Defunding Obamacare…BlueCollar takes on, with admitted trepidation, the ‘Hammer’.
Charles Krauthammer said Friday that defunding the widely-despised Democrat law, at the expense of shutting down the Government, is a ‘really dumb’ idea, especially since he’s convinced Republicans would eventually cave, or get blamed for the shutdown.
(He thinks the GOP should first regain the Senate, or the White House, or both.)
With all due respect to Dr. Krauthammer (channeling the estimable Don Rumsfeld)…you go to war with what you have. The GOP has a growing public loathing of O’care that’s palpable; plus, the House of Representatives, fairness, and equality on their side.
First, even a heavily-Democrat-weighted NBC poll shows the law is despised.
Second, like a poorly-built jalopy, pieces of the law are falling off, as are promises of ‘keeping your plan’, ‘keeping your doctor’, and ‘your rates will go down’. None of it’s working. (Even a Democrat would return a new Corvette, if it ran like a lawnmower.)
Third, everybody BUT the middle class is getting a waiver from its mandates, and even Congress Democrats and their aides threaten mutiny if they’re forced into Obamacare.
(Left-of-center Politico’s story included Republicans as being in the talks, but ‘forgot’ to note only Democrats voted for the law…thus being the only hypocrites in the room.)
Fourth…Republicans should invoke Obama’s much-vaunted FAIRNESS doctrine. After all, many unions and businesses are getting a pass…but individual citizens don’t?
Fifth, the U.S. Constitution promises Americans ‘equal protection under the law’.
If a House GOP passes individual Continuing Resolution budget items (14 or so), they can invoke ‘fairness’ in stripping O’care funds, yet not jeopardize other gov’t funding. All items will cover the necessary government appropriations, as itemized individual CR’s.
Don’t wait ’til the last minute…the House should pass ‘urgent’ individual resolutions now, send them to the Senate with an “itemized plan prevents a govt shutdown” message… then, POUND that ‘fairness’ mantra every day until Democrats cave. DEMAND equal protection under the law…(or in this case, from the law)…for individual citizens!
Force Senate Democrats to defend unfairness and inequality daily…there are quite a few up for re-election in 2014, and they’re not happy trying to defend Obamacare. (A big reason why Obama just gave the employer-mandate a no-enforcement pass.)
Harry Reid and cohort may try to jam the items into one ‘all-or-nothing’ bill, to force the GOP to stall the bill, making it look like they’ve caused a shutdown…but clarity prevails if the House points out in advance a Democrat-consolidated bill will snarl things up.
And Senate Republicans should take every action at their disposal to push the message set by the House, always prefaced with Fairness and Equality demands, and stressing the fact that an ‘urgent’ per-item plan prevents any shutdown possibility.
If Senate Democrats still try to jam all continuing resolutions together, to make it an ‘all-or-nothing’ bill that Republicans won’t buy, or if they stall (making it a last-minute crisis), they own it…because the GOP set the ‘urgent’ and ‘shutdown preventable’ narrative.
If the Democrat Senate version passes fast, the House can conference the bill, break the Obamacare funding out again, re-sending 14 itemized bills to the Senate quickly, thus forcing Harry Reid’s Democrats to – once again – snarl the issue, or cave.
By October 01, if Democrats refuse to accept fairness and equality, they will be seen as the perpetrators of a government shutdown…despite the media’s best efforts.
So let’s use the mantra of Fairness and Equality against them…
…along with the common-sense ‘1st Rule of Car Buying’…value for your money.
No sane American buys lawnmower power …at a Corvette price!
Send Obamacare to the junkyard where it belongs.
And, today, we hear bankrupt Detroit has decided to push the retired city workers health care obligations over to Obamacare. MORE cities will follow, at more billions in cost.
If Republicans can’t sell defunding a hugely despised law based on basic values of fairness and equality, they’re not Republicans…they’re just politicians…
…and lousy ones at that.
2010 midterms sent a message Democrats fear. But 2012 saw the lousiest president in history re-elected. 2014 elections carry no Senate or White House GOP guarantees.
In our opinion, it’s now or never. Janis sang it best…
In the death-grip of Obamacare…Freedom IS just another word for ‘nothing left to lose’.
