# Why did the Republicans demonize Obamacare so much from the start?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-republicans-demonize-obamacare-so-much-from-the-start/783147>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 27, 2017, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-republicans-demonize-obamacare-so-much-from-the-start/783147 "2017-03-27T16:32:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2017, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-republicans-demonize-obamacare-so-much-from-the-start/783147/41 "2017-03-28T19:52:05Z")

</div>

> [@drewder](#):
>
> Because, like Obama said before he was president, solving healthcare by requiring people to buy health insurance is like solving homelessness by requiring everyone to buy a house.

Add to that giving people subsidies to help them to afford a home, and it starts sounding like a good idea to me.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2017, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-republicans-demonize-obamacare-so-much-from-the-start/783147/42 "2017-03-28T20:39:36Z")

</div>

> [@Rysto](#):
>
> Obamacare is unworkable without the mandate. That’s not compromise; that’s just trying to sabotage the plan.

Taking the same position that Obama held a year and a half prior is not sabotage nor is it evidence of negotiating in bad faith .

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2017, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-republicans-demonize-obamacare-so-much-from-the-start/783147/43 "2017-03-28T21:29:48Z")

</div>

> [@puddleglum](#):
>
> The previous Democrat president was opposed from the start by the Republicans and had his healthcare proposal defeated. He was then impeached. Obama was treated much better than Bill Clinton was.

I disagree. Clinton was impeached because he gave the Republicans the ammunition to impeach him. Obama’s tenure was remarkably scandal free.

As I said, racism was the means that the GOP opposed Obama. If he was white they would have found another means; the GOP would rather the nation fail than succeed with a Democrat president.

But racism permeated the GOP during the Obama years and is whey they ran a white nationalist candidate this time. Look at the incredible disrespect they showed Obama when in office, a Congressman called him boy, another heckled him during a speech. A Fox News anchor called the First Lady his “baby momma.” The GOP has been a white identity party since at least Nixon and with Obama they began to abandon dog whistles for straight out screaming the N word.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-republicans-demonize-obamacare-so-much-from-the-start/783147.md?page=2)