Snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. If you’re a
Republican, that’s what you do. Must be in their blood. They could not repeal,
and do not appeal.
After
repeatedly promising to repeal Obamacare, then taking control of the House,
Senate and presidency, the GOP
somehow managed to drop the ball yet again, getting outmaneuvered by both
Democrats and themselves. The American Health Care Act, or RINOcare, was
essentially Obamacare Lite, and would not have repealed certain vital- and
odious- aspects of the laughably-dubbed “Affordable Care Act.” It would have
left Uncle Sam’s nose firmly and permanently stuck in every aspect of
American’s health and behavior.
That
said, one would think that Republicans would have met and hammered out a viable
plan, one they knew would pass, long before they were to vote on one. In that case, had the Democrats attempted to kill the
bill by filibustering it, they
would’ve ended up with a black eye, not the Republicans. This fiasco will of
course be used by progressives to hammer Republicans and Conservatives, and
will lead to insistent, boisterous claims that they are unable to govern
effectively. A claim that, in this case, is understandable. It will also lead
to former president Obama gloating insufferably, something at which he is very
good. Worst of all, it is yet another instance of Republicans making promises
to voters that they don’t keep while in office. That is dangerous to a free
Republic.
In
reality, this shows that the diversity of viewpoints is on the Republican side, and
that at least some of them actually care more about crafting legislation than
the Democrats, who universally will do whatever it takes to keep and retain
power, period. Ironically, though, this does make it harder for them to govern
effectively.
As
Ronald Reagan remarked, “The closest thing to eternal life on earth is a
government program.” The GOP allowed debate over the bill to be framed simply
by how many people would gain or lose health care. This implies that everybody
should have health care. And, in the seven years since Obamacare was made the
law of the land, many now feel that universal healthcare is an entitlement, or
even a fundamental right.
A few
lines from Samuel Taylor Coleridge seem especially appropriate here:
He went
like one that hath been stunned,
And is
of sense forlorn:
A
sadder and a wiser man,
He rose
the morrow morn.
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