Maybe he means what he says? Maybe he believes that reforming health care is the biggest single thing he can do for his country? Happen to think he’s right. He’s not running again, after all, he doesn’t have that risk in front of him.
The next election? All about motivation, isn’t it? Said it many times, the main enemy of the progressive in America isn’t the Republican Party, its their number one ally, the Apathy Party. Say this works respectably, or even half-assed, and forty million Americans who had no health insurance before have it then. How are they going to respond when George E. Tirebiter says “Vote for me, and I’ll take it away from you, because you don’t deserve it, you mooching bum!”
I’m thinking that will get them off their asses and to the polls. Just a hunch.
The problem is that there is no perfect solution. Given this, the Republicans (and Terr even though he claims he is not a Republican) have found that the best strategy is to sit back and point out the flaws in other plans without having a put forward any solutions of their own. To do otherwise would open themselves up to criticism. This also explains their continual moving of goal posts and refusal to compromise. If anything that they agreed to ever became law then they could be held accountable.
The same strategy has also been used for such things as the budget in which they demanded large cuts but were careful not to actually say exactly what it was that they would cut. And in the response the the Syrian uprising where Obama finally called their bluff by asking for an authorization of force and effectively forcing them to make a policy declaration.
Just what do Republicans think they can repeal without getting bitch-slapped by the voters? Not the ban on pre-existing conditions; everybody, left and right, can be burned by those; not the coverage for kids on their parents policies up to age 26, Republicans have kids too; not ending recission of coverage just because you get a catastrophic illness, that happens in red states too; not the end of lifetime limits of coverage, even conservatives can get hit by a medical problem that exceeds their resources.
So what do they really want to repeal? The individual mandate requiring everyone to get insurance, and the penalty if they don’t; and subsidies for the lazy poor folk who can’t afford health insurance, because *SOCIALISM!!! * That’s about it, right?
So the question is, do conservative voters like the ACA benefits they like more than they hate the things they hate? I think a lot of Republican candidates will be surprised at the answer if they run on repealing everything.
What reality do you live in? There are currently about 56 million uninsured. If Obamacare works the way its founders hope it does, most of them will … remain uninsured. Your belief that 40 million people who have no health insurance now will have it then is a fantasy.
Perhaps he’s not as astute as everyone thought he was.
40 million does seem to be a bit high. Your CBO cite shows 24 million fewer uninsured - an increase from 82% insured to 92% insured (for legal residents).
The first section of the CBO report shows that without the ACA (the Prior Law section), uninsured would have stayed roughly level at 56 million uninsured.
At least the ACA is a step in the right direction for 24 million.
Lets say that is true. Just for shits and giggle, lets just accept that. Whatever number of people who were previously uninsured and are then insured because of Obamacare, my scenario applies, yes?
And those people who want to be insured, have some hope that they might be in the future, are they more likely to vote for the aforementioned George E. Tirebiter, who campaigns to prevent such a ghastly occurrence?
And are not a considerable portion of those uninsured made up of those who choose that? Are we assured that they don’t change their minds? And how many are made up of those people who are left out because of the refusal of Republican governors to accept expanded Medicaid? How do you think those people are likely to vote for, say, governor of their respective state? And, heck, long as they are there, why not vote Democrat anyway?
Well, heck, jasg, thats only a paltry few millions. What, 24 million? A pittance, the massive Republican popularity will overcome that minor hurdle easily. Especially if they resist the temptation to nominate a radical right guy like Rand Paul, and go for a moderate like Ted Cruz.
Well, 40 is just a number that I latched on to in passing, I won’t claim any expertise on it. Since I am totally a single-payer guy from the git-go, everything that is happening is too weak for me. Of course, lots of folks are saying this is just another step in that direction. Maybe “saying” isn’t the word, more like rolling around on the floor and screaming it.
Now, that would not be entirely honest, if that is in fact the plan. I stand ready to deliver a wag of my scolding finger and a firm “tsk! tsk!”, but I’m likely to get over it. Pretty quickly, actually.
(at least in some mathematical belief systems)