicans in helping him “fix” the flaws in Obamacare.
Joining Together
Senate Republicans have seized on his offer. Last week, they helped Democrats pass legislation repealing the provision Obama mentioned – a mandate that businesses file “1099″ reports to IRS for all transactions of more than $600 in a given year. This provision had small businesses across the country up in arms. But instead of harnessing that anger to push for full repeal, Republicans instead helped Democrats lift this source of pressure from the business community.
Democrats To Follow
Expect Democrats to replicate this approach in the months ahead, supporting other fixes that tinker around the edges of Obamacare. Each individual proposal will seem entirely reasonable and an opportunity for bipartisan cooperation. But if Republicans go along, before they know it they will find that they have been drawn into a strategy of “fix and save” instead of “repeal and replace.”