McConnell did a masterful job keeping his entire caucus of then 40 GOP senators together against BOcare in Christmas 2009 -- notwithstanding tremendous pressure on Collins, Snowe, Voinovich and others to cave -- not just from the RATS but from the MSM as well.
Continuing his masterful leadership on this issue, along with Senator DeMint, today we learn that all 47 Republican senators are on board for full repeal.
What has McConnell mostly gotten from too many conservative corners? Too often, ridicule and a failure to recognize this continued achievement.
Because McConnell exercised an important parlimentarian move after the House passed its repeal bill last week, the Senate MUST take up the full repeal bill at a time of the GOP's choosing. Reid cannot protect his members from a recorded vote on this issue.
With the vulnerability of both Senator Nelsons + Manchin + Pryor as a real possibility + Webb and others, it is likely that the full repeal will pass the Senate and Obama will have to veto the repeal. This is fine. Get them on the record -- both chambers -- on both the repeal bill and the override vote. Sets up 2012 nicely. Neither Stabenow or McCaskill would ever dare to vote for repeal given union backing -- but it gives their GOP opponent a great issue. Tester of Montana is another real possibility.
I would like to also point out that Mike Castle would have been a 48th vote for repeal. Party labels matter in critical circumstances, and I wish more people would understand this. Besides deficit reduction -- of which this is part -- there is no more urgent domestic danger facing this nation.